Micah 7
New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
The Total Corruption of the People
7 Woe is me! For I have become like one who,
after the summer fruit has been gathered,
after the vintage has been gleaned,
finds no cluster to eat;
there is no first-ripe fig for which I hunger.
2 The faithful have disappeared from the land,
and there is no one left who is upright;
they all lie in wait for blood,
and they hunt each other with nets.
3 Their hands are skilled to do evil;
the official and the judge ask for a bribe,
and the powerful dictate what they desire;
thus they pervert justice.[a]
4 The best of them is like a brier,
the most upright of them a thorn hedge.
The day of their[b] sentinels, of their[c] punishment, has come;
now their confusion is at hand.
5 Put no trust in a friend,
have no confidence in a loved one;
guard the doors of your mouth
from her who lies in your embrace;
6 for the son treats the father with contempt,
the daughter rises up against her mother,
the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
your enemies are members of your own household.
7 But as for me, I will look to the Lord,
I will wait for the God of my salvation;
my God will hear me.
Penitence and Trust in God
8 Do not rejoice over me, O my enemy;
when I fall, I shall rise;
when I sit in darkness,
the Lord will be a light to me.
9 I must bear the indignation of the Lord,
because I have sinned against him,
until he takes my side
and executes judgment for me.
He will bring me out to the light;
I shall see his vindication.
10 Then my enemy will see,
and shame will cover her who said to me,
“Where is the Lord your God?”
My eyes will see her downfall;[d]
now she will be trodden down
like the mire of the streets.
A Prophecy of Restoration
11 A day for the building of your walls!
In that day the boundary shall be far extended.
12 In that day they will come to you
from Assyria to[e] Egypt,
and from Egypt to the River,
from sea to sea and from mountain to mountain.
13 But the earth will be desolate
because of its inhabitants,
for the fruit of their doings.
14 Shepherd your people with your staff,
the flock that belongs to you,
which lives alone in a forest
in the midst of a garden land;
let them feed in Bashan and Gilead
as in the days of old.
15 As in the days when you came out of the land of Egypt,
show us[f] marvelous things.
16 The nations shall see and be ashamed
of all their might;
they shall lay their hands on their mouths;
their ears shall be deaf;
17 they shall lick dust like a snake,
like the crawling things of the earth;
they shall come trembling out of their fortresses;
they shall turn in dread to the Lord our God,
and they shall stand in fear of you.
God’s Compassion and Steadfast Love
18 Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity
and passing over the transgression
of the remnant of your[g] possession?
He does not retain his anger forever,
because he delights in showing clemency.
19 He will again have compassion upon us;
he will tread our iniquities under foot.
You will cast all our[h] sins
into the depths of the sea.
20 You will show faithfulness to Jacob
and unswerving loyalty to Abraham,
as you have sworn to our ancestors
from the days of old.
Footnotes
- Micah 7:3 Cn: Heb they weave it
- Micah 7:4 Heb your
- Micah 7:4 Heb your
- Micah 7:10 Heb lacks downfall
- Micah 7:12 One Ms: MT Assyria and cities of
- Micah 7:15 Cn: Heb I will show him
- Micah 7:18 Heb his
- Micah 7:19 Gk Syr Vg Tg: Heb their
Micah 7
Contemporary English Version
Israel Is Corrupt
7 I feel so empty inside—
like someone starving
for grapes or figs,
after the vines and trees
have all been picked clean.
2 No one is loyal to God;
no one does right.
Everyone is brutal
and eager to deceive
everyone else.
3 People cooperate to commit crime.
Judges and leaders demand bribes,
and rulers cheat in court.[a]
4 The most honest of them
is worse than a thorn patch.
Your doom has come!
Lookouts sound the warning,
and everyone panics.
5 Don't trust anyone,
not even your best friend,
and be careful what you say
to the one you love.
6 (A) Sons refuse to respect
their own fathers,
daughters rebel against
their own mothers,
and daughters-in-law despise
their mothers-in-law.
Your family is now your enemy.
