Israel’s Moral Decline

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)
Faithful 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)
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.
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)
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.
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.
But I will look to the Lord;(O)
I will wait for the God of my salvation.(P)
My God will hear me.(Q)

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The Evil Behavior of the People

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.
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.
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.
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!

Don’t trust your friends,
    don’t confide in a companion,
        watch what you say to your wife.[d]
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

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.

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Notas al pie

  1. Micah 7:2 The Heb. lacks one another
  2. Micah 7:4 Lit. day of
  3. Micah 7:4 The Heb. lacks time to be
  4. Micah 7:5 Lit. her who lies near your bosom
  5. Micah 7:6 Cf. Matt 10:34-36