Wait for the God of Salvation

Woe is me! For I have become
    (A)as when the summer fruit has been gathered,
    as when the grapes have been gleaned:
there is no cluster to eat,
    no (B)first-ripe fig that my soul desires.
(C)The godly has perished from the earth,
    and (D)there is no one upright among mankind;
(E)they all lie in wait for blood,
    and (F)each hunts the other with a net.
(G)Their hands are on what is evil, to do it well;
    (H)the prince and (I)the judge ask for a bribe,
and the great man utters the evil desire of his soul;
    thus they weave it together.
The best of them is (J)like a brier,
    the most upright of them a thorn hedge.
The day of (K)your watchmen, of your punishment, has come;
    (L)now their confusion is at hand.
(M)Put no trust in a neighbor;
    have no confidence in a friend;
guard (N)the doors of your mouth
    from her who lies in your arms;[a]
for (O)the son treats the father with contempt,
    the daughter rises up against her mother,
the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
    (P)a man's enemies are the men of his own house.
But as for me, I will look to the Lord;
    (Q)I will wait for the God of my salvation;
    my God will hear me.

(R)Rejoice not over me, O (S)my enemy;
    (T)when I fall, I shall rise;
(U)when I sit in darkness,
    the Lord will be a light to me.
(V)I will bear the indignation of the Lord
    because I have sinned against him,
until (W)he pleads my cause
    and executes judgment for me.
(X)He will bring me out to the light;
    I shall look upon his vindication.
10 Then (Y)my enemy will see,
    and shame will cover her who (Z)said to me,
    “Where is the Lord your God?”
(AA)My eyes will look upon her;
    now she will be trampled down
    (AB)like the mire of the streets.

11 (AC)A day for the building of your walls!
    In that day the boundary shall be far extended.
12 In that day they[b] will come to you,
    (AD)from Assyria and the cities of Egypt,
and from Egypt to (AE)the River,[c]
    (AF)from sea to sea and from mountain to mountain.
13 But (AG)the earth will be desolate
    because of its inhabitants,
    for the fruit of their deeds.

14 (AH)Shepherd your people (AI)with your staff,
    the flock of your inheritance,
who dwell alone in a forest
    (AJ)in the midst of (AK)a garden land;[d]
let them graze in Bashan and Gilead
    as in the days of old.
15 (AL)As in the days when you came out of the land of Egypt,
    I will show them[e] marvelous things.
16 (AM)The nations shall see and be ashamed of all their might;
(AN)they shall lay their hands on their mouths;
    their ears shall be deaf;
17 (AO)they shall lick the dust like a serpent,
    like the crawling things of the earth;
(AP)they shall come trembling out of their strongholds;
    (AQ)they shall turn in dread to the Lord our God,
    and they shall be in fear of you.

God's Steadfast Love and Compassion

18 (AR)Who is a God like you, (AS)pardoning iniquity
    and passing over transgression
    (AT)for the remnant of his inheritance?
(AU)He does not retain his anger forever,
    because he delights in steadfast love.
19 He will (AV)again have compassion on us;
    (AW)he will tread our iniquities underfoot.
(AX)You will cast all our[f] sins
    into the depths of the sea.
20 (AY)You will show faithfulness to Jacob
    and steadfast love to Abraham,
(AZ)as you have sworn to our fathers
    from the days of old.

Footnotes

  1. Micah 7:5 Hebrew bosom
  2. Micah 7:12 Hebrew he
  3. Micah 7:12 That is, the Euphrates
  4. Micah 7:14 Hebrew of Carmel
  5. Micah 7:15 Hebrew him
  6. Micah 7:19 Hebrew their

Woe to me! for I have become
like the leavings of summer fruit,
like the gleanings when the vintage is finished —
there isn’t a cluster worth eating,
no early-ripened fig that appeals to me.
The godly have been destroyed from the land,
there is no one upright among humankind.
They all lie in wait for blood,
each hunts his brother with a net.
Their hands do evil well.
The prince makes his request,
the judge grants it for a price,
and the great man expresses his evil desires —
thus they weave it together.
The best of them is a briar,
the most upright worse than a thorn hedge.
The time of your watchmen — of your punishment — has come;
now they will be confused.
Don’t trust in your neighbor;
don’t put confidence in a close friend;
shut the gates of your mouth even from [your wife],
lying there with you in bed.
For a son insults his father,
a daughter rises against her mother,
daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law —
a person’s enemies are the members of his own household.

But as for me, I will look to Adonai,
I will wait for the God of my salvation;
my God will hear me.
Enemies of mine, don’t gloat over me!
Although I have fallen, I will rise;
though I live in the dark, Adonai is my light.
I will endure Adonai’s rage,
because I sinned against him;
until he pleads my cause
and judges in my favor.
Then he will bring me out to the light,
and I will see his justice.
10 My enemies will see it too,
and shame will cover those
who said to me, “Where is Adonai your God?”
I will gloat over them,
as they are trampled underfoot
like mud in the streets.

