rd

Micah 7

1 A complaint for the small number of the righteous 4 The wickedness of these times. 14 The prosperitie of the Church.
1.aWo is me, for I am as the summer gatherings, and as the grapes of the vintage: there is no cluster to eat: my soul desired the first ripe fruits.
2.The good man is perished out of the earth, and there is none righteous among men: bthey all lie in wait for blood: every man hunteth his brother with a net.
3.To make good for the evil of their hands, the prince asked, and the judge judgeth for a reward: therefore the cgreat man he speaketh out the corruption of his soul: so dthey wrap it up.
4.The best of them is as ea brier, and the most righteous of them is sharper then a thorn hedge: the day of fthy watchmen and the visitation cometh: then shalbe their confusion.
5.Trust ye not in a friend, neither put ye confidence in a counsellor: keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom.
6.For the son revileth the father: the daughter riseth up against her mother: the daughter in law against her mother in law, and a man’s enemies are the men of his own house.
7.Therefore gI will look unto the Lord: I will wait for God my Saviour: my God will hear me.
8.Rejoyce not against me, hô mine enemy: though I fall, I shal arise: when I shal sit in darkness, the Lord shal be a light unto me.
9.I will bear the wrath of the Lord because I have sinned against him, until he plead my cause, and execute judgement for me: then will he bring me forth to the light, and I shal see his righteousness.
10.Then she that is mine enemy, shal look upon it, and shame shal cover her, which said unto me, Where is the Lord thy God? Mine eyes shal behold her: now shal she be trodden down as the myre of the streets.
11.This is ithe day, that thy walls shal be built: this day shal drive far away kthe decree.
12.In this day also they shal come unto thee from lAsshúr, and from the strong cities, and from the strong holds even unto the river, and from sea to sea, and from mountain to mountain.
13.Notwithstanding, the land shalbe desolate because of them that dwell therein, and for the fruits of mtheir inventions.
14.nFeed thy people with thy rod, the flock of thine heritage (which dwell solitary in the wood) as in the middes of Carmél: let them feed in Bashán and Gileád, as in old time.
15.oAccording to the days of thy coming out of the land of Egypt, will I shewe unto thee marvelous things.
16.The nations shal see, and be confounded for all their power: they shal play their hand upon their mouth: qtheir ears shal be deaf.
17.They shal rlick the dust like a serpent: they shal move out of their holes like worms: they shal be afraid of the Lord our God, and shal fear because of thee.
18.Who is a God like unto thee, that taketh away iniquity, and spasseth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage! He reteineth not his wrath for ever, because mercy pleaseth him.
19.He will turn again, and have compassion upon us: he will subdue our iniquities, and cast all ttheir sins into the bottom of the sea.
20.Thou wilt perform thy utruth to Jaakób, and mercy to Abrahám, as thou hast sworn unto our fathers in old time.

Notes

1-a.
The Prophet takes upon him the person of the earth, which complains that all her fruits are gone, so that none is left: that is, that there is no godly man remaining: for all are given to cruelty and deceit, so that none spares his own brother.
2-b.
He shows that the prince, the judge and the rich man are linked together, all to do evil and to cloak the doings one of another.
3-c.
That is, the rich man that is able to give money, abstains from no wickedness nor injury.
3-d.
These men are among themselves and conspire with one consent to do evil.
4-e.
They that are of most estimation and are counted most honest among them, are but thorns and briers to prick.
4-f.
Meaning of the Prophets and governors.
7-g.
The Prophet shows that the only remedy for the godly in desperate evils is to flee unto God for succour.
8-h.
This is spoken in the person of the Church which calls the malignant Church her enemy.
11-i.
To wit, when God shall show himself a deliverer of his Church, and a destroyer of his enemies.
11-k.
Meaning, the cruel empire of the Babylonians.
12-l.
When the Church shall be restored, they that were enemies afore, shall come out of all the corners of the world unto her, so that neither holds, rivers, seas nor mountains shall be able to let them.
13-m.
Afore this grace appear, he shows how grievously the hypocrites themselves shall be punished, seeing that the earth itself, which can not sin, shall be made waste because of their wickedness.
14-n.
The Prophet prays to God to be merciful unto his Church, when they should be scattered abroad as in solitary places in Babylon and to be beneficial unto them as in time past.
15-o.
God promises to be favourable to his people as he had been afore time.
16-p.
They shall be as dumb men and dare brag no more.
16-q.
They shall be astonished, and afraid to hear men speak, lest they should hear of their destruction.
17-r.
They shall fall flat on the ground for fear.
18-s.
As though he would not see it, but wink at it.
19-t.
Meaning, of his elect.
20-u.
The Church is assured, that God will declare in effect the truth of his merciful promise, which he had made of old to Abraham, and to all that should apprehend the promise by faith.