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Micah 7
Modern English Version
Micah 7
Modern English Version
Wait on the Lord
7 Woe is me!
Because I am as the gathering of summer fruit,
as the gleaning of grapes;
there is no cluster to eat,
no early fig that my soul desires.
2 The godly has perished from the earth,
and no one is upright among men.
All of them lie in wait for bloodshed;
each hunts his brother with a net.
3 Both hands are upon evil, to do it well.
The prince and the judge request the bribe,
the powerful asserts the craving of his very soul—
they intertwine together.
4 The best among them is like a brier,
the most upright among them a bramble;
the day of your watchmen,
of your punishment, has come;
now their confusion is at hand.
5 Do not trust in a companion,
do not rely on a friend;
from her who lies in your embrace,
guard the doors of your mouth.
6 For the son dishonors the father,
the daughter rises up against her mother,
the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—
the enemies of a man are members of his own household.
7 But as for me, I watch for the Lord;
I await the God of my salvation;
my God will hear me.
The Penitence of Israel
8 Do not rejoice over me, my enemy!
Although I have fallen, I will rise;
although I dwell in darkness,
the Lord is my light.
9 I will endure the rage of the Lord,
because I have sinned against Him,
until the time when He pleads my case
and executes judgment for me.
He will bring me out into the light;
I will look upon His vindication.
10 Then my enemy will see,
and shame will cover her
who said to me,
“Where is the Lord your God?”
My eyes will look upon her;
now she will be trampled
like muck in the streets.
11 A day for building your walls,
in that day the boundary will be extended.
12 In that day they will come to you
from Assyria and the cities of Egypt,
and from Egypt to the River,
from sea to sea,
and from mountain to mountain.
13 The earth will become desolate because of its inhabitants,
from the fruit of their deeds.
The Restoration of Israel
14 Shepherd your people with your staff,
the flock of your inheritance,
which live alone in a forest,
in the midst of a fertile land;
let them graze in Bashan and Gilead,
as in the days of old.
15 As in the days when you came out of Egypt,
I will display wonders.
16 Nations will see and be ashamed,
despite all their might;
they will put their hand on their mouth,
and their ears will be deaf.
17 They will lick dust like the serpent,
like crawling creatures of the earth;
they will come shuddering from their lairs.
They will turn in dread to the Lord our God,
and they will be afraid of You.
18 Who is a God like You,
bearing iniquity and passing over transgression
for the remnant of His inheritance?
He does not remain angry forever,
because He delights in benevolence.
19 He will again have compassion upon us.
He will tread down our iniquities,
and cast all of our sins into the depths of the sea.
20 You will give faithfulness to Jacob
and benevolence to Abraham,
which You swore to our fathers
from the days of old.
Micah 7
New King James Version
Micah 7
New King James Version
Sorrow for Israel’s Sins
7 Woe is me!
For I am like those who gather summer fruits,
Like those who (A)glean vintage grapes;
There is no cluster to eat
Of the first-ripe fruit which (B)my soul desires.
2 The (C)faithful[a] man has perished from the earth,
And there is no one upright among men.
They all lie in wait for blood;
(D)Every man hunts his brother with a net.
3 That they may successfully do evil with both hands—
The prince asks for gifts,
The judge seeks a (E)bribe,
And the great man utters his evil desire;
So they scheme together.
4 The best of them is (F)like a brier;
The most upright is sharper than a thorn hedge;
The day of your watchman and your punishment comes;
Now shall be their perplexity.
5 (G)Do not trust in a friend;
Do not put your confidence in a companion;
Guard the doors of your mouth
From her who lies in your (H)bosom.
6 For (I)son dishonors father,
Daughter rises against her mother,
Daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
A man’s enemies are the men of his own household.
7 Therefore I will look to the Lord;
I will (J)wait for the God of my salvation;
My God will hear me.
Israel’s Confession and Comfort
8 (K)Do not rejoice over me, my enemy;
(L)When I fall, I will arise;
When I sit in darkness,
The Lord will be a light to me.
9 (M)I will bear the indignation of the Lord,
Because I have sinned against Him,
Until He pleads my (N)case
And executes justice for me.
He will bring me forth to the light;
I will see His righteousness.
10 Then she who is my enemy will see,
And (O)shame will cover her who said to me,
(P)“Where is the Lord your God?”
