Micah

Israel’s Great Misery

1Woe is me! For I am like one gathering summer fruitat the gleaning of the vineyard;there is no cluster to eat,no early fig that I crave.

2The godly man has perished from the earth;there is no one upright among men.They all lie in wait for blood;they hunt one another with a net.

3Both hands are skilled at evil;the prince and the judge demand a bribe.When the powerful utters his evil desire,they all conspire together.

4The best of them is like a brier;the most upright is sharper than a hedge of thorns.The day for your watchmen has come,the day of your visitation. Now is the time of their confusion.

5Do not rely on a friend;do not trust in a companion.Seal the doors of your mouthfrom her who lies in your arms.

6For a son dishonors his father,a daughter rises against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.A man’s enemies are the membersof his own household.

Israel’s Confession and Comfort

7But as for me, I will look to the LORD;I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me.

8Do not gloat over me, my enemy!Though I have fallen, I will arise;though I sit in darkness,the LORD will be my light.

9Because I have sinned against Him,I must endure the rage of the LORD,until He argues my caseand executes justice for me.He will bring me into the light;I will see His righteousness.

10Then my enemy will seeand will be covered with shame—she who said to me,“Where is the LORD your God?”My eyes will see her;at that time she will be trampled like mud in the streets.

11The day for rebuilding your walls will come—the day for extending your boundary.

12On that day they will come to youfrom Assyria and the cities of Egypt,even from Egypt to the Euphrates,from sea to sea and mountain to mountain.

13Then the earth will become desolatebecause of its inhabitants, as the fruit of their deeds.

God’s Compassion on Israel

14Shepherd with Your staff Your people,the flock of Your inheritance.They live alone in a woodland,surrounded by pastures.Let them graze in Bashan and Gilead,as in the days of old.

15As in the days when you came out of Egypt,I will show My wonders.

16Nations will see and be ashamed,deprived of all their might.They will put their hands over their mouths,and their ears will become deaf.

17They will lick the dust like a snake,like reptiles slithering on the ground.They will come trembling from their strongholdsin the presence of the LORD our God; they will tremble in fear of You.

18Who is a God like You,who pardons iniquityand passes over the transgressionof the remnant of His inheritance—who does not retain His anger forever,because He delights in loving devotion?

19He will again have compassion on us;He will vanquish our iniquities.You will cast out all our sinsinto the depths of the sea.

20You will show faithfulness to Jacoband loving devotion to Abraham,as You swore to our fathersfrom the days of old.

1Misery 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.

2The 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.

3Their hands are on that which is evil to do it diligently.The ruler and judge ask for a bribe.The powerful man dictates the evil desire of his soul.Thus they conspire together.

4The 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.

5Don’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!

6For 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.

7But as for me, I will look to the LORD.I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me.

8Don’t rejoice against me, my enemy.When I fall, I will arise. When I sit in darkness, the LORD will be a light to me.

9I will bear the indignation of the LORD,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.

10Then my enemy will see it,and shame will cover her who said to me, “Where is the LORD your God?”My eyes will see her.Now she will be trodden down like the mire of the streets.

11A day to build your walls!In that day, he will extend your boundary.

12In 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.

13Yet the land will be desolate because of those who dwell therein,for the fruit of their doings.

14Shepherd your people with your staff,the flock of your heritage, who dwell by themselves in a forest.Let them feed in the middle of fertile pasture land,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.”

16The nations will see and be ashamed of all their might.They will lay their hand on their mouth. Their ears will be deaf.

17They will lick the dust like a serpent.Like crawling things of the earth, they will come trembling out of their dens. They will come with fear to the LORD our God, and will be afraid because of you.

18Who 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.

19He will again have compassion on us.He will tread our iniquities under foot. You will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.

20You will give truth to Jacob,and mercy to Abraham, as you have sworn to our fathers from the days of old.