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Micah 7
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Micah 7
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 7
1 Woe is me! I am like the one who gathers summer fruit,
when the vines have been gleaned;
There is no cluster to eat,
no early fig that I crave.
2 The faithful have vanished from the earth,
no mortal is just!
They all lie in wait to shed blood,
each one ensnares the other.(A)
3 Their hands succeed at evil;
the prince makes demands,
The judge is bought for a price,
the powerful speak as they please.(B)
4 The best of them is like a brier,
the most honest like a thorn hedge.
The day announced by your sentinels!
Your punishment has come;
now is the time of your confusion.
5 Put no faith in a friend,
do not trust a companion;
With her who lies in your embrace
watch what you say.(C)
6 For the son belittles his father,
the daughter rises up against her mother,
The daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law,
and your enemies are members of your household.(D)
IV. Confidence in God’s Future
7 But as for me, I will look to the Lord,
I will wait for God my savior;
my God will hear me!(E)
8 [a]Do not rejoice over me, my enemy![b]
though I have fallen, I will arise;
though I sit in darkness, the Lord is my light.
9 I will endure the wrath of the Lord
because I have sinned against him,
Until he pleads my case,
and establishes my right.
He will bring me forth to the light;
I will see his righteousness.
10 When my enemy sees this,
shame shall cover her:
She who said to me,
“Where is the Lord, your God?”
My eyes shall see her downfall;
now she will be trampled[c] underfoot,
like mud in the streets.
11 [d]It is the day for building your walls;
on that day your boundaries shall be enlarged.
12 It is the day when those from Assyria to Egypt
shall come to you,
And from Tyre even to the River,
from sea to sea, and from mountain to mountain;(F)
13 And the earth shall be a waste
because of its inhabitants,
as a result of their deeds.
14 [e]Shepherd your people with your staff,
the flock of your heritage,
That lives apart(G) in a woodland,
in the midst of an orchard.
Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead,
as in the days of old;
15 As in the days when you came from the land of Egypt,
show us wonderful signs.
16 The nations will see and will be put to shame,
in spite of all their strength;
They will put their hands over their mouths;
their ears will become deaf.
17 They will lick the dust like a snake,
like crawling things on the ground;
They will come quaking from their strongholds;
they will tremble in fear of you, the Lord, our God.
18 [f]Who is a God like you, who removes guilt
and pardons sin for the remnant of his inheritance;
Who does not persist in anger forever,
but instead delights in mercy,(H)
19 And will again have compassion on us,
treading underfoot our iniquities?
You will cast into the depths of the sea all our sins;
20 You will show faithfulness to Jacob,
and loyalty to Abraham,
As you have sworn to our ancestors
from days of old.(I)
Footnotes
- 7:8–20 The book concludes with a collection of confident prayers for deliverance, affirmations of faith, and announcements of salvation. Most of these verses bear the marks of use in worship, and probably arose in the exilic or postexilic periods.
- 7:8–10 An individual, possibly personified Jerusalem, expresses confidence that the Lord will deliver her from her enemy (cf. Ps 23).
- 7:10 She who said…she will be trampled: in the Old Testament, cities are often personified as women. Here, the prophet is speaking of the enemies’ cities.
- 7:11–13 An announcement of salvation to Zion. The walls of Jerusalem will be rebuilt, its inhabitants who are now scattered from Assyria to Egypt shall return, but the other peoples will suffer for their evil deeds.
- 7:14–17 A prayer that God will care for the people as in ancient days (v. 14) is answered (vv. 15–17) when the Lord promises to do marvelous things. The nations shall be afraid and turn to the Lord.
- 7:18–20 The final lines of the book contain a hymn of praise for the incomparable God, who pardons sin and delights in mercy. Thus the remnant, those left after the exile, is confident in God’s compassion and in the ancient promises sworn to the ancestors.
Micah 7
New International Version
Micah 7
New International Version
Israel’s Misery
7 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.
2 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)
3 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.
4 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)
5 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.
6 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)
7 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
8 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)
9 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
- Micah 7:14 Or in the middle of Carmel
Micah 7
King James Version
Micah 7
King James Version
7 Woe is me! for I am as when they have gathered the summer fruits, as the grapegleanings of the vintage: there is no cluster to eat: my soul desired the firstripe fruit.
2 The good man is perished out of the earth: and there is none upright among men: they all lie in wait for blood; they hunt every man his brother with a net.
3 That they may do evil with both hands earnestly, the prince asketh, and the judge asketh for a reward; and the great man, he uttereth his mischievous desire: so they wrap it up.
4 The best of them is as a brier: the most upright is sharper than a thorn hedge: the day of thy watchmen and thy visitation cometh; now shall be their perplexity.
5 Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide: keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom.
6 For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth 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 Therefore I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.
8 Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me.
9 I will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against him, until he plead my cause, and execute judgment for me: he will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold his righteousness.
10 Then she that is mine enemy shall see it, and shame shall cover her which said unto me, Where is the Lord thy God? mine eyes shall behold her: now shall she be trodden down as the mire of the streets.
11 In the day that thy walls are to be built, in that day shall the decree be far removed.
12 In that day also he shall come even to thee from Assyria, and from the fortified cities, and from the fortress even to the river, and from sea to sea, and from mountain to mountain.
13 Notwithstanding the land shall be desolate because of them that dwell therein, for the fruit of their doings.
14 Feed thy people with thy rod, the flock of thine heritage, which dwell solitarily in the wood, in the midst of Carmel: let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old.
15 According to the days of thy coming out of the land of Egypt will I shew unto him marvellous things.
16 The nations shall see and be confounded at all their might: they shall lay their hand upon their mouth, their ears shall be deaf.
17 They shall lick the dust like a serpent, they shall move out of their holes like worms of the earth: they shall be afraid of the Lord our God, and shall fear because of thee.
18 Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.
19 He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.
20 Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.
New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)
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