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

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

7. Therefore I will look unto 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 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 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 plead my cause, and execute judgment for me: he will bring me forth to the light, [and] I shall behold his righteousness.

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

11. [In] the day that thy walls are to be built, [in] that day shall the decree be far removed.

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

13. Notwithstanding the land shall be desolate because of them that dwell therein, 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. 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. As in the days when you came out of Egypt, grant us to see wonders!

15. According to the days of thy coming out of the land of Egypt will I shew unto him marvellous [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 confounded at all their might: they shall lay [their] hand upon [their] mouth, 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, 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. 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 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. Once more have pity on us, tread down our faults; throw all our sins to the bottom of the sea.

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

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.