My eyes will see her;
Now she will be trampled down
Like mud in the streets.
11 In the day when your (Q)walls are to be built,
In that day [b]the decree shall go far and wide.
12 In that day (R)they[c] shall come to you
From Assyria and the [d]fortified cities,
From the [e]fortress to [f]the River,
From sea to sea,
And mountain to mountain.
13 Yet the land shall be desolate
Because of those who dwell in it,
And (S)for the fruit of their deeds.
God Will Forgive Israel
14 Shepherd Your people with Your staff,
The flock of Your heritage,
Who dwell [g]solitarily in a (T)woodland,
In the midst of Carmel;
Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead,
As in days of old.
16 The nations (W)shall see and be ashamed of all their might;
(X)They shall put their hand over their mouth;
Their ears shall be deaf.
17 They shall lick the (Y)dust like a serpent;
(Z)They shall crawl from their holes like [i]snakes of the earth.
(AA)They shall be afraid of the Lord our God,
And shall fear because of You.
18 (AB)Who is a God like You,
(AC)Pardoning iniquity
And passing over the transgression of (AD)the remnant of His heritage?
(AE)He does not retain His anger forever,
Because He delights in (AF)mercy.[j]
19 He will again have compassion on us,
And will subdue our iniquities.
You will cast all [k]our sins
Into the depths of the sea.
20 (AG)You will give truth to Jacob
And [l]mercy to Abraham,
(AH)Which You have sworn to our fathers
From days of old.
Footnotes
- Micah 7:2 Or loyal
- Micah 7:11 Or the boundary shall be extended
- Micah 7:12 Lit. he, collective of the captives
- Micah 7:12 Heb. arey mazor, possibly cities of Egypt
- Micah 7:12 Heb. mazor, possibly Egypt
- Micah 7:12 The Euphrates
- Micah 7:14 Alone
- Micah 7:15 Lit. him, collective for the captives
- Micah 7:17 Lit. crawlers
- Micah 7:18 Or lovingkindness
- Micah 7:19 Lit. their
- Micah 7:20 Or lovingkindness
Micah 7
Good News Translation
Micah 7
Good News Translation
Israel's Moral Corruption
7 It's hopeless! I am like a hungry person who finds no fruit left on the trees and no grapes on the vines. All the grapes and all the tasty figs have been picked. 2 There is not an honest person left in the land, no one loyal to God. Everyone is waiting for a chance to commit murder. Everyone hunts down their own people. 3 They are all experts at doing evil. Officials and judges ask for bribes. The influential people tell them what they want, and so they scheme together.[a] 4 Even the best and most honest of them are as worthless as weeds.
The day has come when God will punish the people, as he warned them through their watchmen, the prophets. Now they are in confusion. 5 Don't believe your neighbor or trust your friend. Be careful what you say even to your husband or wife. 6 (A)In these times sons treat their fathers like fools, daughters oppose their mothers, and young women quarrel with their mothers-in-law; your enemies are the members of your own family.
7 But I will watch for the Lord; I will wait confidently for God, who will save me. My God will hear me.
The Lord Brings Salvation
8 Our enemies have no reason to gloat over us. We have fallen, but we will rise again. We are in darkness now, but the Lord will give us light. 9 We have sinned against the Lord, so now we must endure his anger for a while. But in the end he will defend us and right the wrongs that have been done to us. He will bring us out to the light; we will live to see him save us. 10 Then our enemies will see this and be disgraced—the same enemies who taunted us by asking, “Where is the Lord your God?” We will see them defeated, trampled[b] down like mud in the streets.
11 People of Jerusalem, the time to rebuild the city walls is coming. At that time your territory will be enlarged. 12 Your people will return to you from everywhere—from Assyria in the east, from Egypt in the south, from the region of the Euphrates River, from distant seas and far-off mountains. 13 But the earth will become a desert because of the wickedness of those who live on it.
The Lord's Compassion on Israel
14 Be a shepherd to your people, Lord, the people you have chosen. Although they live apart in the wilderness, there is fertile land around them. Let them go and feed in the rich pastures of Bashan and Gilead, as they did long ago.
