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Misery is mine!
    Indeed, I am like one who gathers the summer fruits, as gleanings of the vineyard:
    There is no cluster of grapes to eat.
    My soul desires to eat the early fig.
The godly man has perished out of the earth,
    and there is no one upright among men.
    They all lie in wait for blood;
    every man hunts his brother with a net.
Their hands are on that which is evil to do it diligently.
    The ruler and judge ask for a bribe;
    and the powerful man dictates the evil desire of his soul.
    Thus they conspire together.
The best of them is like a brier.
    The most upright is worse than a thorn hedge.
The day of your watchmen,
    even your visitation, has come;
    now is the time of their confusion.
Don’t trust in a neighbor.
    Don’t put confidence in a friend.
    With the woman lying in your embrace,
    be careful of the words of your mouth!
For the son dishonors the father,
    the daughter rises up against her mother,
    the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
    a man’s enemies are the men of his own house.
But as for me, I will look to Yahweh.
    I will wait for the God of my salvation.
    My God will hear me.
Don’t rejoice against me, my enemy.
    When I fall, I will arise.
    When I sit in darkness, Yahweh will be a light to me.
I will bear the indignation of Yahweh,
    because I have sinned against him,
    until he pleads my case, and executes judgment for me.
    He will bring me out to the light.
    I will see his righteousness.
10 Then my enemy will see it,
    and shame will cover her who said to me,
    where is Yahweh your God?
Then my enemy will see me and will cover her shame.
    Now she will be trodden down like the mire of the streets.
11 A day to build your walls!
    In that day, he will extend your boundary.
12 In that day they will come to you from Assyria and the cities of Egypt,
    and from Egypt even to the River,
    and from sea to sea,
    and mountain to mountain.
13 Yet the land will be desolate because of those who dwell therein,
    for the fruit of their doings.
14 Shepherd your people with your staff,
    the flock of your heritage,
    who dwell by themselves in a forest,
    in the middle of fertile pasture land, let them feed;
    in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old.
15 “As in the days of your coming out of the land of Egypt,
    I will show them marvelous things.”
16 The nations will see and be ashamed of all their might.
    They will lay their hand on their mouth.
    Their ears will be deaf.
17 They will lick the dust like a serpent.
    Like crawling things of the earth they shall come trembling out of their dens.
    They will come with fear to Yahweh our God,
    and will be afraid because of you.
18 Who is a God like you, who pardons iniquity,
    and passes over the disobedience of the remnant of his heritage?
He doesn’t retain his anger forever,
    because he delights in loving kindness.
19 He will again have compassion on us.
    He will tread our iniquities under foot;
    and you will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.
20 You will give truth to Jacob,
    and mercy to Abraham,
    as you have sworn to our fathers from the days of old.

Israel’s Misery

What misery is mine!
I am like one who gathers summer fruit
    at the gleaning of the vineyard;
there is no cluster of grapes to eat,
    none of the early figs(A) that I crave.
The faithful have been swept from the land;(B)
    not one(C) upright person remains.
Everyone lies in wait(D) to shed blood;(E)
    they hunt each other(F) with nets.(G)
Both hands are skilled in doing evil;(H)
    the ruler demands gifts,
the judge accepts bribes,(I)
    the powerful dictate what they desire—
    they all conspire together.
The best of them is like a brier,(J)
    the most upright worse than a thorn(K) hedge.
The day God visits you has come,
    the day your watchmen sound the alarm.
    Now is the time of your confusion.(L)
Do not trust a neighbor;
    put no confidence in a friend.(M)
Even with the woman who lies in your embrace
    guard the words of your lips.
For a son dishonors his father,
    a daughter rises up against her mother,(N)
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—
    a man’s enemies are the members of his own household.(O)

But as for me, I watch(P) in hope(Q) for the Lord,
    I wait for God my Savior;
    my God will hear(R) me.

Israel Will Rise

Do not gloat over me,(S) my enemy!
    Though I have fallen, I will rise.(T)
Though I sit in darkness,
    the Lord will be my light.(U)
Because I have sinned against him,
    I will bear the Lord’s wrath,(V)
until he pleads my case(W)
    and upholds my cause.
He will bring me out into the light;(X)
    I will see his righteousness.(Y)
10 Then my enemy will see it
    and will be covered with shame,(Z)
she who said to me,
    “Where is the Lord your God?”(AA)
My eyes will see her downfall;(AB)
    even now she will be trampled(AC) underfoot
    like mire in the streets.

11 The day for building your walls(AD) will come,
    the day for extending your boundaries.
12 In that day people will come to you
    from Assyria(AE) and the cities of Egypt,
even from Egypt to the Euphrates
    and from sea to sea
    and from mountain to mountain.(AF)
13 The earth will become desolate because of its inhabitants,
    as the result of their deeds.(AG)

Prayer and Praise

14 Shepherd(AH) your people with your staff,(AI)
    the flock of your inheritance,
which lives by itself in a forest,
    in fertile pasturelands.[a](AJ)
Let them feed in Bashan(AK) and Gilead(AL)
    as in days long ago.(AM)

15 “As in the days when you came out of Egypt,
    I will show them my wonders.(AN)

16 Nations will see and be ashamed,(AO)
    deprived of all their power.
They will put their hands over their mouths(AP)
    and their ears will become deaf.
17 They will lick dust(AQ) like a snake,
    like creatures that crawl on the ground.
They will come trembling(AR) out of their dens;
    they will turn in fear(AS) to the Lord our God
    and will be afraid of you.
18 Who is a God(AT) like you,
    who pardons sin(AU) and forgives(AV) the transgression
    of the remnant(AW) of his inheritance?(AX)
You do not stay angry(AY) forever
    but delight to show mercy.(AZ)
19 You will again have compassion on us;
    you will tread our sins underfoot
    and hurl all our iniquities(BA) into the depths of the sea.(BB)
20 You will be faithful to Jacob,
    and show love to Abraham,(BC)
as you pledged on oath to our ancestors(BD)
    in days long ago.(BE)

Footnotes

  1. Micah 7:14 Or in the middle of Carmel