Micah, 7

1. How wretched I am, a harvester in summer time, like a gleaner at the vintage: not a single cluster to eat, none of those early figs I love!

1. Woe is me! For I have become as when the summer fruit has been gathered, as when the vintage has been gleaned: there is no cluster to eat, no first-ripe fig which my soul desires.

2. The faithful have vanished from the land: there is no one honest left. All of them are on the alert for blood, every man hunting his brother with a net.

2. The godly man has perished from the earth, and there is none upright among men; they all lie in wait for blood, and each hunts his brother with a net.

3. Their hands are adept at wrong-doing: the official makes his demands, the judge gives judgement for a bribe, the man in power pronounces as he pleases.

3. Their hands are upon what is evil, to do it diligently; the prince and the judge ask for a bribe, and the great man utters the evil desire of his soul; thus they weave it together.

4. The best of them is like a briar, the most honest of them like a thorn-hedge. Now from the north their punishment approaches! That will be when they are confounded!

4. The best of them is like a brier, the most upright of them a thorn hedge. The day of their watchmen, of their punishment, has come; now their confusion is at hand.

5. Trust no neighbour, put no confidence in a friend; do not open your mouth to the wife who shares your bed.

5. Put no trust in a neighbor, have no confidence in a friend; guard the doors of your mouth from her who lies in your bosom;

6. For son insults father, daughter rebels against mother, daughter-in-law against mother-in-law; a person's enemies come from within the household itself.

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; a man's enemies are the men of his own house.

7. But I shall look to Yahweh, my hope is in the God who will save me; my God will hear me.

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.

8. Do not gloat over me, my enemy: though I have fallen, I shall rise; though I live in darkness, Yahweh is my light.

8. Rejoice not 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 endure Yahweh's anger for I have sinned against him, until he takes up my cause and rights my wrongs; he will bring me out into the light, and then I shall contemplate his saving justice.

9. I will bear the indignation of the LORD because I have sinned against him, until he pleads my cause and executes judgment for me. He will bring me forth to the light; I shall behold his deliverance.

10. When my enemy sees this, she will be covered with shame, having sneered, 'Where is Yahweh your God?' This time, I shall be watching as she is trampled underfoot like mud in the streets.

10. Then my enemy will see, and shame will cover her who said to me, "Where is the LORD your God?" My eyes will gloat over her; now she will be trodden down like the mire of the streets.

11. That will be the day for rebuilding your walls! The day for expanding your frontiers!

11. A day for the building of your walls! In that day the boundary shall be far extended.

12. The day when others come to you all the way from Assyria, from Egypt, from Tyre and all the way from the Euphrates, from sea to sea, from the mountains to the mountains!

12. In that day they will come to you, from Assyria to Egypt, and from Egypt to the River, from sea to sea and from mountain to mountain.

13. The earth will become a desert by reason of its inhabitants, in return for what they have done.

13. But the earth will be desolate because of its inhabitants, for the fruit of their doings.

14. With shepherd's crook lead your people to pasture, the flock that is your heritage, living confined in a forest with meadow land all round. Let them graze in Bashan and Gilead as in the days of old!

14. Shepherd thy people with thy staff, the flock of thy inheritance, who dwell 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 Egypt, grant us to see wonders!

15. As in the days when you came out of the land of Egypt I will show them marvelous things.

16. The nations will see and be confounded in spite of all their power; they will put their hands over their mouths, their ears will be deafened.

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 will lick the dust like snakes, like reptiles that crawl on the earth. They will creep trembling out of their lairs, in terror before you.

17. they shall lick the dust like a serpent, like the crawling things of the earth; they shall come trembling out of their strongholds, they shall turn in dread to the LORD our God, and they shall fear because of thee.

18. What god can compare with you for pardoning guilt and for overlooking crime? He does not harbour anger for ever, since he delights in showing faithful love.

18. Who is a God like thee, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger for ever because he delights in steadfast love.

19. Once more have pity on us, tread down our faults; throw all our sins to the bottom of the sea.

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

20. Grant Jacob your faithfulness, and Abraham your faithful love, as you swore to our ancestors from the days of long ago.

20. Thou wilt show faithfulness to Jacob and steadfast love to Abraham, as thou hast sworn to our fathers from the days of old.