Micah 7
Legacy Standard Bible
There Is No Upright Person
7 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.
2 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.
3 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.
4 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.
5 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.
6 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
7 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.
8 (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.
9 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
- Micah 7:2 Or one of lovingkindness
- Micah 7:4 Lit Now
- Micah 7:9 Right dealing
- Micah 7:10 Lit Now
- Micah 7:10 Lit become a trampled place
- Micah 7:12 Lit he
- Micah 7:12 The Euphrates River
- Micah 7:14 Or Carmel
- Micah 7:15 Lit him
- Micah 7:17 Lit fastnesses
- Micah 7:19 Several ancient versions our
- Micah 7:20 Or faithfulness
Micah 7
Revised Standard Version
The Total Corruption of the People
7 Woe is me! For I have become
as when the summer fruit has been gathered,
as when the vintage has been gleaned:
there is no cluster to eat,
no first-ripe fig which my soul desires.
2 The godly man has perished from the earth,
and there is none upright among men;
they all lie in wait for blood,
and each hunts his brother with a net.
3 Their hands are upon what is evil, to do it diligently;
the prince and the judge ask for a bribe,
and the great man utters the evil desire of his soul;
thus they weave it together.
4 The best of them is like a brier,
the most upright of them a thorn hedge.
The day of their[a] watchmen, of their[b] punishment, has come;
now their confusion is at hand.
5 Put no trust in a neighbor,
have no confidence in a friend;
guard the doors of your mouth
from her who lies in your bosom;
6 for the son treats the father with contempt,
the daughter rises up against her mother,
the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
a man’s enemies are the men of his own house.
7 But as for me, I will look to the Lord,
I will wait for the God of my salvation;
my God will hear me.
Penitence and Trust in God
8 Rejoice not over me, O my enemy;
when I fall, I shall rise;
when I sit in darkness,
the Lord will be a light to me.
9 I will bear the indignation of the Lord
because I have sinned against him,
until he pleads my cause
and executes judgment for me.
He will bring me forth to the light;
I shall behold his deliverance.
10 Then my enemy will see,
and shame will cover her who said to me,
“Where is the Lord your God?”
My eyes will gloat over her;
now she will be trodden down
like the mire of the streets.
A Prophecy of Restoration
11 A day for the building of your walls!
In that day the boundary shall be far extended.
12 In that day they will come to you,
from Assyria to[c] Egypt,
and from Egypt to the River,
from sea to sea and from mountain to mountain.
13 But the earth will be desolate
because of its inhabitants,
for the fruit of their doings.
14 Shepherd thy people with thy staff,
the flock of thy inheritance,
who dwell alone in a forest
in the midst of a garden land;
let them feed in Bashan and Gilead
as in the days of old.
15 As in the days when you came out of the land of Egypt
I will show them[d] marvelous things.
16 The nations shall see and be ashamed
of all their might;
they shall lay their hands on their mouths;
their ears shall be deaf;
17 they shall lick the dust like a serpent,
like the crawling things of the earth;
they shall come trembling out of their strongholds,
they shall turn in dread to the Lord our God,
and they shall fear because of thee.
God’s Compassion and Steadfast Love
18 Who is a God like thee, pardoning iniquity
and passing over transgression
for the remnant of his inheritance?
He does not retain his anger for ever
because he delights in steadfast love.
19 He will again have compassion upon us,
he will tread our iniquities under foot.
Thou wilt cast all our[e] sins
into the depths of the sea.
20 Thou wilt show faithfulness to Jacob
and steadfast love to Abraham,
as thou hast sworn to our fathers
from the days of old.
Footnotes
- Micah 7:4 Heb your
- Micah 7:4 Heb your
- Micah 7:12 Cn: Heb and cities of
- Micah 7:15 Heb him
- Micah 7:19 Gk Syr Vg Tg: Heb their
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Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1946, 1952, and 1971 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.