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.

Alas for me! for I am become as gatherings of summer fruit, as gleaning-grapes in harvest, there is no cluster to eat, the first ripe fruit, my soul, craved.

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.

Perished is the man of lovingkindness out of the earth, and, upright among men, is there none, —they all, for bloodshed, lie in wait. Every man—for his brother, do they hunt as for one devoted to destruction.

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.

Of wickedness with both hands to make sure, the ruler, doth make demand—and the judge—for a recompense, —and, as for the great man, he, is putting into words the desire of his soul, So have they woven the net!

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 sharp briar, and, the most upright, worse than a thorn hedge, The day of thy watchmen—of thy visitation, hath come, Now, shall be their confusion!

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.

Do not trust in a friend, do not put confidence in an associate, —from her that lieth in thy bosom, keep thou the doors of thy mouth;

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, treateth as foolish, the father, and, the daughter, riseth up against, her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, —The foes of a man, 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, I, for Yahweh, will watch, 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.

Do not rejoice, O mine enemy, against me, Though I fall, I shall rise again! Though I sit in darkness, Yahweh, is a light to 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.

The indignation of Yahweh, will I bear, for I have sinned against him, —until he take up my controversy, then will he do me justice, he will bring me forth to the light, 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.

So shall she who had been mine enemy fear, and shame, shall cover her, who used to say unto me—Where is Yahweh thy God? Mine own eyes, shall look upon her, Now, shall she become one to he trodden down, like the mire of the lanes.

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

On the day for building thy walls, —on that day, far away shall be thy boundary:

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.

The very day, that, against thee, shall one come from Assyria, and [from] the cities of Egypt; yea from Egypt, even unto 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.

Though the land become a desolation, because of them that dwell therein, —by reason 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.

Shepherd thou thy people with thy rod, the flock of thine inheritance, Dwell thou alone, a jungle in the midst of a fruitful field, —Let them feed in Bashan and in Gilead, as in the days of age-past times.

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 shew him wonders.

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

Nations, shall see, that they may turn pale at all their valour, —they shall lay hand on mouth, their ears, shall be silent:

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 the serpent, Like the crawlers of the earth, shall they come quaking out of their fastnesses, —Towards Yahweh our God, shall they pay adoration, and shall fear 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, taking away the iniquity—and passing over the transgression—of the remnant of his inheritance? He hath not held fast, perpetually, his anger, for, one who delighteth in lovingkindness, is he!

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, —Thou wilt cast—into the depths of the sea—all their sins.

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

Thou wilt grant—the faithfulness to Jacob, the lovingkindness to Abraham, —which thou didst swear to our fathers, from the days of ancient time.