< Micah 7 >

1 I am very miserable/frustrated! I am like [SIM] someone who is hungry, [who searches for fruit to pick] after all the fruit had been picked and who finds no grapes or figs to eat.
אַ֣לְלַי לִ֗י כִּ֤י הָיִ֙יתִי֙ כְּאָסְפֵּי־קַ֔יִץ כְּעֹלְלֹ֖ת בָּצִ֑יר אֵין־אֶשְׁכֹּ֣ול לֶאֱכֹ֔ול בִּכּוּרָ֖ה אִוְּתָ֥ה נַפְשִֽׁי׃
2 [All] the godly people have disappeared from this land; there is not one of them left. [The people who are left] are all murderers [MTY]; [it is as though] everyone is eager to kill his fellow countryman.
אָבַ֤ד חָסִיד֙ מִן־הָאָ֔רֶץ וְיָשָׁ֥ר בָּאָדָ֖ם אָ֑יִן כֻּלָּם֙ לְדָמִ֣ים יֶאֱרֹ֔בוּ אִ֥ישׁ אֶת־אָחִ֖יהוּ יָצ֥וּדוּ חֵֽרֶם׃
3 They [all] use both hands to do what is evil. [Government] officials and judges [all] ask for bribes. Important people tell others what they want, and they plot/scheme together [about how to get it done].
עַל־הָרַ֤ע כַּפַּ֙יִם֙ לְהֵיטִ֔יב הַשַּׂ֣ר שֹׁאֵ֔ל וְהַשֹּׁפֵ֖ט בַּשִּׁלּ֑וּם וְהַגָּדֹ֗ול דֹּבֵ֨ר הַוַּ֥ת נַפְשֹׁ֛ו ה֖וּא וַֽיְעַבְּתֽוּהָ׃
4 [Even] the best people are [as worthless] [SIM] as briers; the people [who are considered by others to be] [IRO] the most honest are worse than clumps of thornbushes. But, [Yahweh] will soon judge them; now is the time that he will punish people, a time when they will be [very] confused [because of being defeated].
טֹובָ֣ם כְּחֵ֔דֶק יָשָׁ֖ר מִמְּסוּכָ֑ה יֹ֤ום מְצַפֶּ֙יךָ֙ פְּקֻדָּתְךָ֣ בָ֔אָה עַתָּ֥ה תִהְיֶ֖ה מְבוּכָתָֽם׃
5 [So], do not trust anyone! Do not trust [even] a friend; [even] be careful what you say to your wife whom you love!
אַל־תַּאֲמִ֣ינוּ בְרֵ֔עַ אַֽל־תִּבְטְח֖וּ בְּאַלּ֑וּף מִשֹּׁכֶ֣בֶת חֵיקֶ֔ךָ שְׁמֹ֖ר פִּתְחֵי־פִֽיךָ׃
6 Boys will despise their fathers, and girls will defy their mothers. Women will defy their mothers-in-law. Your enemies will be those who live in your own houses.
כִּֽי־בֵן֙ מְנַבֵּ֣ל אָ֔ב בַּ֚ת קָמָ֣ה בְאִמָּ֔הּ כַּלָּ֖ה בַּחֲמֹתָ֑הּ אֹיְבֵ֥י אִ֖ישׁ אַנְשֵׁ֥י בֵיתֹֽו׃
7 As for me, I wait for Yahweh [to help me]. I confidently expect that God, my Savior, will answer me [when I pray].
וַאֲנִי֙ בַּיהוָ֣ה אֲצַפֶּ֔ה אֹוחִ֖ילָה לֵאלֹהֵ֣י יִשְׁעִ֑י יִשְׁמָעֵ֖נִי אֱלֹהָֽי׃
8 You who are our enemies, do not gloat/rejoice about [what has happened to] us, [because even] if we have experienced disasters, [those disasters will end and] we will be restored. [Even] if [it is as though] we are sitting in the darkness, Yahweh will be our light.
אַֽל־תִּשְׂמְחִ֤י אֹיַ֙בְתִּי֙ לִ֔י כִּ֥י נָפַ֖לְתִּי קָ֑מְתִּי כִּֽי־אֵשֵׁ֣ב בַּחֹ֔שֶׁךְ יְהוָ֖ה אֹ֥ור לִֽי׃ ס
9 We must be patient while Yahweh punishes us because we have sinned against him. But later, [it will be as though] he will go to court and defend us, and he will make sure that the judge makes a right decision about us. [It will be as though] he will bring us out into the light, and we will see it when he rescues us.
זַ֤עַף יְהוָה֙ אֶשָּׂ֔א כִּ֥י חָטָ֖אתִי לֹ֑ו עַד֩ אֲשֶׁ֨ר יָרִ֤יב רִיבִי֙ וְעָשָׂ֣ה מִשְׁפָּטִ֔י יֹוצִיאֵ֣נִי לָאֹ֔ור אֶרְאֶ֖ה בְּצִדְקָתֹֽו׃
10 Our enemies will [also] see that, and they will be disgraced because they [ridiculed us], saying “Why is [RHQ] Yahweh, that God of yours, [not helping you]?” But with our own eyes we will see them when they are defeated; we will see them trampled like [SIM] mud in the streets.
