Starea de păcat a poporului

„Vai de mine!
Căci sunt ca după culesul fructelor,
    ca după culesul viilor!
Nu mai este nici un ciorchine de mâncat
    nimic din smochinele timpurii, după care tânjeşte sufletul meu!
A pierit cel evlavios din ţară
    şi n-a mai rămas nici un om drept![a]
Cu toţii stau la pândă, ca să verse sânge;
    fiecare îl vânează pe semenul său cu o plasă.
Mâinile lor sunt deprinse cu răul!
    Conducătorul cere daruri,
        iar judecătorul pretinde mită;
cei mari îşi spun dorinţa pe faţă
    şi conspiră împreună pentru a şi-o îndeplini[b].
Cel mai bun dintre ei este ca un mărăcine,
    iar cel mai drept – mai rău ca un gard de spini.
Ziua vestită de străjerii tăi, ziua pedepsei tale, a sosit!
    Acum va fi stupoare pentru voi!
Nu-l crede pe prieten,
    nu te încrede în amic!
Păzeşte-ţi uşa gurii
    de cea care se odihneşte la pieptul tău!
Căci fiul îşi desconsideră tatăl,
    fiica se ridică împotriva mamei ei,
iar nora – împotriva soacrei sale,
    aşa încât duşmanii unui om sunt chiar cei din familia lui.

Eu însă voi privi la Domnul,
    voi nădăjdui în Dumnezeul mântuirii mele!
        Dumnezeul meu mă va asculta!

Israel va fi restaurat

Nu te bucura din pricina mea, duşmană a mea,
    căci, deşi am căzut, mă voi ridica!
Deşi locuiesc în întuneric,
    Domnul va fi lumina mea!
Voi îndura furia Domnului,
    căci am păcătuit împotriva Lui,
o voi îndura până când El îmi va apăra pricina
    şi-mi va face dreptate.
El mă va scoate la lumină;
    Îi voi vedea dreptatea.
10 Când va vedea duşmana mea lucrul acesta,
    va fi acoperită de ruşine,
ea, care-mi zicea:
    «Unde este Domnul, Dumnezeul tău?»
Ochii mei vor vedea căderea ei!
    Atunci ea va fi călcată în picioare
        ca noroiul de pe uliţe.

11 Va fi o zi a reclădirii zidurilor tale,
    o zi în care ţi se va lărgi hotarul!
12 În ziua aceea vor veni la tine oameni
    din Asiria şi până dinspre cetăţile Egiptului[c],
din Egipt şi până la râu[d],
    de la o mare şi până la cealaltă,
        de la un munte şi până la celălalt.
13 Însă ţara[e] va fi pustiită
    din pricina locuitorilor ei,
        ca rod al faptelor lor rele.

Rugăciune şi laudă

14 Păstoreşte-Ţi cu toiagul poporul,
    turma moştenirii Tale
care locuieşte în singurătate,
    în pădurea din mijlocul ţinutului roditor[f]!
Să pască în Başan şi în Ghilad
    ca în zilele de odinioară!“

15 „Îţi voi arăta lucruri nemaipomenite
    ca în ziua ieşirii tale din ţara Egiptului!“

16 „Neamurile vor vedea şi se vor ruşina
    de toată puterea lor.
Îşi vor pune mâna la gură
    şi îşi vor astupa urechile[g].
17 Vor linge ţărâna ca şarpele
    şi ca târâtoarele pământului.
Vor ieşi tremurând din cetăţuile lor,
    vor veni îngrozite la Domnul, Dumnezeul nostru,
        şi se vor teme de Tine.
18 Cine este Dumnezeu ca Tine,
    Care să ia vina şi Care să ierte nelegiuirea
        rămăşiţei moştenirii Lui?
Tu nu rămâi mânios pe vecie,
    ci Îţi găseşti plăcerea în îndurare.
19 Tu vei avea iarăşi milă de noi
    şi vei zdrobi sub tălpi[h] nelegiuirile noastre;
        vei arunca în adâncurile mării toate păcatele noastre.
20 Tu vei arăta credincioşie faţă de Iacov
    şi îndurare[i] faţă de Avraam,
aşa cum ai jurat strămoşilor noştri
    în zilele din vechime.“

Footnotes

  1. Mica 7:2 Sau: A pierit cel evlavios de pe pământ / şi nu mai este nici unul drept printre oameni.
  2. Mica 7:3 Sensul în ebraică al ultimului vers este nesigur
  3. Mica 7:12 Sau: din Asiria şi până în Egipt
  4. Mica 7:12 Eufratul
  5. Mica 7:13 Sau: pământul
  6. Mica 7:14 Sau: în pădurea din mijlocul Carmelului
  7. Mica 7:16 Lit.: gură / iar urechile le vor asurzi.
  8. Mica 7:19 Sau: vei lua în captivitate, verbul ebraic având sensul de a subjuga, a înrobi
  9. Mica 7:20 Ebr.: hesed, termen care apare frecvent (de peste 250 ori) în VT, având o varietate de sensuri (îndurare, bunătate, bunăvoinţă, milă, credincioşie, dragoste statornică). Se referă atât la relaţiile dintre oameni, cât şi, într-un mod cu totul special, la relaţia dintre YHWH şi Israel. Cel mai frecvent, se referă la loialitatea părţilor implicate în legământ (în special loialitatea lui YHWH, care este certă). Termenul, aşa cum o dovedeşte varietatea de sensuri, cuprinde toate implicaţiile loialităţii lui YHWH faţă de promisiunile legământului

