\NormalFont\ShortTitle{Micah}

{\MT Micah



\par }\ChapOne{1}{\SH Judgment to Come
\par }
{\R (Isaiah 7:17–25)

\par }{\MM \VerseOne{1}This is the word of the LORD that came to Micah the Moreshite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah—what he saw regarding Samaria and Jerusalem:


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{2}Hear, O peoples, all of you;

\par }{\QB listen, O earth, and everyone in it!

\par }{\Q May the Lord GOD bear witness against you,

\par }{\QB the Lord from His holy temple.


\par }{\Q \VS{3}For behold, the LORD comes forth

\par }{\QB from His dwelling place;

\par }{\Q He will come down and tread

\par }{\QB on the high places of the earth.


\par }{\Q \VS{4}The mountains will melt beneath Him,

\par }{\QB and the valleys will split apart,

\par }{\Q like wax before the fire,

\par }{\QB like water rushing down a slope.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{5}All this is for the transgression of Jacob

\par }{\QB and the sins of the house of Israel.

\par }{\Q What is the transgression of Jacob?

\par }{\QB Is it not Samaria?

\par }{\Q And what is the high place of Judah?

\par }{\QB Is it not Jerusalem?


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{6}Therefore I will make Samaria

\par }{\QB a heap of rubble in the open field,

\par }{\QB a planting area for a vineyard.

\par }{\Q I will pour her stones into the valley

\par }{\QB and expose her foundations.


\par }{\Q \VS{7}All her carved images will be smashed to pieces;

\par }{\QB all her wages will be burned in the fire,

\par }{\QB and I will destroy all her idols.

\par }{\Q Since she collected the wages of a prostitute,

\par }{\QB they will be used again on a prostitute.


\par }{\SH Weeping and Mourning
\par }
{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{8}Because of this I will lament and wail;

\par }{\QB I will walk barefoot and naked.

\par }{\Q I will howl like a jackal
\FTNT{*}{{\FR 1:8 }{\FT{Or a serpent or a dragon}}}

\par }{\QB and mourn like an ostrich.\FTNT{†}{{\FR 1:8 }{\FT{Literally like daughters of an ostrich or like daughters of an owl}}}


\par }{\Q \VS{9}For her wound is incurable;

\par }{\QB it has reached even Judah;

\par }{\Q it has approached the gate of my people,

\par }{\QB as far as Jerusalem itself.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{10}Do not tell it in Gath;\FTNT{‡}{{\FR 1:10 }{\FT{Gath sounds like the Hebrew for tell.}}} do not weep at all.

\par }{\QB Roll in the dust in Beth-leaphrah.\FTNT{§}{{\FR 1:10 }{\FT{Beth-Leaphrah means house of dust.}}}


\par }{\Q \VS{11}Depart in shameful nakedness,

\par }{\QB O dwellers of Shaphir.\FTNT{*}{{\FR 1:11 }{\FT{Shaphir means pleasant.}}}

\par }{\Q The dwellers of Zaanan
\FTNT{†}{{\FR 1:11 }{\FT{Zaanan sounds like the Hebrew for come out.}}}

\par }{\QB will not come out.

\par }{\Q Beth-ezel
\FTNT{‡}{{\FR 1:11 }{\FT{Beth-ezel means adjoining house.}}} is in mourning;

\par }{\QB its support is taken from you.


\par }{\Q \VS{12}For the dwellers of Maroth
\FTNT{§}{{\FR 1:12 }{\FT{Maroth sounds like the Hebrew for bitter.}}} pined for good,

\par }{\QB but calamity came down from the LORD,

\par }{\QB even to the gate of Jerusalem.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{13}Harness your chariot horses,

\par }{\QB O dweller of Lachish.\FTNT{*}{{\FR 1:13 }{\FT{Lachish sounds like the Hebrew term for team of horses.}}}

\par }{\Q You were the beginning of sin to the Daughter of Zion,

\par }{\QB for the transgressions of Israel were found in you.


\par }{\Q \VS{14}Therefore, send farewell gifts
\FTNT{†}{{\FR 1:14 }{\FT{Or give dowry}}} to Moresheth-gath;\FTNT{‡}{{\FR 1:14 }{\FT{Moresheth sounds like the Hebrew for gift or dowry.}}}

\par }{\QB the houses of Achzib
\FTNT{§}{{\FR 1:14 }{\FT{Achzib means deception.}}} will prove deceptive

\par }{\QB to the kings of Israel.


