Micah 7

1 Woe is me! for I am as when they have gathered the summer fruits, as the grape gleanings of the vintage: there is no cluster to eat: my soul desired the first ripe fruit.

My woe [is] to me, for I have been As gatherings of summer-fruit, As gleanings of harvest, There is no cluster to eat, The first-ripe fruit desired hath my soul.

2 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.

Perished hath the kind out of the land, And upright among men — there are none, All of them for blood lie in wait, Each his brother they hunt [with] a net.

3 That they may do evil with both hands earnestly, the prince asks, and the judge asks for a reward; and the great man, he utters his mischievous desire: so they wrap it up.

On the evil [are] both hands to do [it] well, The prince is asking — also the judge — for recompence, And the great — he is speaking the mischief of his soul, And they wrap it up.

4 The best of them is as a brier: the most upright is sharper than a thorn hedge: the day of your watchmen and your visitation comes; now shall be their perplexity.

Their best one [is] as a brier, The upright one — than a thorn-hedge, The day of thy watchmen — Thy visitation — hath come. Now is their perplexity.

5 Trust you not in a friend, put you not confidence in a guide: keep the doors of your mouth from her that lies in your bosom.

Believe not in a friend, trust not in a leader, From her who is lying in thy bosom keep the openings of thy mouth.

6 For the son dishonors the father, the daughter rises up against her mother, the daughter in law against her mother in law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own house.

For a son is dishonouring a father, A daughter hath stood against her mother, A daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, The enemies of each [are] the men of his house.

7 Therefore I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.

And I — in Jehovah I do watch, I do wait for the God of my salvation, Hear me doth my God.

8 Rejoice not against me, O my enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light to me.

Thou dost not rejoice over me, O mine enemy, When I have fallen, I have risen, When I sit in darkness Jehovah is a light to me.

9 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.

The indignation of Jehovah I do bear, For I have sinned against Him, Till that He doth plead my cause, And hath executed my judgment, He doth bring me forth to the light, I look on His righteousness.

10 Then she that is my enemy shall see it, and shame shall cover her which said to me, Where is the LORD your God? my eyes shall behold her: now shall she be trodden down as the mire of the streets.

And see doth mine enemy, And cover her doth shame, Who saith unto me, 'Where [is] Jehovah thy God?' Mine eyes do look on her, Now she is for a treading-place, As mire of the out-places.

11 In the day that your walls are to be built, in that day shall the decree be far removed.

The day to build thy walls! That day — removed is the limit.

12 In that day also he shall come even to you 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.

That day — even unto thee it doth come in, From Asshur and the cities of the fortress, And from the fortress even unto the river, And from sea to sea, and mount to mount.

13 Notwithstanding the land shall be desolate because of them that dwell therein, for the fruit of their doings.

And the land hath been for a desolation, Because of its inhabitants, Because of the fruit of their doings.

14 Feed your people with your rod, the flock of your heritage, which dwell solitarily in the wood, in the middle of Carmel: let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old.

Rule Thou Thy people with Thy rod, The flock of Thine inheritance, Dwelling alone [in] a forest in the midst of Carmel, They enjoy Bashan and Gilead as in days of old.

15 According to the days of your coming out of the land of Egypt will I show to him marvelous things.

According to the days of thy coming forth out of the land of Egypt, I do shew it wonderful things.

16 The nations shall see and be confounded at all their might: they shall lay their hand on their mouth, their ears shall be deaf.

See do nations, and they are ashamed of all their might, They lay a hand on the mouth, their ears are 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 you.

They lick dust as a serpent, as fearful things of earth, They tremble from their enclosures, Of Jehovah our God they are afraid, Yea, they are afraid of Thee.

18 Who is a God like to you, that pardons iniquity, and passes by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retains not his anger for ever, because he delights in mercy.

Who [is] a God like Thee? taking away iniquity, And passing by the transgression of the remnant of His inheritance, He hath not retained for ever His anger, Because He — He delighteth [in] kindness.

19 He will turn again, he will have compassion on us; he will subdue our iniquities; and you will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.

He doth turn back, He pitieth us, He doth subdue our iniquities, And Thou castest into the depths of the sea all their sins.

20 You will perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which you have sworn to our fathers from the days of old.

Thou givest truth to Jacob, kindness to Abraham, That thou hast sworn to our fathers, from the days of antiquity!