Micah 7
English Standard Version
Wait for the God of Salvation
7 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.
2 (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.
3 (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.
4 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.
5 (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]
6 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.
7 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.
8 (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.
9 (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
- Micah 7:5 Hebrew bosom
- Micah 7:12 Hebrew he
- Micah 7:12 That is, the Euphrates
- Micah 7:14 Hebrew of Carmel
- Micah 7:15 Hebrew him
- Micah 7:19 Hebrew their
Micah 7
New American Standard Bible
The Prophet Acknowledges Injustice
7 Woe to me! For I am
Like harvests of summer fruit, like gleanings of (A)grapes.
There is not a cluster of grapes left to eat,
Nor an (B)early fig, which [a]I crave.
2 The [b]godly person has (C)perished from the land,
And there is no upright person among mankind.
All of them lie in wait for (D)bloodshed;
Each of them hunts the other with a (E)net.
3 As for evil, both hands do it (F)well.
The leader asks for a (G)bribe, also the judge,
And the great one speaks the capricious desire of his soul;
So they plot it together.
4 The best of them is like a (H)thorn bush,
The most upright like a (I)thorn hedge.
The day [c]when you post your watchmen,
Your (J)punishment is coming.
Then their (K)confusion will occur.
5 Do not (L)trust in a neighbor;
Do not have confidence in a close friend.
Guard [d]your lips
From her who lies [e]in your arms.
6 For (M)son disavows father,
Daughter rises up against her mother,
Daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
(N)A person’s enemies are the people of his own household.
God Is the Source of Salvation and Light
7 But as for me, I will (O)be on the watch for the Lord;
I will (P)wait for the God of my salvation.
My (Q)God will hear me.
8 (R)Do not rejoice over me, (S)enemy of mine.
Though I fall I will (T)rise;
Though I live in darkness, the Lord is a (U)light for me.
9 I will endure the rage of the Lord
Because I have sinned against Him,
Until He (V)pleads my case and executes justice for me.
He will bring me out to the (W)light,
And I will look at His [f](X)righteousness.
10 Then my enemy will see,
And shame will cover her who (Y)said to me,
“Where is the Lord your God?”
My eyes will look at her;
[g]At that time she will [h]be (Z)trampled down
Like mud of the streets.
11 It will be a day for (AA)building your walls.
On that day your boundary will be extended.
12 It will be a day when [i]they will (AB)come to you
From Assyria and the cities of Egypt,
From Egypt even to the Euphrates River,
Even from sea to sea and mountain to mountain.
13 And the earth will become a (AC)wasteland because of her inhabitants,
On account of the (AD)fruit of their deeds.
14 (AE)Shepherd Your people with Your (AF)scepter,
The flock of Your [j]possession
Which lives by itself in the woodland,
In the midst of [k]a fruitful field.
Let them feed in (AG)Bashan and Gilead
(AH)As in the days of old.
15 “As in the days when you went out from the land of Egypt,
I will show [l](AI)you miracles.”
16 Nations (AJ)will see and be ashamed
Of all their might.
They will (AK)put their hand on their mouth,
Their ears will be deaf.
17 They will (AL)lick up dust like a snake,
Like [m](AM)reptiles of the earth.
They will come (AN)trembling out of their [n]fortresses;
To the Lord our God they will come in (AO)trepidation,
And they will be afraid of You.
18 Who is a God like You, who (AP)pardons wrongdoing
And passes over a rebellious act of the (AQ)remnant of His [o]possession?
He does not (AR)retain His anger forever,
Because He (AS)delights in mercy.
19 He will again take pity on us;
(AT)He will trample on our wrongdoings.
Yes, You will (AU)cast all [p]their sins
Into the depths of the sea.
20 You will give [q](AV)truth to Jacob
And favor to Abraham,
Which You (AW)swore to our forefathers
From the days of old.
