Add parallel Print Page Options

Wait Upon Yahweh

Woe is me! For I have become
    like the gatherings of summer,
    like the gleanings of the grape harvest,
when there is no cluster of grapes to eat
    or early ripened fruit that my soul desires.
The faithful person has perished from the land,
    and there is none who is upright among humankind.
All of them lie in wait;
    each hunts his brother with a net.
Their hands are upon evil, to do it well;
    the official and the judge ask for the bribe,
and the great man utters the evil desire of his soul;
    and they weave it together.
The best of them is like a brier;
    the most upright worse than a thorn hedge.
The day of your watchman, your punishment, has come;
    now their confusion will come.
Do not put faith in a friend;
    put no trust in a close friend.
Guard the doorways of your mouth
    from the one who lies in your lap.
For a son treats a father with contempt;
    a daughter rises up against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
    the enemies of a man are the men of his own house.
But as for me, I will look to Yahweh;
    I will wait for the God of my salvation.
    My God will hear me.

Read full chapter

Misery Turned to Hope

How miserable I am!
I feel like the fruit picker after the harvest
    who can find nothing to eat.
Not a cluster of grapes or a single early fig
    can be found to satisfy my hunger.
The godly people have all disappeared;
    not one honest person is left on the earth.
They are all murderers,
    setting traps even for their own brothers.
Both their hands are equally skilled at doing evil!
    Officials and judges alike demand bribes.
The people with influence get what they want,
    and together they scheme to twist justice.
Even the best of them is like a brier;
    the most honest is as dangerous as a hedge of thorns.
But your judgment day is coming swiftly now.
    Your time of punishment is here, a time of confusion.
Don’t trust anyone—
    not your best friend or even your wife!
For the son despises his father.
    The daughter defies her mother.
The daughter-in-law defies her mother-in-law.
    Your enemies are right in your own household!

As for me, I look to the Lord for help.
    I wait confidently for God to save me,
    and my God will certainly hear me.

Read full chapter