Micah 7
Expanded Bible
The Evil That People Do
7 ·Poor [Woe to] me! I am like a hungry man,
and all the summer fruit has been picked—
there are no grapes left to eat,
none of the early figs I ·love [crave].
2 All of the faithful people ·are gone [L have perished from the land/earth];
there is not one ·good [upright] person left in this country.
Everyone ·is waiting to kill someone [L lies in wait for blood];
everyone ·is trying to trap someone else [L hunts his brother with a net].
3 With both hands they are doing evil.
Rulers ask for ·money [gifts],
and judges’ decisions are bought for a ·price [bribe].
·Rich [Influential; Great] people ·tell what they want [make demands],
and they get it.
4 Even the best of them is like a ·thornbush [brier];
the most ·honest [upright] of them is worse than a ·prickly plant [thorn hedge].
The day ·that your watchmen warned you about [L of your watchmen; C the coming exile predicted by the prophets] has come.
Now they will be confused [C without the guidance of the prophets].
5 Don’t ·believe [trust] your neighbor
or ·trust [put confidence in] a friend.
·Don’t say anything [L Guard the doors of your mouth],
even to ·your wife [L the one who lies on your bosom].
6 A son will not honor his father,
a daughter will ·turn against [defy; rise up against] her mother,
and a daughter-in-law will be against her mother-in-law;
a person’s enemies will be ·members of his own family [or the servants of his household; L the men/people of his house; Matt. 10:36].
The Lord’s Kindness
7 Israel says, “I will look to the Lord for help.
I will wait for God ·to save me [my savior];
my God will hear me.
8 Enemy, don’t ·laugh at [gloat over] me.
I have fallen, but I will get up again.
I sit in ·the shadow of trouble now [L darkness],
but the Lord will be a light for me.
9 I sinned against the Lord,
so ·he was angry with me [L I will bear the wrath of the Lord],
but he will ·defend my case in court [plead my case].
He will ·bring about what is right [accomplish justice] for me.
Then he will bring me out into the light,
and I will see ·him set things right [his righteousness/justice/vindication].
10 Then my enemies will see this,
and they will be ·ashamed [L covered wth shame],
those who said to me,
‘Where is the Lord your God?’
I will ·look down on [gloat over] them.
They will ·get walked on [be trampled down], like mud in the street.”
Israel Will Return
11 The ·time [L day] will come when your walls will be built again,
when your ·country will grow [borders will be extended].
12 ·At that time [L In that day] your people will come back to you
from Assyria and the cities of Egypt,
and from Egypt to the ·Euphrates River [L River],
and from sea to sea and mountain to mountain.
13 The earth will be ·ruined [desolate] ·for [or because of] the people who live in it
·because [L for the fruit] of their deeds.
A Prayer to God
14 So shepherd your people with your ·stick [shepherd’s staff];
tend the flock of ·people who belong to you [L your inheritance/possession].
That flock now lives alone in the forest
in the middle of ·a garden land [pasturelands; or Carmel].
Let them ·feed [graze] in Bashan and Gilead
as in days long ago.
15 “As in the days when I brought you out of Egypt,
I will show them ·miracles [wonders].”
16 When the nations see those miracles,
they will ·no longer brag [be ashamed/disappointed] about their power.
They will put their hands over their mouths,
·refusing to listen [and their ears will be deaf].
17 They will ·crawl in the [L lick] dust like a snake,
like ·insects crawling [or serpents; L crawling things] on the ground.
They will come trembling from their ·holes [or strongholds] to the Lord our God
and will turn in fear before you.
18 There is no God like you.
You forgive those who are guilty of sin;
you ·don’t look at the sins [pass over the transgressions] of ·your people
who are left alive [L the remnant of your inheritance].
You will not stay angry forever,
because you ·enjoy [delight in] ·being kind [mercy; lovingkindness].
19 You will have ·mercy [compassion] on us again;
you will conquer our sins.
You will ·throw away [hurl; cast] all our sins
into the ·deepest part [depths] of the sea.
