Micah, 7

1. How wretched I am, a harvester in summer time, like a gleaner at the vintage: not a single cluster to eat, none of those early figs I love!

2. The faithful have vanished from the land: there is no one honest left. All of them are on the alert for blood, every man hunting his brother with a net.

3. Their hands are adept at wrong-doing: the official makes his demands, the judge gives judgement for a bribe, the man in power pronounces as he pleases.

4. The best of them is like a briar, the most honest of them like a thorn-hedge. Now from the north their punishment approaches! That will be when they are confounded!

5. Trust no neighbour, put no confidence in a friend; do not open your mouth to the wife who shares your bed.

6. For son insults father, daughter rebels against mother, daughter-in-law against mother-in-law; a person's enemies come from within the household itself.

7. But I shall look to Yahweh, my hope is in the God who will save me; my God will hear me.

8. Do not gloat over me, my enemy: though I have fallen, I shall rise; though I live in darkness, Yahweh is my light.

9. I must endure Yahweh's anger for I have sinned against him, until he takes up my cause and rights my wrongs; he will bring me out into the light, and then I shall contemplate his saving justice.

10. When my enemy sees this, she will be covered with shame, having sneered, 'Where is Yahweh your God?' This time, I shall be watching as she is trampled underfoot like mud in the streets.

11. That will be the day for rebuilding your walls! The day for expanding your frontiers!

12. The day when others come to you all the way from Assyria, from Egypt, from Tyre and all the way from the Euphrates, from sea to sea, from the mountains to the mountains!

13. The earth will become a desert by reason of its inhabitants, in return for what they have done.

14. With shepherd's crook lead your people to pasture, the flock that is your heritage, living confined in a forest with meadow land all round. Let them graze in Bashan and Gilead as in the days of old!

15. As in the days when you came out of Egypt, grant us to see wonders!

16. The nations will see and be confounded in spite of all their power; they will put their hands over their mouths, their ears will be deafened.

17. They will lick the dust like snakes, like reptiles that crawl on the earth. They will creep trembling out of their lairs, in terror before you.

18. What god can compare with you for pardoning guilt and for overlooking crime? He does not harbour anger for ever, since he delights in showing faithful love.

19. Once more have pity on us, tread down our faults; throw all our sins to the bottom of the sea.

20. Grant Jacob your faithfulness, and Abraham your faithful love, as you swore to our ancestors from the days of long ago.