Micah 7
1 Woe is me! I have become like the gathering of summer fruit, and like the grapes that have been gleaned; there is no grape cluster to eat, no ripe early fig that my soul desires.
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 Faithful people have disappeared from the land; there is no upright person in all mankind. They all lie in wait to shed blood; each one hunts his own 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 Their hands are very good at doing harm: the ruler asks for money, the judge is ready for bribes, and the powerful man is saying to others what he wants to obtain. Thus they plot together.
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 like a brier, the most upright is worse than a thorn hedge. It is the day foretold by your watchmen, the day of your punishment. Now is the time of their confusion.
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 Do not trust any neighbor; put no confidence in any friend. Be careful about what you say even to the woman who lies in your arms.
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 a son dishonors his father, a daughter rises up against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. A man's enemies are the people 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 But as for me, I will look to Yahweh. 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 Do not rejoice over me, my enemy. After I fall, I will rise. When I sit in darkness, Yahweh will be a light for 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 Because I sinned against Yahweh, I will bear his rage until he pleads my cause, and executes judgment for me. He will bring me to the light, and I will see him rescue me in his justice.
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 my enemy will see it, and shame will cover the one who said to me, “Where is Yahweh your God?” My eyes will look at her; she will be trampled down like the mud in 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 A day to build your walls will come; on that day the boundaries will be extended very far.
The day to build thy walls! That day — removed is the limit.
12 On that day your people will come to you, from Assyria and the cities in Egypt, from Egypt to the River, 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 But the land will be desolate because of the people who are living there, because of the fruit of their actions.
And the land hath been for a desolation, Because of its inhabitants, Because of the fruit of their doings.
14 Shepherd your people with your rod, the flock of your inheritance. They live alone in a thicket, in the midst of a pastureland. Let them graze in Bashan and Gilead as in the old days.
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 As in the days when you came out of the land of Egypt, I will show them wonders.
According to the days of thy coming forth out of the land of Egypt, I do shew it wonderful things.
16 The nations will see and be ashamed of all their power. They will put their hands on their mouths; their ears will 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 will lick the dust like a snake, like creatures that crawl on the earth. They will come out of their dens with fear; they will come with fear to you, Yahweh our God, and they will be afraid 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 you— who takes away sin, who passes over the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? He does not keep his anger forever, because he delights in his covenant faithfulness.
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 You will again have compassion on us; you will trample our iniquities under your feet. You will throw all our 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 give truth to Jacob and covenant faithfulness to Abraham, as you swore to our ancestors in ancient days.
Thou givest truth to Jacob, kindness to Abraham, That thou hast sworn to our fathers, from the days of antiquity!