7 But I trust the Lord God
to save me,
and I will wait for him
to answer my prayer.
The Nation Turns to God
8 My enemies, don't be glad
because of my troubles!
I may have fallen,
but I will get up;
I may be sitting in the dark,
but the Lord is my light.
9 I have sinned against the Lord.
And so I must endure his anger,
until he comes to my defense.
But I know that I will see him
making things right for me
and leading me to the light.
10 You, my enemies, said,
“The Lord God is helpless.”
Now each of you
will be disgraced
and put to shame.
I will see you trampled
like mud in the street.
A Bright Future
11 Towns of Judah, the day is coming
when your walls will be rebuilt,
and your boundaries enlarged.
12 People will flock to you
from Assyria and Egypt,
from Babylonia[b]
and everywhere else.
13 Those nations will suffer disaster
because of what they did.
Micah's Prayer and the Lord's Answer
14 Lead your people, Lord!
Come and be our shepherd.
Grasslands surround us,
but we live in a forest.
So lead us to Bashan and Gilead,[c]
and let us find pasture
as we did long ago.
15 I, the Lord, will work miracles
just as I did when I led you
out of Egypt.
16 Nations will see this
and be ashamed because
of their helpless armies.
They will be in shock,
unable to speak or hear,
17 because of their fear of me,
your Lord and God.
Then they will come trembling,
crawling out of their fortresses
like insects or snakes,
lapping up the dust.
No One Is Like God
The people said:
18 Our God, no one is like you.
We are all that is left
of your chosen people,
and you freely forgive
our sin and guilt.
You don't stay angry forever;
you're glad to have pity
19 and pleased to be merciful.
You will trample on our sins
and throw them in the sea.
20 You will keep your word
and be faithful to Jacob
and to Abraham,
as you promised our ancestors
many years ago.
Micah 7
Authorized (King James) Version
7 Woe is me!
for I am as when they have gathered the summer fruits,
as the grapegleanings of the vintage:
there is no cluster to eat:
my soul desired the firstripe fruit.
2 The good man is perished out of the earth:
and there is none upright among men:
they all lie in wait for blood;
they hunt every man his brother with a net.
3 That they may do evil with both hands earnestly,
the prince asketh, and the judge asketh for a reward;
and the great man, he uttereth his mischievous desire:
so they wrap it up.
4 The best of them is as a brier:
the most upright is sharper than a thorn hedge:
the day of thy watchmen and thy visitation cometh;
now shall be their perplexity.
5 Trust ye not in a friend,
put ye not confidence in a guide:
keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom.
6 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 Therefore I will look unto the Lord;
I will wait for the God of my salvation:
my God will hear me.
8 Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy:
when I fall, I shall arise;
when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me.
9 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 Then she that is mine enemy shall see it,
and shame shall cover her which said unto me,
Where is the Lord thy God? mine eyes shall behold her:
now shall she be trodden down as the mire of the streets.
11 In the day that thy walls are to be built,
in that day shall the decree be far removed.
12 In that day also he shall come even to thee from Assyria,
and from the fortified cities,
and from the fortress even to the river,
and from sea to sea,
and from mountain to mountain.
13 Notwithstanding the land shall be desolate
because of them that dwell therein,
for the fruit of their doings.
14 Feed thy people with thy rod,
the flock of thine heritage, which dwell solitarily in the wood,
in the midst of Carmel:
let them feed in Bashan and Gilead,
as in the days of old.
15 According to the days of thy coming out of the land of Egypt
will I shew unto him marvellous things.
16 The nations shall see and be confounded at all their might:
they shall lay their hand upon their mouth,
their ears shall be deaf.
17 They shall lick the dust like a serpent,
they shall move out of their holes like worms of the earth:
they shall be afraid of the Lord our God,
and shall fear because of thee.
18 Who is a God like unto thee,
that pardoneth 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 will turn again,
he will have compassion upon us;
he will subdue our iniquities;
and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.
20 Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob,
and the mercy to Abraham,
which thou hast sworn unto our fathers
from the days of old.
New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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