וְתֵרֶ֤א אֹיַ֙בְתִּי֙ וּתְכַסֶּ֣הָ בוּשָׁ֔ה הָאֹמְרָ֣ה אֵלַ֔י אַיֹּ֖ו יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהָ֑יִךְ עֵינַי֙ תִּרְאֶ֣ינָּה בָּ֔הּ עַתָּ֛ה תִּֽהְיֶ֥ה לְמִרְמָ֖ס כְּטִ֥יט חוּצֹֽות׃
11 [You people of Israel, ] at that time your cities will be rebuilt, and your territory will become larger.
יֹ֖ום לִבְנֹ֣ות גְּדֵרָ֑יִךְ יֹ֥ום הַה֖וּא יִרְחַק־חֹֽק׃
12 [People from many countries will come to honor you]: people from Assyria and from [near] the [Euphrates] River [in the east] and from Egypt [in the south], from distant seas, and from many mountains.
יֹ֥ום הוּא֙ וְעָדֶ֣יךָ יָבֹ֔וא לְמִנִּ֥י אַשּׁ֖וּר וְעָרֵ֣י מָצֹ֑ור וּלְמִנִּ֤י מָצֹור֙ וְעַד־נָהָ֔ר וְיָ֥ם מִיָּ֖ם וְהַ֥ר הָהָֽר׃
13 But [the other countries on] the earth will become desolate because of the [evil] things that their people have done.
וְהָיְתָ֥ה הָאָ֛רֶץ לִשְׁמָמָ֖ה עַל־יֹֽשְׁבֶ֑יהָ מִפְּרִ֖י מַֽעַלְלֵיהֶֽם׃ ס
14 Yahweh, protect your people like [MET] [a shepherd protects his sheep] by using his walking stick; lead your people [MET] whom you have chosen to belong to you. [Even though some of them] live by themselves in a forest, give them the fertile pastureland in the Bashan and Gilead [regions] that they possessed long ago.
רְעֵ֧ה עַמְּךָ֣ בְשִׁבְטֶ֗ךָ צֹ֚אן נַֽחֲלָתֶ֔ךָ שֹׁכְנִ֣י לְבָדָ֔ד יַ֖עַר בְּתֹ֣וךְ כַּרְמֶ֑ל יִרְע֥וּ בָשָׁ֛ן וְגִלְעָ֖ד כִּימֵ֥י עֹולָֽם׃
15 [Yahweh says/replies], “[Yes], I will perform miracles for you like the miracles that I performed when I rescued your [ancestors] from [being slaves in] Egypt.”
כִּימֵ֥י צֵאתְךָ֖ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם אַרְאֶ֖נּוּ נִפְלָאֹֽות׃
16 [People from many] nations will see [what Yahweh does for you], and they will be ashamed because they do not have any power. They will put their hands over their mouths and their ears [because they will be very amazed because of what Yahweh does], [and they will not be able to say anything or hear anything].
יִרְא֤וּ גֹויִם֙ וְיֵבֹ֔שׁוּ מִכֹּ֖ל גְּבֽוּרָתָ֑ם יָשִׂ֤ימוּ יָד֙ עַל־פֶּ֔ה אָזְנֵיהֶ֖ם תֶּחֱרַֽשְׁנָה׃
17 [Being very humiliated, ] they will crawl on the ground [MTY] like [SIM] snakes. They will come out of their homes trembling, and stand revering Yahweh our God. They will be very afraid of him, and will tremble in front of him.
יְלַחֲכ֤וּ עָפָר֙ כַּנָּחָ֔שׁ כְּזֹחֲלֵ֣י אֶ֔רֶץ יִרְגְּז֖וּ מִמִּסְגְּרֹֽתֵיהֶ֑ם אֶל־יְהוָ֤ה אֱלֹהֵ֙ינוּ֙ יִפְחָ֔דוּ וְיִֽרְא֖וּ מִמֶּֽךָּ׃
18 [Yahweh], there is no [RHQ] God like you; you forgive the sins [DOU] that were committed by the people who have survived, the people who belong to you. You do not remain angry forever; you are very happy [to show us] that you faithfully love [us].
מִי־אֵ֣ל כָּמֹ֗וךָ נֹשֵׂ֤א עָוֹן֙ וְעֹבֵ֣ר עַל־פֶּ֔שַׁע לִשְׁאֵרִ֖ית נַחֲלָתֹ֑ו לֹא־הֶחֱזִ֤יק לָעַד֙ אַפֹּ֔ו כִּֽי־חָפֵ֥ץ חֶ֖סֶד הֽוּא׃
19 You will again act kindly/compassionately toward us. You will get rid of [the scroll on which you have written] the sins that we have committed [as though you were] trampling it under your feet or throwing it into the deep ocean.
יָשׁ֣וּב יְרַֽחֲמֵ֔נוּ יִכְבֹּ֖שׁ עֲוֹֽנֹתֵ֑ינוּ וְתַשְׁלִ֛יךְ בִּמְצֻלֹ֥ות יָ֖ם כָּל־חַטֹּאותָֽם׃
20 You will show that you faithfully [do what you promised for us] and faithfully love us, just like you solemnly promised long ago to our ancestors Abraham and Jacob that you would do.
תִּתֵּ֤ן אֱמֶת֙ לְיַֽעֲקֹ֔ב חֶ֖סֶד לְאַבְרָהָ֑ם אֲשֶׁר־נִשְׁבַּ֥עְתָּ לַאֲבֹתֵ֖ינוּ מִ֥ימֵי קֶֽדֶם׃

< Micah 7 >