Micah 7

The Corruption of the Nation

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

2The faithful have perished from the land,
and there is no upright person among mankind.
They all lie in wait for blood,
and each hunts his brother with a net. 3Their hands are skilled in doing evil.
The ruler asks,
and the judge takes a bribe,
and the great man speaks
the desire of his soul,
and together they weave it.

4The best of them is like a brier,
the most upright of them
worse than a thorn hedge.
The day of your watchmen,
of your punishment, has come.
Now shall be their confusion.

5Put no trust in a neighbor;
have no confidence in a friend.
Guard the doors of your mouth
from her who lies in your arms. 6For son treats father with contempt,
daughter rises against her mother,
daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
a man's enemies
are the men of his own house.

Hope in the LORD

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

8Rejoice not over me, my enemy.
Though I have fallen,
I shall rise.
Though 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 cause
and executes justice for me.
He will bring me out into the light.
I shall look upon his righteousness.

10Then my enemy will see,
and shame will cover her who said to me,
“Where is the LORD your God?”
My eyes will look upon her.
Now she will be trampled down
like mud in the streets.

The Future Restoration of Zion

11A day for building your walls!
In that day
the boundary shall be far extended. 12In that day
they shall come to you
from Assyria and the cities of Egypt,
from Egypt to the River,
from sea to sea,
and from mountain to mountain. 13But the earth shall be desolate
because of its inhabitants,
for the fruit of their deeds.

A Prayer for Mercy

14Shepherd your people with your staff,
the flock of your inheritance,
who dwell alone in a forest
in the midst of a fruitful land.
Let them graze in Bashan and Gilead
as in the days of old.

15“As in the days
when you came out of the land of Egypt,
I will show them marvelous things.” 16The nations shall see and be ashamed
of all their might.
They shall lay their hands on their mouths;
their ears shall be deaf. 17They shall lick the dust like a serpent,
like crawling things of the earth.
They shall come trembling from their strongholds.
They shall turn in fear to the LORD our God,
and they shall stand in awe of you.

The LORD's Unmatched Mercy

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

19He will again have compassion upon us.
He will tread our iniquities underfoot.
You will cast all their sins
into the depths of the sea. 20You will show faithfulness to Jacob
and steadfast love to Abraham,
as you swore to our fathers
from the days of old.