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There Is No Upright Person

Woe is me! For I am
Like the fruit pickers, like the (A)grape gatherers.
There is not a cluster of grapes to eat,
Or a (B)first-ripe fig which my soul desires.
The [a]holy one has (C)perished from the land,
And there is no upright person among men.
All of them lie in wait for (D)bloodshed;
Each of them hunts the other with a (E)net.
Concerning evil, both hands do it (F)well.
The prince asks, also the judge, for a (G)payment,
And a great man speaks the craving of his soul;
So they weave it together.
The best of them is like a (H)briar,
The most upright like a (I)thorn hedge.
The day when you post your watchmen,
Your (J)punishment will come.
[b]At that time their (K)panic will happen.
Do not (L)believe in a neighbor;
Do not have confidence in a close companion.
From her who lies in your bosom
Guard the openings of your mouth.
For (M)son treats father as a wicked fool;
Daughter rises up against her mother,
Daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
(N)A man’s enemies are the men of his own household.

Yahweh Is a Light for Me

But as for me, I will (O)watch expectantly for Yahweh;
I will (P)wait for the God of my salvation.
My (Q)God will hear me.
(R)Do not be glad over me, O (S)my enemy.
Though I fall I will (T)rise;
Though I inhabit the darkness, Yahweh is a (U)light for me.

I will bear the rage of Yahweh
Because I have sinned against Him,
Until He (V)pleads my case and does justice for me.
He will bring me out to the (W)light,
And I will see His [c](X)righteousness.
10 Then my enemy will see,
And shame will cover her who (Y)said to me,
“Where is Yahweh your God?”
My eyes will look on her;
[d]At that time she will [e]be (Z)trampled down
Like mire 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 [f]they will (AB)come to you
From Assyria and the cities of Egypt,
From Egypt even to the [g]River,
Even from sea to sea and mountain to mountain.
13 And the earth will become (AC)desolate 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 inheritance
Which dwells by itself in the forest,
In the midst of [h]a fruitful orchard.
Let them feed in (AG)Bashan and Gilead
(AH)As in the ancient days.
15 “As in the days when you came out from the land of Egypt,
I will show [i](AI)you wondrous deeds.”
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 the dust like a serpent,
Like (AM)crawling things of the earth.
They will come (AN)trembling out of their [j]fortresses;
To Yahweh our God they will come in (AO)dread,
And they will be afraid before You.
18 Who is a God like You, who (AP)forgives iniquity
And passes over the transgression of the (AQ)remnant of His inheritance?
He does not (AR)hold fast to His anger forever
Because He (AS)delights in lovingkindness.
19 He will again have compassion on us;
(AT)He will subdue our iniquities.
And You will (AU)cast all [k]their sins
Into the depths of the sea.
20 You will give [l](AV)truth to Jacob
And lovingkindness to Abraham,
Which You (AW)swore to our fathers
From the days of old.

Footnotes

  1. Micah 7:2 Or one of lovingkindness
  2. Micah 7:4 Lit Now
  3. Micah 7:9 Right dealing
  4. Micah 7:10 Lit Now
  5. Micah 7:10 Lit become a trampled place
  6. Micah 7:12 Lit he
  7. Micah 7:12 The Euphrates River
  8. Micah 7:14 Or Carmel
  9. Micah 7:15 Lit him
  10. Micah 7:17 Lit fastnesses
  11. Micah 7:19 Several ancient versions our
  12. Micah 7:20 Or faithfulness

The Prophet’s Lament

I am miserable.
I have become like someone gathering summer fruit
        when it is time to glean the vineyard.

    There is no bunch of grapes to eat,
    none of the early figs I crave.
The faithful[a] have been carried off from the land.
    There is no one upright among mankind.
    They all lie in wait for blood.
    Each one hunts his brother with a net.
Both hands are skilled at evil.
    The officials ask for bribes,
    and the judges as well.
    The important man says what he wants.
    Together, they plot it out.
The best of them is like a brier bush,
    the most upright like a hedge of thorns.
    The day for your watchman,
    the day for your punishment has come.
    Now confusion[b] has come for them.

Do not trust a neighbor.
    Do not put confidence in a close friend.
    Watch what comes out of your mouth,
        even when you lie down with the wife you embrace.
For a son will declare that his father is a fool.
    A daughter will rise up against her mother,
    and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.
    A man’s enemies are the members of his own household.

But as for me, I will keep watching for the Lord.
    I will wait for God my Savior.
    My God will hear me.

God’s People Will Rise Again

Do not rejoice over me, my enemy.
    When I fall, I will rise.
    When I sit in the darkness, the Lord will be a light for me.
Because I have sinned against him, I will bear the Lord’s wrath,
    until he pleads my case and obtains a favorable verdict for me.
    He will bring me to the light.
    I will see his righteousness.

10 Then my enemy will see this and will be covered with shame,
    she who said to me, “Where is the Lord your God?”
    My eyes will see her as she is being trampled like mud in the streets.
11 It will be a day to rebuild city walls.
    On that day your boundary will be extended.
12 On that day people will come to you
        from the lands of Assyria and the cities of Egypt,
        from Egypt even to the River Euphrates,
        from sea to sea and mountain to mountain.
13 The land will be laid waste because of its inhabitants,
    as a result of the fruit of their deeds.

14 Shepherd your people with your staff,
    the flock that is your inheritance,
    the flock which dwells by itself in a forest,
    in the middle of fertile pastureland.
    Let them graze in Bashan and Gilead as in days of old.

The Lord’s Response

15 As I did in the days you came out from the land of Egypt,
        I will show you wonderful miracles.

The People’s Praise

16 The nations will see and be ashamed of their lack of strength.
    They will place their hand over their mouth.
    Their ears will be deaf.
17 They will lick up dust like a snake,
    like the things that creep on the earth.
    They will come from their hiding places, shaking with fear.
    They will come trembling to the Lord our God,
    and they will be afraid in your presence.

18 Who is a God like you, who forgives guilt,
    and who passes over the rebellion of the survivors from his inheritance?
    He does not hold onto his anger forever.
    He delights in showing mercy.
19 He will have compassion on us again.
    He will overcome our guilty deeds.
    You will throw all their sins into the depths of the sea.
20 You will give truth to Jacob and mercy to Abraham,
    as you swore to our fathers from days of old.

Footnotes

  1. Micah 7:2 Or the merciful
  2. Micah 7:4 Or panic