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Micah 7

New King James Version (NKJV)

Woe is me!
For I am like those who gather summer fruits, Like those who glean vintage grapes;
There is no cluster to eat. Of the first-ripe fruit which my soul desires.
2 The faithful[a] man has perished from 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.

3 That they may successfully do evil with both hands—The prince asks for gifts, The judge seeks a bribe,
And the great man utters his evil desire; So they scheme together. 4 The best of them is like a brier;
The most upright is sharper than a thorn hedge; The day of your watchman and your punishment comes;
Now shall be their perplexity. 5 Do not trust in a friend; Do not put your confidence in a companion;
Guard the doors of your mouth From her who lies in your bosom. 6 For son dishonors father,
Daughter rises against her mother, Daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; A man’s enemies are the men of his own household. 7 Therefore I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; My God will hear me.

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8 Do not rejoice over me, my enemy; When I fall, I will arise; When I sit in darkness,
The Lord will be a light to me. 9 I will bear the indignation of the Lord, Because I have sinned against Him, Until He pleads my case And executes justice for me. He will bring me forth to the light;
I will see His righteousness. 10 Then she who is my enemy will see, And shame will cover her who said to me, “Where is the Lord your God?” My eyes will see her; Now she will be trampled down
Like mud in the streets. 11 In the day when your walls are to be built, In that day [b]the decree shall go far and wide. 12 In that day they[c] shall come to you From Assyria and the [d]fortified cities,
From the [e]fortress to [f]the River, From sea to sea, And mountain to mountain. 13 Yet the land shall be desolate Because of those who dwell in it, And for the fruit of their deeds.

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14 Shepherd Your people with Your staff, The flock of Your heritage, Who dwell [g]solitarily in a woodland, In the midst of Carmel; Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, As in days of old.

15 “As in the days when you came out of the land of Egypt, I will show [h]them wonders.”

16 The nations shall see and be ashamed of all their might; They shall put their hand over their mouth;
Their ears shall be deaf. 17 They shall lick the dust like a serpent; They shall crawl from their holes like [i]snakes of the earth. They shall be afraid of the Lord our God, And shall fear because of You.
18 Who is a God like You, Pardoning iniquity And passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, Because He delights in mercy.[j] 19 He will again have compassion on us, And will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all [k]our sins Into the depths of the sea.
20 You will give truth to Jacob And [l]mercy to Abraham, Which You have sworn to our fathers
From days of old.

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English Standard Version (ESV)

Wait for the God of Salvation

7 Woe 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.
2 The godly has perished from the earth, and there is no one upright among mankind; they all lie in wait for blood,
 and each hunts the other with a net. 3 Their hands are on what is evil, to do it well; 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 brier, the most upright of them a thorn hedge.
The day of your watchmen, of your punishment, has come; now their confusion is at hand.
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 arms;[a]
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 as for me, I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me. 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 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 out to the light; I shall look upon his vindication.
10 Then 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 the mire of the streets.

11 A day for the building of your walls! In that day the boundary shall be far extended. 12 In that day they[b] will come to you,  from Assyria and the cities of Egypt, and from Egypt to the River,[c] from sea to sea and from mountain to mountain.
13 But the earth will be desolate because of its inhabitants, for the fruit of their deeds. 14 Shepherd your people with your staff, the flock of your inheritance, who dwell alone in a forest in the midst of a garden land;[d]
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[e] marvelous things. 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 shall lick the dust like a serpent,
like the crawling things of the earth; shall come trembling out of their strongholds; they shall turn in dread to the Lord our God,
and they shall be in fear of you.

God's Steadfast Love and Compassion

18 Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance?
He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love. 19 He will again have compassion on us;
he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our[f] sins into the depths of the sea.
20 You will show faithfulness to Jacob and steadfast love to Abraham, as you have sworn to our fathers rom the days of old.

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