Micah 7
Christian Standard Bible
Israel’s Moral Decline
7 How sad for me!
For I am like one who—
when the summer fruit has been gathered
after the gleaning of the grape harvest(A)—
finds no grape cluster to eat,
no early fig, which I crave.(B)
2 Faithful people have vanished from the land;(C)
there is no one upright among the people.(D)
All of them wait in ambush to shed blood;(E)
they hunt each other with a net.(F)
3 Both hands are good(G) at accomplishing evil:
the official and the judge demand a bribe;(H)
when the powerful man communicates his evil desire,
they plot it together.
4 The best of them is like a brier;(I)
the most upright is worse than a hedge of thorns.(J)
The day of your watchmen,
the day of your punishment, is coming;(K)
at this time their panic is here.(L)
5 Do not rely on a friend;(M)
don’t trust in a close companion.
Seal your mouth
from the woman who lies in your arms.
6 Surely a son considers his father a fool,(N)
a daughter opposes her mother,
and a daughter-in-law is against her mother-in-law;
a man’s enemies are the men of his own household.
7 But I will look to the Lord;(O)
I will wait for the God of my salvation.(P)
My God will hear me.(Q)
Zion’s Vindication
8 Do not rejoice over me,(R) my enemy!
Though I have fallen, I will stand up;(S)
though I sit in darkness,
the Lord will be my light.(T)
9 Because I have sinned against him,
I must endure the Lord’s fury
until he champions my cause(U)
and establishes justice for me.(V)
He will bring me into the light;(W)
I will see his salvation.[a](X)
10 Then my enemy will see,
and she will be covered with shame,
the one who said to me,
“Where is the Lord your God?” (Y)
My eyes will look at her in triumph;
at that time she will be trampled
like mud in the streets.(Z)
11 A day will come for rebuilding your walls;(AA)
on that day your boundary will be extended.(AB)
12 On that day people will come to you(AC)
from Assyria and the cities of Egypt,
even from Egypt to the Euphrates River
and from sea to sea
and mountain to mountain.
13 Then the earth will become a wasteland(AD)
because of its inhabitants
and as a result of their actions.(AE)
Micah’s Prayer Answered
14 Shepherd your people(AF) with your staff,(AG)
the flock that is your possession.
They live alone(AH) in a woodland
surrounded by pastures.
Let them graze in Bashan and Gilead(AI)
as in ancient times.(AJ)
15 I will perform miracles for them[b]
as in the days of your exodus
from the land of Egypt.(AK)
16 Nations will see and be ashamed
of[c] all their power.
They will put their hands over their mouths,(AL)
and their ears will become deaf.
17 They will lick the dust like a snake;(AM)
they will come trembling out of their hiding places(AN)
like reptiles slithering on the ground.(AO)
They will tremble in the presence of the Lord our God;(AP)
they will stand in awe of you.
18 Who is a God like you,(AQ)
forgiving iniquity and passing over rebellion(AR)
for the remnant of his inheritance?(AS)
He does not hold on to his anger forever(AT)
because he delights in faithful love.(AU)
19 He will again have compassion on us;
he will vanquish our iniquities.(AV)
You will cast all our[d] sins
into the depths of the sea.(AW)
20 You will show loyalty to Jacob(AX)
and faithful love to Abraham,
as you swore to our ancestors(AY)
from days long ago.
Micah 7
New American Standard Bible
The Prophet Acknowledges Injustice
7 Woe to me! For I am
Like harvests of summer fruit, like gleanings of (A)grapes.
There is not a cluster of grapes left to eat,
Nor an (B)early fig, which [a]I crave.
2 The [b]godly person has (C)perished from the land,
And there is no upright person among mankind.
All of them lie in wait for (D)bloodshed;
Each of them hunts the other with a (E)net.
3 As for evil, both hands do it (F)well.
The leader asks for a (G)bribe, also the judge,
And the great one speaks the capricious desire of his soul;
So they plot it together.
4 The best of them is like a (H)thorn bush,
The most upright like a (I)thorn hedge.
The day [c]when you post your watchmen,
Your (J)punishment is coming.
Then their (K)confusion will occur.
5 Do not (L)trust in a neighbor;
Do not have confidence in a close friend.
Guard [d]your lips
From her who lies [e]in your arms.
6 For (M)son disavows father,
Daughter rises up against her mother,
Daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
(N)A person’s enemies are the people of his own household.
God Is the Source of Salvation and Light
7 But as for me, I will (O)be on the watch for the Lord;
I will (P)wait for the God of my salvation.
My (Q)God will hear me.
8 (R)Do not rejoice over me, (S)enemy of mine.
Though I fall I will (T)rise;
Though I live in darkness, the Lord is a (U)light for me.
9 I will endure the rage of the Lord
Because I have sinned against Him,
Until He (V)pleads my case and executes justice for me.
He will bring me out to the (W)light,
And I will look at His [f](X)righteousness.
10 Then my enemy will see,
And shame will cover her who (Y)said to me,
“Where is the Lord your God?”
My eyes will look at her;
[g]At that time she will [h]be (Z)trampled down
Like mud of the streets.
11 It will be a day for (AA)building your walls.
On that day your boundary will be extended.
12 It will be a day when [i]they will (AB)come to you
From Assyria and the cities of Egypt,
From Egypt even to the Euphrates River,
Even from sea to sea and mountain to mountain.
13 And the earth will become a (AC)wasteland because of her inhabitants,
On account of the (AD)fruit of their deeds.
14 (AE)Shepherd Your people with Your (AF)scepter,
The flock of Your [j]possession
Which lives by itself in the woodland,
In the midst of [k]a fruitful field.
Let them feed in (AG)Bashan and Gilead
(AH)As in the days of old.
15 “As in the days when you went out from the land of Egypt,
I will show [l](AI)you miracles.”
16 Nations (AJ)will see and be ashamed
Of all their might.
They will (AK)put their hand on their mouth,
Their ears will be deaf.
17 They will (AL)lick up dust like a snake,
Like [m](AM)reptiles of the earth.
They will come (AN)trembling out of their [n]fortresses;
To the Lord our God they will come in (AO)trepidation,
And they will be afraid of You.
18 Who is a God like You, who (AP)pardons wrongdoing
And passes over a rebellious act of the (AQ)remnant of His [o]possession?
He does not (AR)retain His anger forever,
Because He (AS)delights in mercy.
19 He will again take pity on us;
(AT)He will trample on our wrongdoings.
Yes, You will (AU)cast all [p]their sins
Into the depths of the sea.
20 You will give [q](AV)truth to Jacob
And favor to Abraham,
Which You (AW)swore to our forefathers
From the days of old.
Footnotes
- Micah 7:1 Lit my soul desires
- Micah 7:2 Or faithful
- Micah 7:4 Lit of your
- Micah 7:5 Lit the openings of your mouth
- Micah 7:5 Lit on your chest
- Micah 7:9 I.e., right dealing
- Micah 7:10 Lit Now
- Micah 7:10 Lit become a trampled place
- Micah 7:12 Lit he
- Micah 7:14 Or inheritance
- Micah 7:14 Or Carmel
- Micah 7:15 Lit him
- Micah 7:17 Lit crawling things
- Micah 7:17 Or prisons
- Micah 7:18 Or inheritance
- Micah 7:19 Several ancient versions our
- Micah 7:20 Or faithfulness
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