\par }{\Q \VS{15}I will again bring a conqueror against you,

\par }{\QB O dweller of Mareshah.\FTNT{*}{{\FR 1:15 }{\FT{Mareshah sounds like the Hebrew for conqueror.}}}

\par }{\QB The glory of Israel will come to Adullam.


\par }{\Q \VS{16}Shave yourselves bald and cut off your hair

\par }{\QB in mourning for your precious children;

\par }{\Q make yourselves as bald as an eagle,

\par }{\QB for they will go from you into exile.




\par }\Chap{2}{\SH Woe to Oppressors
\par }
{\Q \VerseOne{1}Woe to those who devise iniquity

\par }{\QB and plot evil on their beds!

\par }{\Q At morning’s light they accomplish it

\par }{\QB because the power is in their hands.


\par }{\Q \VS{2}They covet fields and seize them;

\par }{\QB they take away houses.

\par }{\Q They deprive a man of his home,

\par }{\QB a fellow man of his inheritance.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\MM \VS{3}Therefore this is what the LORD says:

\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q “I am planning against this nation a disaster

\par }{\QB from which you cannot free your necks.

\par }{\Q Then you will not walk so proudly,

\par }{\QB for it will be a time of calamity.


\par }{\Q \VS{4}In that day they will take up a proverb against you

\par }{\QB and taunt you with this bitter lamentation:

\par }{\Q ‘We are utterly ruined!

\par }{\QB He has changed the portion of my people.

\par }{\Q How He has removed it from me!

\par }{\QB He has allotted our fields to traitors.’ ”


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{5}Therefore, you will have no one in the assembly of the LORD

\par }{\QB to divide the land by lot.


\par }{\SH Reproof of False Prophets
\par }
{\R (Ezekiel 13:1–16)

\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{6}“Do not preach,” they preach.

\par }{\QB “Do not preach these things;

\par }{\QB disgrace will not overtake us.”


\par }{\Q \VS{7}Should it be said, O house of Jacob,

\par }{\QB “Is the Spirit of the LORD impatient?

\par }{\QB Are these the things He does?”

\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q Do not My words bring good

\par }{\QB to him who walks uprightly?


\par }{\Q \VS{8}But of late My people have risen up

\par }{\QB like an enemy:

\par }{\Q You strip off the splendid robe

\par }{\QB from unsuspecting passersby

\par }{\QB like men returning from battle.


\par }{\Q \VS{9}You drive the women of My people

\par }{\QB from their pleasant homes.

\par }{\Q You take away My blessing

\par }{\QB from their children forever.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{10}Arise and depart,

\par }{\QB for this is not your place of rest,

\par }{\Q because its defilement brings destruction—

\par }{\QB a grievous destruction!


\par }{\Q \VS{11}If a man of wind were to come

\par }{\QB and say falsely,

\par }{\Q “I will preach to you of wine and strong drink,”\FTNT{*}{{\FR 2:11 }{\FT{Or “I will prophesy to you for wine and strong drink”}}}

\par }{\QB he would be just the preacher for this people!


\par }{\SH The Remnant of Israel
\par }
{\R (Micah 5:7–15)

\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{12}I will surely gather all of you, O Jacob;

\par }{\QB I will collect the remnant of Israel.

\par }{\Q I will bring them together like sheep in a pen,

\par }{\QB like a flock in the midst of its pasture—

\par }{\QB a noisy throng.


\par }{\Q \VS{13}One who breaks open the way

\par }{\QB will go up before them;

\par }{\Q they will break through the gate,

\par }{\QB and go out by it.

\par }{\Q Their King will pass through before them,

\par }{\QB the LORD as their leader.




\par }\Chap{3}{\SH Rulers and Prophets Condemned
\par }
{\MM \VerseOne{1}Then I said:

\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q “Hear now, O leaders of Jacob,

\par }{\QB you rulers of the house of Israel.

\par }{\QB Should you not know justice?


\par }{\Q \VS{2}You hate good and love evil.

\par }{\QB You tear the skin from my people

\par }{\QB and strip the flesh from their bones.


\par }{\Q \VS{3}You eat the flesh of my people

\par }{\QB after stripping off their skin

\par }{\QB and breaking their bones.

\par }{\Q You chop them up like flesh for the cooking pot,

\par }{\QB like meat in a cauldron.”


