14 (A)Shepherd Your people with Your (B)scepter,
The flock of Your [a]possession
Which lives by itself in the woodland,
In the midst of [b]a fruitful field.
Let them feed in (C)Bashan and Gilead
(D)As in the days of old.
15 “As in the days when you went out from the land of Egypt,
I will show [c](E)you miracles.”
16 Nations (F)will see and be ashamed
Of all their might.
They will (G)put their hand on their mouth,
Their ears will be deaf.
17 They will (H)lick up dust like a snake,
Like [d](I)reptiles of the earth.
They will come (J)trembling out of their [e]fortresses;
To the Lord our God they will come in (K)trepidation,
And they will be afraid of You.
18 Who is a God like You, who (L)pardons wrongdoing
And passes over a rebellious act of the (M)remnant of His [f]possession?
He does not (N)retain His anger forever,
Because He (O)delights in mercy.
19 He will again take pity on us;
(P)He will trample on our wrongdoings.
Yes, You will (Q)cast all [g]their sins
Into the depths of the sea.
20 You will give [h](R)truth to Jacob
And favor to Abraham,
Which You (S)swore to our forefathers
From the days of old.

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Footnotes

  1. Micah 7:14 Or inheritance
  2. Micah 7:14 Or Carmel
  3. Micah 7:15 Lit him
  4. Micah 7:17 Lit crawling things
  5. Micah 7:17 Or prisons
  6. Micah 7:18 Or inheritance
  7. Micah 7:19 Several ancient versions our
  8. Micah 7:20 Or faithfulness

Micah intercedes for the people

14 Shepherd your people with your staff,
        the sheep of your inheritance,
        those dwelling alone in a forest in the midst of Carmel.
    Let them graze in Bashan and Gilead, as a long time ago.

God agrees

15 As in the days when you came out of the land of Egypt,
        I will show Israel wonderful things.

The prophet continues

16 Nations will see and be ashamed of all their strength;
        they will cover their mouths;
        their ears will be deaf.
17 They will lick dust like the snake,
        like things that crawl on the ground.
They will come trembling from their strongholds to the Lord our God;
        they will dread and fear you!
18 Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity,
        overlooking the sin of the few remaining for his inheritance?
    He doesn’t hold on to his anger forever;
        he delights in faithful love.
19 He will once again have compassion on us;
        he will tread down our iniquities.
You will hurl all our sins into the depths of the sea.
20 You will provide faithfulness to Jacob, faithful love to Abraham,
        as you swore to our ancestors a long time ago.

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