Mic 7 | NASB1995 | STEP | Woe is me! For I am Like the fruit pickers , like the grape gatherers . There is not a cluster of grapes to eat , Or a first-ripe fig which I crave .

Micah 7

The Prophet Acknowledges

1 Woe is me! For I am
Like the fruit pickers, like the ^agrape gatherers.
There is not a cluster of grapes to eat,
Or a ^bfirst-ripe fig which ^{▼▼ Lit my soul}I crave.
2 The ^{▼▼ Or loyal}godly person has ^eperished from the land,
And there is no upright person among men.
All of them lie in wait for ^fbloodshed;
Each of them hunts the other with a ^gnet.
3 Concerning evil, both hands do it ^hwell.
The prince asks, also the judge, for a ⁱbribe,
And a great man speaks the desire of his soul;
So they weave it together.
4 The best of them is like a ^jbriar,
The most upright like a ^kthorn hedge.
The day when you post your watchmen,
Your ^lpunishment will come.
Then their ^mconfusion will occur.
5 Do not ⁿtrust in a neighbor;
Do not have confidence in a friend.
From her who lies in your bosom
Guard ^{▼▼ Lit openings of your mouth}your lips.
6 For ^pson treats father contemptuously,
Daughter rises up against her mother,
Daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
^qA man’s enemies are the men of his own household.

God Is the Source of Salvation and Light

7 But as for me, I will ^rwatch expectantly for the Lord;
I will ^swait for the God of my salvation.
My ^tGod will hear me.
8 ^uDo not rejoice over me, O ^vmy enemy.
Though I fall I will ^wrise;
Though I dwell in darkness, the Lord is a ^xlight for me.

9 I will bear the indignation of the Lord
Because I have sinned against Him,
Until He ^ypleads my case and executes justice for me.
He will bring me out to the ^zlight,
And I will see His ^{▼▼ I.e. right dealing
,} ^abrighteousness.
10 Then my enemy will see,
And shame will cover her who ^acsaid to me,
“Where is the Lord your God?”
My eyes will look on her;
^{▼▼ Lit Now}At that time she will ^{▼▼ Lit become a trampled place}be ^aftrampled down
Like mire of the streets.
11 It will be a day for ^agbuilding your walls.
On that day will your boundary be extended.
12 It will be a day when ^{▼▼ Lit he}they will ^aicome to you
From Assyria and the cities of Egypt,
From Egypt even to the ^{▼▼ Lit River}Euphrates,
Even from sea to sea and mountain to mountain.
13 And the earth will become ^akdesolate because of her inhabitants,
On account of the ^alfruit of their deeds.

14 ^amShepherd Your people with Your ^anscepter,
The flock of Your ^{▼▼ Or inheritance}possession
Which dwells by itself in the woodland,
In the midst of ^{▼▼ Or Carmel}a fruitful field.
Let them feed in ^aqBashan and Gilead
^arAs in the days of old.
15 “As in the days when you came out from the land of Egypt,
I will show ^{▼▼ Lit him
,} ^atyou miracles.”
16 Nations ^auwill see and be ashamed
Of all their might.
They will ^avput their hand on their mouth,
Their ears will be deaf.
17 They will ^awlick the dust like a serpent,
Like ^axreptiles of the earth.
They will come ^aytrembling out of their ^{▼▼ Lit fastnesses}fortresses;
To the Lord our God they will come in ^badread
And they will be afraid before You.
18 Who is a God like You, who ^bbpardons iniquity
And passes over the rebellious act of the ^bcremnant of His ^{▼▼ Or inheritance}possession?
He does not ^beretain His anger forever,
Because He ^bfdelights in ^{▼▼ Or lovingkindness}unchanging love.
19 He will again have compassion on us;
^bhHe will tread our iniquities under foot.
Yes, You will ^bicast all ^{▼▼ Several ancient versions read our}their sins
Into the depths of the sea.
20 You will give ^{▼▼ Or faithfulness
,} ^bltruth to Jacob
And ^{▼▼ Or lovingkindness}unchanging love to Abraham,
Which You ^bnswore to our forefathers
From the days of old.