Micah 7

¹Woe is me! for I am as when they have gathered the summer fruits, as the grape gleanings of the vintage: there is no cluster to eat; my soul desireth the first-ripe fig.

²The godly 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.

³Their hands are upon that which is evil to do it diligently; the prince asketh, and the judge is ready for a reward; and the great man, he uttereth the evil desire of his soul: thus they weave it together.

⁴The best of them is as a brier; the most upright is worse than a thorn hedge: the day of thy watchmen, even thy visitation, is come; now shall be their perplexity.

⁵Trust ye not in a neighbor; put ye not confidence in a friend; keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom.

⁶For the son dishonoreth 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.

⁷But as for me, I will look unto Jehovah; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.

⁸Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, Jehovah will be a light unto me.

⁹I will bear the indignation of Jehovah, 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.

¹⁰Then mine enemy shall see it, and shame shall cover her who said unto me, Where is Jehovah thy God? Mine eyes shall see my desire upon her; now shall she be trodden down as the mire of the streets.

¹¹A day for building thy walls! in that day shall the decree be far removed.

¹²In that day shall they come unto thee from Assyria and the cities of Egypt, and from Egypt even to the River, and from sea to sea, and from mountain to mountain.

¹³Yet shall the land be desolate because of them that dwell therein, for the fruit of their doings.

¹⁴Feed thy people with thy rod, the flock of thy heritage, which dwell solitarily, in the forest in the midst of Carmel: let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old.

¹⁵As in the days of thy coming forth out of the land of Egypt will I show unto them marvellous things.

¹⁶The nations shall see and be ashamed of all their might; they shall lay their hand upon their mouth; their ears shall be deaf.

¹⁷They shall lick the dust like a serpent; like crawling things of the earth they shall come trembling out of their close places; they shall come with fear unto Jehovah our God, and shall be afraid because of thee.

¹⁸Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth over the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in lovingkindness.

¹⁹He will again have compassion upon us; he will tread our iniquities under foot; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.

²⁰Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the lovingkindness to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.

Micah 7

¹My 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.

²Perished hath the kind out of the land, And upright among menthere are none, All of them for blood lie in wait, Each his brother they hunt with a net.

³On the evil are both hands to do it well, The prince is askingalso the judgefor recompence, And the greathe is speaking the mischief of his soul, And they wrap it up.

⁴Their best one is as a brier, The upright onethan a thorn-hedge, The day of thy watchmenThy visitationhath come. Now is their perplexity.

⁵Believe not in a friend, trust not in a leader, From her who is lying in thy bosom keep the openings of thy mouth.

⁶For 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.

⁷And Iin Jehovah I do watch, I do wait for the God of my salvation, Hear me doth my God.

⁸Thou 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.

⁹The 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.

¹⁰And 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.

¹¹The day to build thy walls! That dayremoved is the limit.

¹²That dayeven 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.

¹³And the land hath been for a desolation, Because of its inhabitants, Because of the fruit of their doings.

¹⁴Rule 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.

¹⁵According to the days of thy coming forth out of the land of Egypt, I do shew it wonderful things.

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

¹⁷They 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.

¹⁸Who 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 HeHe delighteth in kindness.

¹⁹He doth turn back, He pitieth us, He doth subdue our iniquities, And Thou castest into the depths of the sea all their sins.

²⁰Thou givest truth to Jacob, kindness to Abraham, That thou hast sworn to our fathers, from the days of antiquity!