Micah 7

1 Woe is me! for I am as in the gathering of the summer-fruits, as in the grape-gleanings of the vintage: there is no cluster to eat, no first-ripe fruit for which my soul longeth.

Woe to me, for I have become just like one who gleans the clusters of the vintage in autumn. There is no cluster of grapes to consume; my soul desired figs out of season.

2 The pious hath disappeared out of the land; and the upright among men there is none; all of them lie in wait for blood; they hunt every man his brother with a net.

The holy ones pass away from the land, and there is no one righteous among men. All wait in ambush for blood; a man hunts his brother to death.

3 For the evil of your hands you expect good? while the prince demandeth [bribes], and the judge acteth for pay; and the great man is only speaking the wilful pleasure of his soul: and so do they make a network [of wrong].

The evil of their hands, they call good. The leader is demanding, and the judge is yielding, and the great is speaking the desire of his soul, and they have confused it.

4 The best of them is like a brier; the most upright is [sharper] than a thorn-hedge: the day of thy watchmen, thy punishment, is come; now shall be perplexity among them.

Whoever is best among them is like a thorny plant, and he who is righteous is like a thorny hedge. The day of your inspection, your visitation, arrives. Now will be their ruination.

5 Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a confidant: from her that lieth in thy bosom guard the doors of thy mouth.

Do not be willing to believe a friend. And do not be willing to confide in a commander. From her, who sleeps in your bosom, keep the doors of your mouth closed.

6 For the son disgraceth the father, the daughter riseth 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 the son acts with contempt for the father, and the daughter rises up against her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, and a man’s enemies are those of his own household.

7 But I—I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.

But I will look towards the Lord. I will wait for God, my Savior. My God will hear me.

8 Rejoice not, O my enemy, over me: though I am fallen, I rise again: though I should sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light unto me.

You, my enemy, should not rejoice over me because I have fallen. I will rise up, when I sit in darkness. The Lord is my light.

9 The indignation of the Lord will I bear, because I have sinned against him; until that he plead my cause, and execute justice for me: [when] he will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold his righteousness.

I will carry the wrath of the Lord, because I have sinned against him, until he may judge my case and execute judgment for me. He will lead me into the light. I will behold his justice.

10 Then she that is my enemy will see it, and shame shall cover her, who said unto me, Where is the Lord thy God? My eyes shall complacently see her [suffer]: now shall she be trodden down as the mire of the streets.

And my enemy will look, and she will be covered with confusion, she who says to me, “Where is the Lord your God?” My eyes will look upon her. Now she will be trampled underfoot like the mud of the streets.

11 The day that thy fences are to be built—that same day, the ordained, is yet far removed.

The day that your walls will be rebuilt, in that day the law will be far away.

12 It is a day when men shall come to thee from Assyria, and the cities of Mazor, and from Mazor even to the river, and from sea to sea, and [from] mountain to mountain.

In that day also, they will come towards you even from Assur, and even to the fortified cities, and from the fortified cities even to the river, and from sea to sea, and from mountain to mountain.

13 While the land [of the nations] shall be made desolate because of its inhabitants, for the fruit of their doings.

And the land will be in desolation, because of its inhabitants and because of the fruit of their intentions.

14 Feed thy people with thy rod, the flock of thy heritage, which dwell in solitude in the wood, in the midst of Carmel: let them feed in Bashan and Gil'ad, as in the days of old.

With your rod, pasture your people, the flock of your inheritance, living alone in the narrow forest, in the midst of Carmel. They will graze in Bashan and Gilead, as in the ancient days.

15 As in the days of thy coming out of the land of Egypt will I let them see marvelous things.

As in the days of your departure from the land of Egypt, I will reveal miracles to him.

16 Nations shall see and be ashamed of all their might: they shall lay their hand upon their mouth, their ears shall be deafened.

The nations will look, and they will be confounded at the strength of them all. They will place hand over mouth; their ears will be deaf.

17 They shall lick the dust like the serpent; like those that crawl on the earth, shall they come forth trembling out of their close places: unto the Lord our God shall they hasten in dread, and shall be afraid of thee.

They will lick the dust like serpents, and, like the creeping things of the earth, they will be disturbed in their houses. They will dread the Lord our God, and they will fear you.

18 Who is a god like unto thee, pardoning iniquity, and forgiving transgression to the residue of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in kindness.

What God is like you, who takes away iniquity and passes over the sin of the remnant of your inheritance? No longer will he send forth his fury, because he is willing to be merciful.

19 He will again have mercy on us, he will suppress our iniquities; yea, thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.

He will turn back and have mercy on us. He will put away our iniquities, and he will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.

20 Thou wilt show faithfulness unto Jacob, and kindness unto Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers in the days of old.

You will give the truth to Jacob, mercy to Abraham, which you swore to our fathers from the ancient days.