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{4}Then they will cry out to the LORD,

\par }{\QB but He will not answer them.

\par }{\Q At that time He will hide His face from them

\par }{\QB because of the evil they have done.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\MM \VS{5}This is what the LORD says:

\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q “As for the prophets

\par }{\QB who lead My people astray,

\par }{\Q who proclaim peace

\par }{\QB while they chew with their teeth,

\par }{\Q but declare war against one

\par }{\QB who puts nothing in their mouths:


\par }{\Q \VS{6}Therefore night will come over you without visions,

\par }{\QB and darkness without divination.

\par }{\Q The sun will set on these prophets,

\par }{\QB and the daylight will turn black over them.


\par }{\Q \VS{7}Then the seers will be ashamed

\par }{\QB and the diviners will be disgraced.

\par }{\Q They will all cover their mouths

\par }{\QB because there is no answer from God.”


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{8}As for me, however, I am filled with power

\par }{\QB by the Spirit of the LORD,

\par }{\Q with justice and courage,

\par }{\QB to declare to Jacob his transgression

\par }{\QB and to Israel his sin.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{9}Now hear this, O leaders of the house of Jacob

\par }{\QB and rulers of the house of Israel,

\par }{\Q who despise justice

\par }{\QB and pervert all that is right,


\par }{\Q \VS{10}who build Zion with bloodshed

\par }{\QB and Jerusalem with iniquity.


\par }{\Q \VS{11}Her leaders judge for a bribe,

\par }{\QB her priests teach for a price,

\par }{\QB and her prophets practice divination for money.

\par }{\Q Yet they lean upon the LORD, saying,

\par }{\QB “Is not the LORD among us?

\par }{\QB No disaster can come upon us.”


\par }{\Q \VS{12}Therefore, because of you,

\par }{\QB Zion will be plowed like a field,

\par }{\Q Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble,

\par }{\QB and the temple mount a wooded ridge.




\par }\Chap{4}{\SH The Mountain of the House of the LORD
\par }
{\R (Isaiah 2:1–4)

\par }{\Q \VerseOne{1}In the last days the mountain of the house of the LORD

\par }{\QB will be established as the chief of the mountains;

\par }{\Q it will be raised above the hills,

\par }{\QB and the peoples will stream to it.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{2}And many nations will come and say:

\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,

\par }{\QB to the house of the God of Jacob.

\par }{\Q He will teach us His ways,

\par }{\QB so that we may walk in His paths.”

\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q For the law will go forth from Zion

\par }{\QB and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.


\par }{\Q \VS{3}Then He will judge between many peoples

\par }{\QB and arbitrate for strong nations far and wide.

\par }{\Q Then they will beat their swords into plowshares

\par }{\QB and their spears into pruning hooks.

\par }{\Q Nation will no longer take up the sword against nation,

\par }{\QB nor will they train anymore for war.


\par }{\Q \VS{4}And each man will sit under his own vine

\par }{\QB and under his own fig tree,

\par }{\Q with no one to frighten him.

\par }{\QB For the mouth of the LORD of Hosts has spoken.


\par }{\Q \VS{5}Though each of the peoples

\par }{\QB may walk in the name of his god,

\par }{\Q yet we will walk in the name of the LORD our God

\par }{\QB forever and ever.


\par }{\SH The Restoration of Zion
\par }
{\R (Zechariah 8:1–23)

\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{6}“On that day,” declares the LORD,

\par }{\QB “I will gather the lame;

\par }{\Q I will assemble the outcast,

\par }{\QB even those whom I have afflicted.


\par }{\Q \VS{7}And I will make the lame into a remnant,

\par }{\QB and the outcast into a strong nation.

\par }{\Q Then the LORD will rule over them in Mount Zion

\par }{\QB from that day and forever.


\par }{\Q \VS{8}And you, O watchtower of the flock,

\par }{\QB O stronghold
\FTNT{*}{{\FR 4:8 }{\FT{Or hill; Hebrew And you, Migdal-eder, the Ophel}}} of the Daughter of Zion—

\par }{\Q the former dominion will be restored to you;

\par }{\QB sovereignty will come to the Daughter of Jerusalem.”


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{9}Why do you now cry aloud?

\par }{\QB Is there no king among you?

\par }{\Q Has your counselor perished

\par }{\QB so that anguish grips you like a woman in labor?


\par }{\Q \VS{10}Writhe in agony, O Daughter of Zion,

\par }{\QB like a woman in labor.