15 Work miracles for us,[c] Lord, as you did in the days when you brought us out of Egypt. 16 The nations will see this and be frustrated in spite of all their strength. In dismay they will close their mouths and cover their ears. 17 They will crawl in the dust like snakes; they will come from their fortresses, trembling and afraid. They will turn in fear to the Lord our God.
18 There is no other god like you, O Lord; you forgive the sins of your people who have survived. You do not stay angry forever, but you take pleasure in showing us your constant love. 19 You will be merciful to us once again. You will trample our sins underfoot and send them to the bottom of the sea! 20 You will show your faithfulness and constant love to your people, the descendants of Abraham and of Jacob, as you promised our ancestors long ago.
Footnotes
- Micah 7:3 and so they scheme together; Hebrew unclear.
- Micah 7:10 We will see … trampled; or We will gloat over them as they lie trampled.
- Micah 7:15 Probable text Work miracles for us; Hebrew I will work miracles for him.
Micah 7
New International Version
Micah 7
New International Version
Israel’s Misery
7 What misery is mine!
I am like one who gathers summer fruit
at the gleaning of the vineyard;
there is no cluster of grapes to eat,
none of the early figs(A) that I crave.
2 The faithful have been swept from the land;(B)
not one(C) upright person remains.
Everyone lies in wait(D) to shed blood;(E)
they hunt each other(F) with nets.(G)
3 Both hands are skilled in doing evil;(H)
the ruler demands gifts,
the judge accepts bribes,(I)
the powerful dictate what they desire—
they all conspire together.
4 The best of them is like a brier,(J)
the most upright worse than a thorn(K) hedge.
The day God visits you has come,
the day your watchmen sound the alarm.
Now is the time of your confusion.(L)
5 Do not trust a neighbor;
put no confidence in a friend.(M)
Even with the woman who lies in your embrace
guard the words of your lips.
6 For a son dishonors his father,
a daughter rises up against her mother,(N)
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—
a man’s enemies are the members of his own household.(O)
7 But as for me, I watch(P) in hope(Q) for the Lord,
I wait for God my Savior;
my God will hear(R) me.
Israel Will Rise
8 Do not gloat over me,(S) my enemy!
Though I have fallen, I will rise.(T)
Though I sit in darkness,
the Lord will be my light.(U)
9 Because I have sinned against him,
I will bear the Lord’s wrath,(V)
until he pleads my case(W)
and upholds my cause.
He will bring me out into the light;(X)
I will see his righteousness.(Y)
10 Then my enemy will see it
and will be covered with shame,(Z)
she who said to me,
“Where is the Lord your God?”(AA)
My eyes will see her downfall;(AB)
even now she will be trampled(AC) underfoot
like mire in the streets.
11 The day for building your walls(AD) will come,
the day for extending your boundaries.
12 In that day people will come to you
from Assyria(AE) and the cities of Egypt,
even from Egypt to the Euphrates
and from sea to sea
and from mountain to mountain.(AF)
13 The earth will become desolate because of its inhabitants,
as the result of their deeds.(AG)
Prayer and Praise
14 Shepherd(AH) your people with your staff,(AI)
the flock of your inheritance,
which lives by itself in a forest,
in fertile pasturelands.[a](AJ)
Let them feed in Bashan(AK) and Gilead(AL)
as in days long ago.(AM)
15 “As in the days when you came out of Egypt,
I will show them my wonders.(AN)”
16 Nations will see and be ashamed,(AO)
deprived of all their power.
They will put their hands over their mouths(AP)
and their ears will become deaf.
17 They will lick dust(AQ) like a snake,
like creatures that crawl on the ground.
They will come trembling(AR) out of their dens;
they will turn in fear(AS) to the Lord our God
and will be afraid of you.
18 Who is a God(AT) like you,
who pardons sin(AU) and forgives(AV) the transgression
of the remnant(AW) of his inheritance?(AX)
You do not stay angry(AY) forever
but delight to show mercy.(AZ)
19 You will again have compassion on us;
you will tread our sins underfoot
and hurl all our iniquities(BA) into the depths of the sea.(BB)
20 You will be faithful to Jacob,
and show love to Abraham,(BC)
as you pledged on oath to our ancestors(BD)
in days long ago.(BE)
Footnotes
- Micah 7:14 Or in the middle of Carmel
Modern English Version (MEV)
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Good News Translation (GNT) 
Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.