20 You will be ·true [faithful] to ·the people of Jacob [L Jacob],
and you will ·be kind [show mercy/lovingkindness] to ·the people of Abraham [L Abraham]
as you promised to our ·ancestors [fathers] long ago.
Micah 7
New King James Version
Sorrow for Israel’s Sins
7 Woe is me!
For I am like those who gather summer fruits,
Like those who (A)glean vintage grapes;
There is no cluster to eat
Of the first-ripe fruit which (B)my soul desires.
2 The (C)faithful[a] man has perished from the earth,
And there is no one upright among men.
They all lie in wait for blood;
(D)Every man hunts his brother with a net.
3 That they may successfully do evil with both hands—
The prince asks for gifts,
The judge seeks a (E)bribe,
And the great man utters his evil desire;
So they scheme together.
4 The best of them is (F)like a brier;
The most upright is sharper than a thorn hedge;
The day of your watchman and your punishment comes;
Now shall be their perplexity.
5 (G)Do not trust in a friend;
Do not put your confidence in a companion;
Guard the doors of your mouth
From her who lies in your (H)bosom.
6 For (I)son dishonors father,
Daughter rises against her mother,
Daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
A man’s enemies are the men of his own household.
7 Therefore I will look to the Lord;
I will (J)wait for the God of my salvation;
My God will hear me.
Israel’s Confession and Comfort
8 (K)Do not rejoice over me, my enemy;
(L)When I fall, I will arise;
When I sit in darkness,
The Lord will be a light to me.
9 (M)I will bear the indignation of the Lord,
Because I have sinned against Him,
Until He pleads my (N)case
And executes justice for me.
He will bring me forth to the light;
I will see His righteousness.
10 Then she who is my enemy will see,
And (O)shame will cover her who said to me,
(P)“Where is the Lord your God?”
My eyes will see her;
Now she will be trampled down
Like mud in the streets.
11 In the day when your (Q)walls are to be built,
In that day [b]the decree shall go far and wide.
12 In that day (R)they[c] shall come to you
From Assyria and the [d]fortified cities,
From the [e]fortress to [f]the River,
From sea to sea,
And mountain to mountain.
13 Yet the land shall be desolate
Because of those who dwell in it,
And (S)for the fruit of their deeds.
God Will Forgive Israel
14 Shepherd Your people with Your staff,
The flock of Your heritage,
Who dwell [g]solitarily in a (T)woodland,
In the midst of Carmel;
Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead,
As in days of old.
16 The nations (W)shall see and be ashamed of all their might;
(X)They shall put their hand over their mouth;
Their ears shall be deaf.
17 They shall lick the (Y)dust like a serpent;
(Z)They shall crawl from their holes like [i]snakes of the earth.
(AA)They shall be afraid of the Lord our God,
And shall fear because of You.
18 (AB)Who is a God like You,
(AC)Pardoning iniquity
And passing over the transgression of (AD)the remnant of His heritage?
(AE)He does not retain His anger forever,
Because He delights in (AF)mercy.[j]
19 He will again have compassion on us,
And will subdue our iniquities.
You will cast all [k]our sins
Into the depths of the sea.
20 (AG)You will give truth to Jacob
And [l]mercy to Abraham,
(AH)Which You have sworn to our fathers
From days of old.
