Micah 7

1 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 has my soul desired.

Woe is me! for I am as the last of the summer fruits, as the grape gleanings of the vintage; there is no cluster to eat; nor first-ripe fig which my soul desireth.

2 The kind have perished out of the land, And upright among men—there are none, All of them lie in wait for blood, They each hunt his brother [with] a net.

The godly man is perished out of the earth, and the upright among men is no more; they all lie in wait for blood; they hunt every man his brother with a net.

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

Their hands are upon that which is evil to do it diligently; the prince asketh, and the judge is ready for a reward; and the great man, he uttereth the evil desire of his soul; thus they weave it together.

4 Their best one [is] as a brier, The upright one—than a thorn-hedge, The day of your watchmen—Your visitation—has come. Now is their perplexity.

The best of them is as a brier; the most upright is worse than a thorn hedge; the day of thy watchmen, even thy visitation, is come; now shall be their perplexity.

5 Do not believe in a friend, Do not trust in a leader, From her who is lying in your bosom keep the openings of your mouth.

Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a familiar friend; keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom.

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

For the son dishonoureth 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.

7 And I—in YHWH I watch, I wait for the God of my salvation, My God hears me.

'But as for me, I will look unto the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.

8 You do not rejoice over me, O my enemy, When I have fallen, I have risen, When I sit in darkness YHWH is a light to me.

Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy; though I am fallen, I shall arise; though I sit in darkness, the LORD is a light unto me.

9 I bear the indignation of YHWH, For I have sinned against Him, Until He pleads my cause, And has executed my judgment, He brings me forth to the light, I look on His righteousness.

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.

10 And my enemy sees, And shame covers her, Who says to me, “Where [is] your God YHWH?” My eyes look on her, Now she is for a treading-place, As mire of the out-places.

Then mine enemy shall see it, and shame shall cover her; who said unto me: Where is the LORD thy God? Mine eyes shall gaze upon her; now shall she be trodden down as the mire of the streets.'

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

'The day for building thy walls, even that day, shall be far removed.'

12 That day—even to you it comes in, From Asshur and the cities of the fortress, And from the fortress even to the river, And from sea to sea, and mountain to mountain.

There shall be a day when they shall come unto thee, from Assyria even to the cities of Egypt, and from Egypt even to the River, and from sea to sea, and from mountain to mountain.

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

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

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

Tend Thy people with Thy staff, the flock of Thy heritage, that dwell solitarily, as a forest in the midst of the fruitful field; let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old.

15 “According to the days of your coming forth out of the land of Egypt, I show it wonderful things.”

'As in the days of thy coming forth out of the land of Egypt will I show unto him marvellous things.'

16 Nations see, and they are ashamed of all their might, They lay a hand on the mouth, their ears are deaf.

The nations shall see and be put to shame for all their might; they shall lay their hand upon their mouth, their ears shall be deaf.

17 They lick dust as a serpent, as fearful things of earth, They tremble from their enclosures, They are afraid of our God YHWH, Indeed, they are afraid of You.

They shall lick the dust like a serpent; like crawling things of the earth they shall come trembling out of their close places; they shall come with fear unto the LORD our God, and shall be afraid because of Thee.

18 Who [is] a God like You? Taking away iniquity, And passing by the transgression of the remnant of His inheritance, He has not retained His anger forever, Because He delights [in] kindness.

Who is a God like unto Thee, that pardoneth the iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He retaineth not His anger for ever, because He delighteth in mercy.

19 He turns back, He pities us, He subdues our iniquities, And You cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.

He will again have compassion upon us; He will subdue our iniquities; and Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.

20 You give truth to Jacob, kindness to Abraham, That You have sworn to our fathers, from the days of antiquity!

Thou wilt show faithfulness to Jacob, mercy to Abraham, as Thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.