New International Version

New King James Version

Israel’s Misery

What misery is mine!
I am like one who gathers summer fruit
at the gleaning of the vineyard;
there is no cluster of grapes to eat,
none of the early figs that I crave.

1

Sorrow for Israel’s Sins

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 have been swept from the land;
not one upright person remains.
Everyone lies in wait to shed blood;
they hunt each other with nets.

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

Both hands are skilled in doing evil;
the ruler demands gifts,
the judge accepts bribes,
the powerful dictate what they desire —
they all conspire together.

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 worse than a thorn hedge.
The day God visits you has come,
the day your watchmen sound the alarm.
Now is the time of your confusion.

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 a neighbor;
put no confidence in a friend.
Even with the woman who lies in your embrace
guard the words of your lips.

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 a son dishonors his father,
a daughter rises up against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law —
a man’s enemies are the members of his own household.

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

But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord,
I wait for God my Savior;
my God will hear me.

7

Therefore I will look to the Lord;
I will wait for the God of my salvation;
My God will hear me.

8

Israel Will Rise

Do not gloat over me, my enemy!
Though I have fallen, I will rise.
Though I sit in darkness,
the Lord will be my light.

8

Israel’s Confession and Comfort

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

Because I have sinned against him,
I will bear the Lord’s wrath,
until he pleads my case
and upholds my cause.
He will bring me out into the light;
I will see his righteousness.

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 my enemy will see it
and will be covered with shame,
she who said to me,
“Where is the Lord your God?”
My eyes will see her downfall;
even now she will be trampled underfoot
like mire in the streets.

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

The day for building your walls will come,
the day for extending your boundaries.

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 people will come to you
from Assyria and the cities of Egypt,
even from Egypt to the Euphrates
and from sea to sea
and from mountain to mountain.

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

The earth will become desolate because of its inhabitants,
as the result of their deeds.

13

Yet the land shall be desolate
Because of those who dwell in it,
And for the fruit of their deeds.

14

Prayer and Praise

Shepherd your people with your staff,
the flock of your inheritance,
which lives by itself in a forest,
in fertile pasturelands.a
Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead
as in days long ago.

14

God Will Forgive Israel

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 Egypt,
I will show them my wonders.”

15

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

16

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

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 will lick dust like a snake,
like creatures that crawl on the ground.
They will come trembling out of their dens;
they will turn in fear to the Lord our God
and will be afraid of you.

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,
who pardons sin and forgives the transgression
of the remnant of his inheritance?
You do not stay angry forever
but delight to show mercy.

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

You will again have compassion on us;
you will tread our sins underfoot
and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.

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 be faithful to Jacob,
and show love to Abraham,
as you pledged on oath to our ancestors
in days long ago.

20

You will give truth to Jacob
And [l]mercy to Abraham,
Which You have sworn to our fathers
From days of old.

Parallel

New International Version

New King James Version

Micah 7

Micah 7