\par }{\Q For now you will leave the city

\par }{\QB and camp in the open fields.

\par }{\Q You will go to Babylon;

\par }{\QB there you will be rescued;

\par }{\Q there the LORD will redeem you

\par }{\QB from the hand of your enemies!


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{11}But now many nations

\par }{\QB have assembled against you,

\par }{\Q saying, “Let her be defiled,

\par }{\QB and let us feast our eyes on Zion.”


\par }{\Q \VS{12}But they do not know the thoughts of the LORD

\par }{\QB or understand His plan,

\par }{\Q for He has gathered them

\par }{\QB like sheaves to the threshing floor.


\par }{\Q \VS{13}Rise and thresh, O Daughter of Zion,

\par }{\QB for I will give you horns of iron

\par }{\Q and hooves of bronze

\par }{\QB to break to pieces many peoples.

\par }{\Q Then you will devote
\FTNT{†}{{\FR 4:13 }{\FT{Or devote to destruction}}} their gain to the LORD,

\par }{\QB their wealth to the Lord of all the earth.




\par }\Chap{5}{\SH A Ruler from Bethlehem
\par }
{\R (Matthew 2:1–12)

\par }{\Q \VerseOne{1}Now, O daughter of troops,

\par }{\QB mobilize your troops;

\par }{\QB for a siege is laid against us!

\par }{\Q With a rod they will strike the cheek

\par }{\QB of the judge of Israel.


\par }{\Q \VS{2}But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,

\par }{\QB who are small among the clans
\FTNT{*}{{\FR 5:2 }{\FT{Or thousands}}} of Judah,

\par }{\Q out of you will come forth for Me

\par }{\QB One to be ruler over Israel
\FTNT{†}{{\FR 5:2 }{\FT{Cited in Matthew 2:6}}}—

\par }{\Q One whose origins are of old,

\par }{\QB from the days of eternity.


\par }{\Q \VS{3}Therefore Israel will be abandoned

\par }{\QB until she who is in labor has given birth;

\par }{\Q then the rest of His brothers will return

\par }{\QB to the children of Israel.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{4}He will stand and shepherd His flock

\par }{\QB in the strength of the LORD,

\par }{\QB in the majestic name of the LORD His God.

\par }{\Q And they will dwell securely,

\par }{\QB for then His greatness will extend

\par }{\QB to the ends of the earth.


\par }{\Q \VS{5}And He will be our peace
\FTNT{‡}{{\FR 5:5 }{\FT{Or their peace}}}

\par }{\QB when Assyria invades our land

\par }{\QB and tramples our citadels.

\par }{\Q We will raise against it seven shepherds,

\par }{\QB even eight leaders of men.


\par }{\Q \VS{6}And they will rule the land of Assyria with the sword,

\par }{\QB and the land of Nimrod with the blade drawn.

\par }{\Q So He will deliver us

\par }{\QB when Assyria invades our land

\par }{\QB and marches into our borders.


\par }{\SH The Remnant of Jacob
\par }
{\R (Micah 2:12–13)

\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{7}Then the remnant of Jacob will be

\par }{\QB in the midst of many peoples

\par }{\Q like dew from the LORD,

\par }{\QB like showers on the grass,

\par }{\Q which do not wait for man

\par }{\QB or linger for mankind.


\par }{\Q \VS{8}Then the remnant of Jacob will be among the nations,

\par }{\QB in the midst of many peoples,

\par }{\Q like a lion among the beasts of the forest,

\par }{\QB like a young lion among flocks of sheep,

\par }{\Q which tramples and tears as it passes through,

\par }{\QB with no one to rescue them.


\par }{\Q \VS{9}Your hand will be lifted over your foes,

\par }{\QB and all your enemies will be cut off.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{10}“In that day,”

\par }{\QB declares the LORD,

\par }{\Q “I will remove your horses from among you

\par }{\QB and wreck your chariots.


\par }{\Q \VS{11}I will remove the cities of your land

\par }{\QB and tear down all your strongholds.


\par }{\Q \VS{12}I will cut the sorceries from your hand,

\par }{\QB and you will have no fortune-tellers.


\par }{\Q \VS{13}I will also cut off the carved images

\par }{\QB and sacred pillars from among you,

\par }{\Q so that you will no longer bow down

\par }{\QB to the work of your own hands.