Footnotes
- Micah 7:1 Lit my soul desires
- Micah 7:2 Or faithful
- Micah 7:4 Lit of your
- Micah 7:5 Lit the openings of your mouth
- Micah 7:5 Lit on your chest
- Micah 7:9 I.e., right dealing
- Micah 7:10 Lit Now
- Micah 7:10 Lit become a trampled place
- Micah 7:12 Lit he
- Micah 7:14 Or inheritance
- Micah 7:14 Or Carmel
- Micah 7:15 Lit him
- Micah 7:17 Lit crawling things
- Micah 7:17 Or prisons
- Micah 7:18 Or inheritance
- Micah 7:19 Several ancient versions our
- Micah 7:20 Or faithfulness
Micah 7
Modern English Version
Wait on the Lord
7 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.
2 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.
3 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.
4 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.
5 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.
6 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.
7 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
8 Do not rejoice over me, my enemy!
Although I have fallen, I will rise;
although I dwell in darkness,
the Lord is my light.
9 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.
Micah 7
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Israel’s Moral Decline
7 How sad for me!
For I am like one who—
when the summer fruit has been gathered
after the gleaning of the grape harvest(A)—
finds no grape cluster to eat,
no early fig, which I crave.(B)
2 Godly people have vanished from the land;(C)
there is no one upright among the people.(D)
All of them wait in ambush to shed blood;(E)
they hunt each other with a net.(F)
3 Both hands are good(G) at accomplishing evil:
the official and the judge demand a bribe;(H)
when the powerful man communicates his evil desire,
they plot it together.
4 The best of them is like a brier;(I)
the most upright is worse than a hedge of thorns.(J)
The day of your watchmen,
the day of your punishment, is coming;(K)
at this time their panic is here.(L)
5 Do not rely on a friend;(M)
don’t trust in a close companion.
Seal your mouth
from the woman who lies in your arms.
6 Surely a son considers his father a fool,(N)
a daughter opposes her mother,
and a daughter-in-law is against her mother-in-law;
a man’s enemies are the men of his own household.
7 But I will look to the Lord;(O)
I will wait for the God of my salvation.(P)
My God will hear me.(Q)
Zion’s Vindication
8 Do not rejoice over me,(R) my enemy!
Though I have fallen, I will stand up;(S)
though I sit in darkness,
the Lord will be my light.(T)
9 Because I have sinned against Him,
I must endure the Lord’s rage
until He argues my case(U)
and establishes justice for me.(V)
He will bring me into the light;(W)
I will see His salvation.[a](X)
10 Then my enemy will see,
and she will be covered with shame,
the one who said to me,
“Where is the Lord your God?”(Y)
My eyes will look at her in triumph;
at that time she will be trampled
like mud in the streets.(Z)
11 A day will come for rebuilding your walls;(AA)
on that day your boundary will be extended.(AB)
12 On that day people will come to you(AC)
from Assyria and the cities of Egypt,
even from Egypt to the Euphrates River
and from sea to sea
and mountain to mountain.
13 Then the earth will become a wasteland(AD)
because of its inhabitants
and as a result of their actions.(AE)
Micah’s Prayer Answered
14 Shepherd Your people(AF) with Your staff,(AG)
the flock that is Your possession.
They live alone(AH) in a woodland
surrounded by pastures.
Let them graze in Bashan and Gilead(AI)
as in ancient times.(AJ)
15 I will perform miracles for them[b]
as in the days of your exodus
from the land of Egypt.(AK)
16 Nations will see and be ashamed
of[c] all their power.
They will put their hands over their mouths,(AL)
and their ears will become deaf.
17 They will lick the dust like a snake;(AM)
they will come trembling out of their hiding places(AN)
like reptiles slithering on the ground.(AO)
They will tremble in the presence of Yahweh our God;(AP)
they will stand in awe of You.
18 Who is a God like You,(AQ)
removing iniquity and passing over rebellion(AR)
for the remnant of His inheritance?(AS)
He does not hold on to His anger forever,(AT)
because He delights in faithful love.(AU)
19 He will again have compassion on us;
He will vanquish our iniquities.(AV)
You will cast all our[d] sins
into the depths of the sea.(AW)
20 You will show loyalty to Jacob(AX)
and faithful love to Abraham,
as You swore to our fathers(AY)
from days long ago.
Footnotes
- Micah 7:9 Or righteousness
- Micah 7:15 = Israel
- Micah 7:16 Or ashamed in spite of
- Micah 7:19 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr, Vg; other Hb mss read their
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