Wait for the God of Salvation

Woe is me! For I have become
    (A)as when the summer fruit has been gathered,
    as when the grapes have been gleaned:
there is no cluster to eat,
    no (B)first-ripe fig that my soul desires.
(C)The godly has perished from the earth,
    and (D)there is no one upright among mankind;
(E)they all lie in wait for blood,
    and (F)each hunts the other with a net.
(G)Their hands are on what is evil, to do it well;
    (H)the prince and (I)the judge ask for a bribe,
and the great man utters the evil desire of his soul;
    thus they weave it together.
The best of them is (J)like a brier,
    the most upright of them a thorn hedge.
The day of (K)your watchmen, of your punishment, has come;
    (L)now their confusion is at hand.
(M)Put no trust in a neighbor;
    have no confidence in a friend;
guard (N)the doors of your mouth
    from her who lies in your arms;[a]
for (O)the son treats the father with contempt,
    the daughter rises up against her mother,
the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
    (P)a man's enemies are the men of his own house.
But as for me, I will look to the Lord;
    (Q)I will wait for the God of my salvation;
    my God will hear me.

(R)Rejoice not over me, O (S)my enemy;
    (T)when I fall, I shall rise;
(U)when I sit in darkness,
    the Lord will be a light to me.
(V)I will bear the indignation of the Lord
    because I have sinned against him,
until (W)he pleads my cause
    and executes judgment for me.
(X)He will bring me out to the light;
    I shall look upon his vindication.
10 Then (Y)my enemy will see,
    and shame will cover her who (Z)said to me,
    “Where is the Lord your God?”
(AA)My eyes will look upon her;
    now she will be trampled down
    (AB)like the mire of the streets.

11 (AC)A day for the building of your walls!
    In that day the boundary shall be far extended.
12 In that day they[b] will come to you,
    (AD)from Assyria and the cities of Egypt,
and from Egypt to (AE)the River,[c]
    (AF)from sea to sea and from mountain to mountain.
13 But (AG)the earth will be desolate
    because of its inhabitants,
    for the fruit of their deeds.

14 (AH)Shepherd your people (AI)with your staff,
    the flock of your inheritance,
who dwell alone in a forest
    (AJ)in the midst of (AK)a garden land;[d]
let them graze in Bashan and Gilead
    as in the days of old.
15 (AL)As in the days when you came out of the land of Egypt,
    I will show them[e] marvelous things.
16 (AM)The nations shall see and be ashamed of all their might;
(AN)they shall lay their hands on their mouths;
    their ears shall be deaf;
17 (AO)they shall lick the dust like a serpent,
    like the crawling things of the earth;
(AP)they shall come trembling out of their strongholds;
    (AQ)they shall turn in dread to the Lord our God,
    and they shall be in fear of you.

God's Steadfast Love and Compassion

18 (AR)Who is a God like you, (AS)pardoning iniquity
    and passing over transgression
    (AT)for the remnant of his inheritance?
(AU)He does not retain his anger forever,
    because he delights in steadfast love.
19 He will (AV)again have compassion on us;
    (AW)he will tread our iniquities underfoot.
(AX)You will cast all our[f] sins
    into the depths of the sea.
20 (AY)You will show faithfulness to Jacob
    and steadfast love to Abraham,
(AZ)as you have sworn to our fathers
    from the days of old.

Footnotes

  1. Micah 7:5 Hebrew bosom
  2. Micah 7:12 Hebrew he
  3. Micah 7:12 That is, the Euphrates
  4. Micah 7:14 Hebrew of Carmel
  5. Micah 7:15 Hebrew him
  6. Micah 7:19 Hebrew their

Israel’s Misery

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.
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)
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.
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)
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.
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)

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

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)
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

  1. Micah 7:14 Or in the middle of Carmel

Sorrow for Israel’s Sins

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.
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.

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.
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.

(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.
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.
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

(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.
(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.

15 “As(U) in the days when you came out of the land of Egypt,
I will show [h]them (V)wonders.”

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

  1. Micah 7:2 Or loyal
  2. Micah 7:11 Or the boundary shall be extended
  3. Micah 7:12 Lit. he, collective of the captives
  4. Micah 7:12 Heb. arey mazor, possibly cities of Egypt
  5. Micah 7:12 Heb. mazor, possibly Egypt
  6. Micah 7:12 The Euphrates
  7. Micah 7:14 Alone
  8. Micah 7:15 Lit. him, collective for the captives
  9. Micah 7:17 Lit. crawlers
  10. Micah 7:18 Or lovingkindness
  11. Micah 7:19 Lit. their
  12. Micah 7:20 Or lovingkindness