Micah 7

1 Woe [alas, expressing deep sorrow] is me! For I am like one gathering [collecting, harvesting] summer fruit [the fruit of the harvest season] at the gleaning [picking leftover grapes] of the vineyard; there is no cluster [bunch of grapes] to eat, no early fig [first ripe fruit] that I [my soul, my inner being] crave [strongly desire, long for]. word study 2 The godly [pious, faithful to God] man has perished [been destroyed, lost] from the earth [land, country]; there is no one upright [just, righteous] among men [human beings, people]. They all lie in wait [ambush, trap] for blood [life]; they hunt [pursue, chase] one another with a net [snare, trap, to catch]. word study 3 Both hands [skilled at evil, expert at wrongdoing] are skilled at evil; the prince [ruler, leader] and the judge [magistrate, authority] demand a bribe [recompense, reward]. When the powerful [great, mighty] utters his evil [bad, wicked] desire [strong longing, corrupt wish], they all conspire [weave, plot] together. word study 4 The best [most pleasant, beneficial] of them is like a brier [thorny plant, wilderness growth]; the most upright [straight, just, righteous] is sharper than a hedge [thorn fence, boundary marker] of thorns. The day [period of time, appointed season] for your watchmen [those who observe, wait, and keep] has come, the day of your visitation [official oversight, care, or punishment]. Now [at this time, presently] is the time of their confusion [perplexity, bewilderment, puzzled state]. word study 5 Do not [by no means, under no circumstances] rely on a friend [neighbor, companion]; do not [never, at no time] trust in a companion [leader, guide]. Seal [keep, guard] the doors [entrances, openings] of your mouth from her [the one, your intimate partner] who lies [rests, sleeps] in your arms [bosom, chest]. word study 6 For a son dishonors [treats with contempt] his father, a daughter rises [defies] against her mother, and a daughter-in-law [opposes, is hostile towards] against her mother-in-law. A man’s [closest, family] enemies [those who hate, adversaries] are the members [men, individuals] of his own household. word study 7 But as for me [personally, I myself], I will look [watch, observe, wait with expectation] to the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God]; I will wait [be patient, trust] for the God [Elohim, the supreme God] of my salvation [deliverance, rescue]. My God [Elohim, the one supreme God] will hear [listen, obey] me. word study 8 Do not [never, under no circumstances] gloat over me, my enemy [adversary, one who hates me]! Though I have fallen [been defeated, failed], I will arise [rise up, stand again]; though I sit [dwell, remain] in darkness [misery, spiritual gloom], the LORD [Yehovah, the covenant God] will be my light [source of hope, guidance]. word study 9 Because I have sinned [gone wrong, missed the mark] against Him, I must endure [bear patiently] the rage [intense anger, fury] of the LORD [Yehovah], until He argues [pleads, contends] my case and executes [accomplishes, brings about] justice [righteous judgment] for me. He will bring me into the light [enlightenment, spiritual understanding]; I will see [behold, perceive] His righteousness [virtue, moral integrity]. word study 10 Then my enemy [adversary, one who hates] will see and will be covered with shame [guilt, embarrassment]— she who said to me, “Where [in what place] is the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] your God [Elohim, the supreme God]?” My eyes [the source of sight, understanding] will see her; at that time [now, in this moment] she will be trampled like mud [clay, a substance trodden underfoot] in the streets [outside, in the public thoroughfares]. word study 11 The day [a period of time, a season] for rebuilding [to restore, to establish] your walls [a barrier, a fence] will come— the day [a time of restoration] for extending [to stretch, to enlarge] your boundary [a limit, a border, the decree]. word study 12 On that day [a future time of fulfillment] they will come to you from Assyria [a powerful nation, the ancestor of the Assyrians] and the cities [strongholds, fortified towns] of Egypt [Mizraim, a place of siege], even from Egypt [the land of the Nile] to the Euphrates [a major river], from sea [a large body of water] to sea and mountain [a hill] to mountain. word study 13 Then the earth [land, territory, or region] will become [exist as, come into being as] desolate [devastated, wasted, or barren] because of its inhabitants [those who dwell, reside, or live], as the fruit [result, product, or outcome] of their deeds [actions, works, or inventions]. word study 14 Shepherd [rule with care, tend to] with Your staff [rod of authority] Your people [nation, community], the flock [congregation, those under Your care] of Your inheritance [possession, heritage]. They live [dwell, reside] alone [in isolation, separate] in a woodland [forest, wilderness], surrounded by pastures [fertile land, abundant resources]. Let them graze [feed, nourish themselves] in Bashan [a fertile region, a place of abundance] and Gilead [a mountainous region, a land of rocky terrain], as in the days [periods of time, eras] of old [long ago, ancient times]. word study 15 As in the days [of old, when you came forth] when you came out [from the land, departed] of Egypt [the land of bondage, northeastern Africa], I will show [reveal, make visible] My wonders [marvelous things, miraculous deeds, nifla’ot, to wonder]. word study 16 Nations [Gentile, non-Hebrew peoples] will see [behold, perceive] and be ashamed [confounded, humiliated], deprived of all [every aspect of] their might [strength, power]. They will put their hands [an open hand; strength, a side or share] over their mouths [lips, edges], and their ears [organs of hearing] will become deaf [silent, unable to hear]. word study 17 They will lick [like a reptile, as a sign of humiliation] the dust [dry earth] like a snake, like reptiles [creeping things, worms] slithering [crawling, creeping] on the ground [the land, the earth]. They will crawl [tremble, move out] from their holes [secret places, dens] in the presence [before, in the sight] of the LORD [Yehovah, the supreme God] our God [Elohim, the one true God]; they will tremble [shake, be afraid] in fear [dread, reverence] of You [in Your presence, before You]. word study 18 Who is a God [like no other, unique] like You, who pardons [forgives, takes away] iniquity [moral evil, sin] and passes over [ignores, overlooks] the transgression [rebellion, disobedience] of the remnant [what is left, the surviving ones] of His inheritance [possessions, heritage]— who does not retain [keep, hold onto] His anger [wrath, fury] forever [for all eternity], because He delights [takes pleasure, is pleased] in loving devotion [kindness, mercy, faithful love]? word study 19 He will again have compassion [pity, mercy] on us; He will vanquish [subdue, tread under foot] our iniquities [moral evil, sin]. You will cast [throw away, put away] out all our sins [guilt, punishment for sin] into the depths [bottom, low area] of the sea [a large body of water]. word study 20 You will show faithfulness [loyal love, kindness] to Jacob [the father of the Israelites] and loving devotion [mercy, kindness] to Abraham [the father of faith], as You swore [made a promise, gave your oath] to our fathers [ancestors, patriarchs] from the days [times, ages] of old [antiquity, long ago]. word study