\par }{\Q \VS{14}I will root out the Asherah poles from your midst

\par }{\QB and demolish your cities.


\par }{\Q \VS{15}I will take vengeance in anger and wrath

\par }{\QB upon the nations that have not obeyed Me.”




\par }\Chap{6}{\SH The Case against Israel
\par }
{\MM \VerseOne{1}Hear now what the LORD says:

\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q “Arise, plead your case before the mountains,

\par }{\QB and let the hills hear your voice.


\par }{\Q \VS{2}Hear, O mountains, the LORD’s indictment,

\par }{\QB you enduring foundations of the earth.

\par }{\Q For the LORD has a case against His people,

\par }{\QB and He will argue it against Israel:


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{3}‘My people, what have I done to you?

\par }{\QB Testify against Me how I have wearied you!


\par }{\Q \VS{4}For I brought you up from the land of Egypt

\par }{\QB and redeemed you from the house of slavery.

\par }{\Q I sent Moses before you,

\par }{\QB as well as Aaron and Miriam.


\par }{\Q \VS{5}My people, remember what Balak king of Moab counseled

\par }{\QB and what Balaam son of Beor answered.

\par }{\Q Remember your journey from Shittim
\FTNT{*}{{\FR 6:5 }{\FT{Or Acacia Grove}}} to Gilgal,

\par }{\QB so that you may acknowledge the righteousness of the LORD.’ ”


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{6}With what shall I come before the LORD

\par }{\QB when I bow before the God on high?

\par }{\Q Should I come to Him with burnt offerings,

\par }{\QB with year-old calves?


\par }{\Q \VS{7}Would the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams,

\par }{\QB with ten thousand rivers of oil?

\par }{\Q Shall I present my firstborn for my transgression,

\par }{\QB the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{8}He has shown you, O man, what is good.

\par }{\QB And what does the LORD require of you

\par }{\Q but to act justly, to love mercy,

\par }{\QB and to walk humbly with your God?


\par }{\SH The Punishment of Israel
\par }
{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{9}The voice of the LORD calls out to the city

\par }{\QB (and it is sound wisdom to fear Your name):

\par }{\Q “Heed the rod

\par }{\QB and the One who ordained it.


\par }{\Q \VS{10}Can I forget any longer,

\par }{\QB O house of the wicked,

\par }{\Q the treasures of wickedness

\par }{\QB and the short ephah, which is accursed?


\par }{\Q \VS{11}Can I excuse dishonest scales

\par }{\QB or bags of false weights?


\par }{\Q \VS{12}For the wealthy of the city

\par }{\QB are full of violence,

\par }{\Q and its residents speak lies;

\par }{\QB their tongues are deceitful in their mouths.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{13}Therefore I am striking you severely,

\par }{\QB to ruin you because of your sins.


\par }{\Q \VS{14}You will eat but not be satisfied,

\par }{\QB and your hunger will remain with you.

\par }{\Q What you acquire, you will not preserve;

\par }{\QB and what you save, I will give to the sword.


\par }{\Q \VS{15}You will sow but not reap;

\par }{\QB you will press olives but not anoint yourselves with oil;

\par }{\QB you will tread grapes but not drink the wine.


\par }{\Q \VS{16}You have kept the statutes of Omri

\par }{\QB and all the practices of Ahab’s house;

\par }{\QB you have followed their counsel.

\par }{\Q Therefore I will make you a desolation,

\par }{\QB and your inhabitants an object of contempt;

\par }{\QB you will bear the scorn of the nations.\FTNT{†}{{\FR 6:16 }{\FT{LXX; Hebrew scorn of My people}}}”




\par }\Chap{7}{\SH Israel’s Great Misery
\par }
{\R (Matthew 10:34–39; Luke 12:49–53)

\par }{\Q \VerseOne{1}Woe is me!

\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q For I am like one gathering summer fruit

\par }{\QB at the gleaning of the vineyard;

\par }{\Q there is no cluster to eat,

\par }{\QB no early fig that I crave.


\par }{\Q \VS{2}The godly man has perished from the earth;

\par }{\QB there is no one upright among men.

\par }{\Q They all lie in wait for blood;

\par }{\QB they hunt one another with a net.


\par }{\Q \VS{3}Both hands are skilled at evil;

\par }{\QB the prince and the judge demand a bribe.

\par }{\Q When the powerful utters his evil desire,

\par }{\QB they all conspire together.