11 That will be the day for rebuilding your walls,
a day for expanding your territory,
12 a day when [your] people will come [back] to you
from Ashur and from the cities of Egypt,
from Egypt and from as far as the Euphrates River,
and from sea to sea, and from mountain to mountain.
13 The earth will be desolate for those living in it,
as a result of their deeds.
14 Shepherd your people with your staff,
the flock that belongs to you,
who live alone, like a forest
in the middle of a fertile pasture.
Let them feed in Bashan and Gil‘ad,
as they did in days of old.
15 “As in the days when you came out of Egypt,
I will show them wonders.”
16 The nations will see and be put to shame,
in spite of all their power.
They will cover their mouths with their hands,
and their ears will be deafened.
17 They will lick the dust like snakes;
they will emerge from their fortresses trembling
like reptiles that crawl about on the earth;
they will come with fear to Adonai our God,
afraid because of you.

18 Who is a God like you,
pardoning the sin and overlooking the crimes
of the remnant of his heritage?
He does not retain his anger forever,
because he delights in grace.
19 He will again have compassion on us,
he will subdue our iniquities.
You will throw all their sins
into the depths of the sea.
20 You will show truth to Ya‘akov
and grace to Avraham,
as you have sworn to our ancestors
since days of long ago.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Therefore I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.

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.

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.

Malheur à moi, car je suis comme à la récolte des fruits,

comme au grappillage après la vendange:

il n'y a pas de grappes à manger,

pas une de ces figues précoces que je désire.

L'homme de bien a disparu du pays,

et il n'y a plus de juste parmi les hommes.

Ils sont tous en embuscade pour verser le sang,

chacun tend un piège à son frère.

Leurs mains sont habiles à faire le mal.

Le prince a des exigences,

le juge réclame un salaire,

le grand exprime ses désirs,

et ils font ainsi cause commune.

Le meilleur parmi eux est pareil à une ronce,

le plus droit est pire qu'un buisson d'épines.

Le jour annoncé par tes prophètes, le jour de ta punition approche.

C'est alors qu'ils seront consternés.

Ne crois pas un ami,

ne te fie pas à un intime;

devant celle qui repose sur ta poitrine,

garde-toi bien d'ouvrir la bouche,

car le fils méprise le père,

la fille se soulève contre sa mère,

la belle-fille contre sa belle-mère;

*chacun a pour ennemis les membres de sa famille[a].

Espérance et promesses pour Israël

Mais moi, je regarderai vers l'Eternel,

je mettrai mon espérance dans le Dieu de mon salut,

mon Dieu m'exaucera.

Ne te réjouis pas à mon sujet, mon ennemie,

car si je suis tombée, je me relèverai;

si je suis assise dans les ténèbres,

l'Eternel sera ma lumière.

Je supporterai la colère de l'Eternel,

puisque j'ai péché contre lui,

jusqu'à ce qu'il défende ma cause et me fasse droit.

Il me conduira à la lumière,

et je contemplerai sa justice.

10 Mon ennemie le verra et sera couverte de honte,

elle qui me disait: «Où est l'Eternel, ton Dieu?»

Mes yeux se réjouiront à sa vue;

alors elle sera piétinée comme la boue des rues.

11 Le jour où l'on reconstruira tes murs,

ce jour-là tes limites seront reculées.

12 Ce jour-là, on viendra vers toi

de l'Assyrie et des villes d'Egypte,

de l'Egypte jusqu'au fleuve,

d'une mer à l'autre et d'une montagne à l'autre.

13 Le pays sera dévasté à cause de ses habitants,

à cause du fruit de leurs agissements.

14 Conduis ton peuple avec ta houlette, le troupeau de ton héritage

qui habite solitaire dans la forêt au milieu du Carmel;

qu'ils broutent sur le Basan et en Galaad, comme autrefois!

15 Comme à l’époque où tu es sorti de l'Egypte,

je te ferai voir des prodiges.

16 Les nations le verront et seront couvertes de honte,

avec toute leur puissance;

elles mettront la main sur la bouche,

leurs oreilles seront assourdies.

17 Elles lécheront la poussière, comme le serpent,

comme les reptiles de la terre;

elles sortiront effrayées de leurs forteresses,

elles trembleront devant l'Eternel, notre Dieu,

elles te craindront.

18 Quel Dieu est semblable à toi?

Tu pardonnes la faute, tu oublies la révolte

du reste de ton héritage.

Il ne garde pas sa colère à toujours,

car il prend plaisir à la bonté.

19 Il aura encore compassion de nous,

il piétinera nos fautes.

Tu jetteras au fond de la mer tous leurs péchés.

20 Tu témoigneras de la fidélité à Jacob,

de la bonté à Abraham,

comme tu l'as juré à nos ancêtres autrefois.

Footnotes

  1. Michée 7:6 Chacun a… famille: cité par Jésus en Matthieu 10.36.