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Wait on the Lord

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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.

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

Do not rejoice over me, my enemy!
    Although I have fallen, I will rise;
although I dwell in darkness,
    the Lord is my light.
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.

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