\par }{\Q \VS{4}The best of them is like a brier;

\par }{\QB the most upright is sharper than a hedge of thorns.

\par }{\Q The day for your watchmen has come,

\par }{\QB the day of your visitation.\FTNT{*}{{\FR 7:4 }{\FT{Or your punishment}}}

\par }{\QB Now is the time of their confusion.


\par }{\Q \VS{5}Do not rely on a friend;

\par }{\QB do not trust in a companion.

\par }{\Q Seal the doors of your mouth

\par }{\QB from her who lies in your arms.\FTNT{†}{{\FR 7:5 }{\FT{Hebrew in your bosom}}}


\par }{\Q \VS{6}For a son dishonors his father,

\par }{\QB a daughter rises against her mother,

\par }{\QB and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.

\par }{\Q A man’s enemies are the members

\par }{\QB of his own household.\FTNT{‡}{{\FR 7:6 }{\FT{Cited in Matthew 10:35–36; see also Luke 12:53.}}}


\par }{\SH Israel’s Confession and Comfort
\par }
{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{7}But as for me, I will look to the LORD;

\par }{\QB I will wait for the God of my salvation.

\par }{\QB My God will hear me.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{8}Do not gloat over me, my enemy!

\par }{\QB Though I have fallen, I will arise;

\par }{\Q though I sit in darkness,

\par }{\QB the LORD will be my light.


\par }{\Q \VS{9}Because I have sinned against Him,

\par }{\QB I must endure the rage of the LORD,

\par }{\Q until He argues my case

\par }{\QB and executes justice for me.

\par }{\Q He will bring me into the light;

\par }{\QB I will see His righteousness.


\par }{\Q \VS{10}Then my enemy will see

\par }{\QB and will be covered with shame—

\par }{\Q she who said to me,

\par }{\QB “Where is the LORD your God?”

\par }{\Q My eyes will see her;

\par }{\QB at that time she will be trampled

\par }{\QB like mud in the streets.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{11}The day for rebuilding your walls will come—

\par }{\QB the day for extending your boundary.


\par }{\Q \VS{12}On that day they will come to you

\par }{\QB from Assyria and the cities of Egypt,

\par }{\Q even from Egypt to the Euphrates,\FTNT{§}{{\FR 7:12 }{\FT{Hebrew the River}}}

\par }{\QB from sea to sea and mountain to mountain.


\par }{\Q \VS{13}Then the earth will become desolate

\par }{\QB because of its inhabitants,

\par }{\QB as the fruit of their deeds.


\par }{\SH God’s Compassion on Israel
\par }
{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{14}Shepherd with Your staff Your people,

\par }{\QB the flock of Your inheritance.

\par }{\Q They live alone in a woodland,

\par }{\QB surrounded by pastures.\FTNT{*}{{\FR 7:14 }{\FT{Or in a woodland, in the midst of Carmel}}}

\par }{\Q Let them graze in Bashan and Gilead,

\par }{\QB as in the days of old.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{15}As in the days when you came out of Egypt,

\par }{\QB I will show My wonders.


\par }{\Q \VS{16}Nations will see and be ashamed,

\par }{\QB deprived of all their might.

\par }{\Q They will put their hands over their mouths,

\par }{\QB and their ears will become deaf.


\par }{\Q \VS{17}They will lick the dust like a snake,

\par }{\QB like reptiles slithering on the ground.

\par }{\Q They will crawl from their holes

\par }{\QB in the presence of the LORD our God;

\par }{\QB they will tremble in fear of You.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{18}Who is a God like You,

\par }{\QB who pardons iniquity

\par }{\Q and passes over the transgression

\par }{\QB of the remnant of His inheritance—

\par }{\Q who does not retain His anger forever,

\par }{\QB because He delights in loving devotion?\FTNT{†}{{\FR 7:18 }{\FT{Forms of the Hebrew chesed are translated here and in most cases throughout the Scriptures as loving devotion; the range of meaning includes love, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, and mercy, as well as loyalty to a covenant.}}}


\par }{\Q \VS{19}He will again have compassion on us;

\par }{\QB He will vanquish our iniquities.

\par }{\Q You will cast out all our sins

\par }{\QB into the depths of the sea.


\par }{\Q \VS{20}You will show faithfulness to Jacob

\par }{\QB and loving devotion to Abraham,

\par }{\Q as You swore to our fathers

\par }{\QB from the days of old.

\par }