Footnotes
- Micah 7:2 Or loyal
- Micah 7:11 Or the boundary shall be extended
- Micah 7:12 Lit. he, collective of the captives
- Micah 7:12 Heb. arey mazor, possibly cities of Egypt
- Micah 7:12 Heb. mazor, possibly Egypt
- Micah 7:12 The Euphrates
- Micah 7:14 Alone
- Micah 7:15 Lit. him, collective for the captives
- Micah 7:17 Lit. crawlers
- Micah 7:18 Or lovingkindness
- Micah 7:19 Lit. their
- Micah 7:20 Or lovingkindness
Micha 7
BasisBijbel
Het verdriet van Micha
7 Micha zegt: Ik ben zo verdrietig! Want het is als bij het oogsten van de druiven of de vijgen: na de oogst is er aan de struiken geen enkele druif of vijg meer te vinden. Ik verlang zó naar nieuwe, vroegrijpe vruchten! 2 Maar zoals er geen vrucht meer is te vinden, is er in het hele land geen enkel mens meer te vinden die God nog dient. Er zijn geen mensen meer die God dienen. Iedereen loert op bloed. Iedereen probeert een ander in de val te laten lopen. 3 De mensen doen alleen maar slechte dingen. De koning en de rechter laten zich omkopen. De machtige mensen spannen samen om te kunnen doen wat ze willen. 4 De beste van hen is nog erger dan een doornstruik. De eerlijkste van hen is nog erger dan een heg van dorens. Maar zij die jullie komen straffen, zijn onderweg! Dan zullen jullie geschokt zijn over wat er gebeurt. 5 Vertrouw je buren niet. Vertrouw zelfs je beste vriend niet. Pas zelfs op wat je tegen je eigen vrouw zegt. 6 Want de zonen hebben geen respect meer voor hun vader. De dochters komen in opstand tegen hun moeder. Getrouwde vrouwen tegen de moeder van hun man. De mensen waarmee je in één huis woont, worden je vijanden.
Micha blijft op God vertrouwen
7 Micha zegt namens Israël: Maar ik zal blijven vertrouwen op de Heer. Ik zal wachten op de God die mij redt. Mijn God zal mij horen roepen. 8 Vijand, verheug je maar niet over mij. Als ik val, zal ik weer opstaan. Als het donker om mij heen wordt, zal de Heer mij licht geven. 9 Ik ben de Heer ongehoorzaam geweest. Daarom zal ik zijn straf verdragen, totdat Hij weer voor mij opkomt en over mij rechtspreekt. Dan zal Hij mij uit het donker naar het licht leiden. Ik zal met eigen ogen zien, dat Hij voor mij zal opkomen. 10 Ook mijn vijand zal het zien. Hij zal bedrogen uitkomen, want hij heeft tegen mij gezegd: 'Waar is nu die God van jou?' Ik zal het zien als hij vertrapt wordt zoals afval in de straten.
11 Maar op een dag zal Hij de stadsmuren weer opbouwen. In die tijd zullen de grenzen vergroot worden. 12 Vanaf Assur tot Egypte en vanaf Egypte tot aan de Rivier (= de Eufraat), vanaf de ene zee in het westen tot aan de andere zee in het oosten en vanaf alle bergen zullen in die tijd de mensen naar jullie toe komen. 13 Maar het land zal eerst verwoest worden vanwege alle slechte dingen die de mensen hebben gedaan.
Micha's gebed tot God
14 Micha zegt: Heer, zorg als een herder voor uw volk. Leid uw schapen met uw staf, schapen die apart wonen in een bos midden tussen vruchtbare velden. Laat hen grazen in Basan en in Gilead, zoals vroeger.
15 De Heer antwoordt: Net als in de tijd toen jullie uit Egypte vertrokken, zal Ik de volken wonderen laten zien. 16 De volken zullen ze zien en voor schut staan. Want ze zullen zien dat hun macht niets voorstelt. Ze zullen niets meer durven zeggen en niets meer willen horen.
17 Micha zegt: Ze zullen door het stof kruipen. Ze zullen bevend uit hun burchten komen. Sidderend zullen ze komen naar onze Heer God. Ze zullen diep ontzag voor U hebben. 18 Welke god is als U? U vergeeft ons alle slechte dingen die we hebben gedaan. U denkt niet langer aan alles waarin uw volk U ongehoorzaam is geweest. U blijft niet voor eeuwig boos. Want U bent vriendelijk en liefdevol. 19 U zal medelijden met ons hebben en weer voor ons zorgen. U zal alles wat wij tegen U verkeerd hebben gedaan, wegdoen. U zal het in de diepste zee gooien. 20 U zal trouw zijn aan Jakob. U zal doen wat U aan Abraham heeft beloofd. U zal doen wat U aan onze voorvaders van lang geleden heeft gezworen.
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
© stichting BasisBijbel 2013 Gecorrigeerde tekst © 2015 Alle rechten voorbehouden Uitgegeven bij de ZakBijbelBond: 2016