Micah 7
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
The Total Corruption of the People
7 Woe is me! For I have become like one who,
after the summer fruit has been gathered,
after the vintage has been gleaned,
finds no cluster to eat;
there is no first-ripe fig for which I hunger.(A)
2 The faithful have disappeared from the land,
and there is no one left who is upright;
they all lie in wait for blood,
and they hunt each other with nets.(B)
3 Their hands are skilled to do evil;
the official and the judge ask for a bribe,
and the powerful dictate what they desire;
thus they pervert justice.[a](C)
4 The best of them is like a brier,
the most upright of them a thorn hedge.
The day of their[b] sentinels, of their[c] punishment, has come;
now their confusion is at hand.(D)
5 Put no trust in a friend;
have no confidence in a loved one;
guard the doors of your mouth
from her who lies in your embrace,
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;
your enemies are members of your own household.(E)
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.(F)
Penitence and Trust in God
8 Do not rejoice over me, my enemies;[d]
when I fall, I shall rise;
when I sit in darkness,
the Lord will be a light to me.(G)
9 I must bear the indignation of the Lord
because I have sinned against him,
until he takes my side
and executes judgment for me.
He will bring me out to the light;
I shall see his vindication.(H)
10 Then my enemies[e] will see,
and shame will cover those[f] who said to me,
“Where is the Lord your God?”
My eyes will see their[g] downfall;[h]
now they[i] will be trodden down
like the mire of the streets.(I)
A Prophecy of Restoration
11 A day for the building of your walls!
On that day the boundary shall be far extended.(J)
12 On that day they will come to you
from Assyria to[j] Egypt
and from Egypt to the River,
from sea to sea and from mountain to mountain.(K)
13 But the earth will be desolate
because of its inhabitants,
for the fruit of their doings.(L)
14 Shepherd your people with your staff,
the flock that belongs to you,
which lives 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,
show us[k] marvelous things.(M)
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;(N)
17 they shall lick dust like a snake,
like the crawling things of the earth;
they shall come trembling out of their fortresses;
they shall turn in dread to the Lord our God,
and they shall stand in fear of you.(O)
God’s Compassion and Steadfast Love
18 Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity
and passing over the transgression
of the remnant of his possession?
He does not retain his anger forever
because he delights in showing steadfast love.(P)
19 He will again have compassion upon us;
he will tread our iniquities under foot.
You will cast all our[l] sins
into the depths of the sea.(Q)
20 You will show faithfulness to Jacob
and steadfast love to Abraham,
as you have sworn to our ancestors
from the days of old.(R)
Micah 7
International Standard Version
The Evil Behavior of the People
7 Poor me!
I feel like those who harvest summer fruit,
or like those who pick grapes—
there are no clusters to eat
or any fresh fruit that I want.
2 The faithful have died off,
and there is not one upright human being in the land.
They all stalk one another[a] with lethal intent,
a man will even hunt his own brother with a net.
3 And speaking of evil,
they practice it eagerly—with both hands!
Both leader and judge demand a bribe,
the famous confess their perverted desires,
and they scheme together.
4 The best of them is like a thorn,
and their most upright like a hedge of thorns.
The day announced by[b] your watchmen—
and by your own calculations—approaches.
Now it’s your time to be[c] confused!
5 Don’t trust your friends,
don’t confide in a companion,
watch what you say to your wife.[d]
6 The son disrespects his father,
the daughter rebels against her mother,
the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law,
and a man’s enemies are the people of his own house.[e]
Micah Looks to God
7 But as for me, I will look to the Lord;
I will wait for the God who will deliver me.
My God will hear me.
8 Don’t be glad on my account, my enemy.
When I fall, I’ll get up.
Though I sit in darkness,
the Lord is a light for me.
9 I will endure the Lord’s anger—
since I have sinned against him—
until he takes over my defense,
administers justice on my behalf,
and brings me out to the light,
where I will gaze on his righteousness.
10 Then my enemy will observe it,
and shame will engulf the ones[f] who asked me,
‘Where is the Lord your God?’
My own eyes will see them,[g]
they[h] will be trampled on like mud in the streets.
A Word of Restoration
11 When the time comes[i] for rebuilding your walls,
that time[j] will surely be extended.[k]
12 At that time[l] armies[m] will invade you from Assyria,
from Egyptian cities to the Euphrates[n] River,
from sea to sea
and from mountain to mountain.
13 The land will become desolate
because of its inhabitants,
and as a result of their behavior.
14 Use your rod to shepherd your people,
the flock that belongs to you,
that lives alone in the forest of Carmel.
Let them find pasture in Bashan and Gilead,
as they did long ago.
15 As I did when[o] you came out of the land of Egypt,
I will show you[p] awesome things.
16 The nations will look on
and will be ashamed in spite of all their power;
they will cup their hands over their mouths,
and their ears will be deaf.
17 They will lick the dust like a serpent;
they will crawl from their strongholds like snakes.
They will fear the Lord our God.
They will be terrified because of you.
Who is like God?
18 Is there any God like you,
forgiving iniquity,
passing over transgressions by the survivors who are your[q] heritage?[r]
He is not angry forever,
because he delights in gracious love.
19 He will again show us compassion;
he will subdue our iniquities.
You will hurl all their sins into the deepest sea.
20 You will remain true to Jacob,
and merciful to Abraham,
as you promised our ancestors long ago.
Footnotes
- Micah 7:2 The Heb. lacks one another
- Micah 7:4 Lit. day of
- Micah 7:4 The Heb. lacks time to be
- Micah 7:5 Lit. her who lies near your bosom
- Micah 7:6 Cf. Matt 10:34-36
- Micah 7:10 Lit. will bury her
- Micah 7:10 Lit. her
- Micah 7:10 Lit. she
- Micah 7:11 Lit. In the day
- Micah 7:11 Lit. in the day
- Micah 7:11 Or that day the decree will be removed far away
- Micah 7:12 Lit. At that day
- Micah 7:12 Lit. they
- Micah 7:12 The Heb. lacks Euphrates
- Micah 7:15 Lit. As in the days
- Micah 7:15 Lit. him
- Micah 7:18 Lit. his
- Micah 7:18 I.e. God’s people
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