1Samaria Falls and Judah Mourns
📜 The old Bible words
💬 In today’s words
1The word of the LORD that came to Micah the Morasthite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.
1This is the message of the LORD that came to Micah of Moresheth during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.
2Hear, all ye people; hearken, O earth, and all that therein is: and let the Lord GOD be witness against you, the LORD from his holy temple.
2Listen, all you peoples; pay attention, earth, and everything in it. Let the Lord GOD be a witness against you, the LORD from his holy temple.
3For, behold, the LORD cometh forth out of his place, and will come down, and tread upon the high places of the earth.
3Look, the LORD is coming out from his place; he will come down and walk across the high places of the earth.
4And the mountains shall be molten under him, and the valleys shall be cleft, as wax before the fire, and as the waters that are poured down a steep place.
4The mountains will melt beneath him and the valleys will split open, like wax near a fire, like water poured down a steep slope.
5For the transgression of Jacob is all this, and for the sins of the house of Israel. What is the transgression of Jacob? is it not Samaria? and what are the high places of Judah? are they not Jerusalem?
5All of this is because of Jacob's rebellion and the sins of the house of Israel. What is Jacob's rebellion? Is it not Samaria? And what are the high places of Judah? Are they not Jerusalem?
6Therefore I will make Samaria as an heap of the field, and as plantings of a vineyard: and I will pour down the stones thereof into the valley, and I will discover the foundations thereof.
6"So I will turn Samaria into a heap of rubble in a field, a place for planting vineyards. I will tumble her stones down into the valley and lay her foundations bare.
7And all the graven images thereof shall be beaten to pieces, and all the hires thereof shall be burned with the fire, and all the idols thereof will I lay desolate: for she gathered it of the hire of an harlot, and they shall return to the hire of an harlot.
7All her carved images will be smashed to pieces, all her earnings will be burned in the fire, and I will leave all her idols in ruins. She collected them with a prostitute's wages, and to a prostitute's wages they will return."
8Therefore I will wail and howl, I will go stripped and naked: I will make a wailing like the dragons, and mourning as the owls.
8Because of this I will weep and wail; I will go about stripped and barefoot. I will howl like the jackals and moan like the owls.
9For her wound is incurable; for it is come unto Judah; he is come unto the gate of my people, even to Jerusalem.
9For her wound cannot be healed. It has spread to Judah; it has reached the very gate of my people, even to Jerusalem.
10Declare ye it not at Gath, weep ye not at all: in the house of Aphrah roll thyself in the dust.
10Do not announce it in Gath; do not weep at all. In the house of Aphrah, roll yourself in the dust.
11Pass ye away, thou inhabitant of Saphir, having thy shame naked: the inhabitant of Zaanan came not forth in the mourning of Bethezel; he shall receive of you his standing.
11Pass on your way, you who live in Shaphir, in naked shame. The people of Zaanan did not come out. Beth-ezel is in mourning; it will take its support away from you.
12For the inhabitant of Maroth waited carefully for good: but evil came down from the LORD unto the gate of Jerusalem.
12The people of Maroth waited anxiously for something good, but disaster came down from the LORD to the gate of Jerusalem.
13O thou inhabitant of Lachish, bind the chariot to the swift beast: she is the beginning of the sin to the daughter of Zion: for the transgressions of Israel were found in thee.
13You who live in Lachish, hitch the chariot to the fastest horses. You were where the daughter of Zion's sin began, for the rebellions of Israel were found in you.
14Therefore shalt thou give presents to Moreshethgath: the houses of Achzib shall be a lie to the kings of Israel.
14So you will give parting gifts to Moresheth-gath. The houses of Achzib will turn out to be a lie to the kings of Israel.
15Yet will I bring an heir unto thee, O inhabitant of Mareshah: he shall come unto Adullam the glory of Israel.
15I will still bring a conqueror against you, you who live in Mareshah. He will come as far as Adullam, the glory of Israel.
16Make thee bald, and poll thee for thy delicate children; enlarge thy baldness as the eagle; for they are gone into captivity from thee.
16Shave your head and cut off your hair in grief for the children you love. Make yourself as bald as a vulture, for they have been taken from you into exile.
2Seized Fields and Silenced Prophets
📜 The old Bible words
💬 In today’s words
1Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds! when the morning is light, they practise it, because it is in the power of their hand.
1How terrible it will be for those who plan wickedness and plot evil while lying in bed! As soon as morning comes they carry it out, because they have the power to do it.
2And they covet fields, and take them by violence; and houses, and take them away: so they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage.
2They want fields, so they seize them by force; they want houses, so they take them away. They crush a man and his household, a man and his inheritance.
3Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, against this family do I devise an evil, from which ye shall not remove your necks; neither shall ye go haughtily: for this time is evil.
3So this is what the LORD says: "Watch out, for I am planning disaster against this family, and you will not be able to slip your necks out of it. You will no longer walk around proudly, for it will be a time of trouble.
4In that day shall one take up a parable against you, and lament with a doleful lamentation, and say, We be utterly spoiled: he hath changed the portion of my people: how hath he removed it from me! turning away he hath divided our fields.
4On that day people will make up a saying about you and mourn with a bitter song: 'We are completely ruined! He has traded away my people's land. How he has taken it from me! He has handed our fields to those who turned against us.'"
5Therefore thou shalt have none that shall cast a cord by lot in the congregation of the LORD.
5So you will have no one left to measure out land by lot in the assembly of the LORD.
6Prophesy ye not, say they to them that prophesy: they shall not prophesy to them, that they shall not take shame.
6"Do not prophesy," they say to those who prophesy. "They should not prophesy such things to us; shame will not catch up with us."
7O thou that art named the house of Jacob, is the spirit of the LORD straitened? are these his doings? do not my words do good to him that walketh uprightly?
7You who are called the house of Jacob, has the Spirit of the LORD run out of patience? Are these really the things he does? Do my words not do good to the one who lives rightly?
8Even of late my people is risen up as an enemy: ye pull off the robe with the garment from them that pass by securely as men averse from war.
8But lately my people have risen up like an enemy. You strip the robe and the cloak from those who pass by trusting you, people who want nothing to do with war.
9The women of my people have ye cast out from their pleasant houses; from their children have ye taken away my glory for ever.
9You drive the women of my people out of their comfortable homes; you take my glory away from their children for good.
10Arise ye, and depart; for this is not your rest: because it is polluted, it shall destroy you, even with a sore destruction.
10Get up and leave, for this is no place to rest. Because it is defiled, it will destroy you, and the destruction will be terrible.
11If a man walking in the spirit and falsehood do lie, saying, I will prophesy unto thee of wine and of strong drink; he shall even be the prophet of this people.
11If a man goes around full of wind and lies, saying, "I will preach to you about wine and strong drink," he would be just the prophet for this people!
12I will surely assemble, O Jacob, all of thee; I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; I will put them together as the sheep of Bozrah, as the flock in the midst of their fold: they shall make great noise by reason of the multitude of men.
12"I will surely gather all of you, Jacob; I will surely bring together the remnant of Israel. I will put them together like sheep in a pen, like a flock in the middle of its pasture; the place will hum with the noise of so many people.
13The breaker is come up before them: they have broken up, and have passed through the gate, and are gone out by it: and their king shall pass before them, and the LORD on the head of them.
13The one who breaks the way open will go up ahead of them. They will break through, pass out through the gate, and go on out of it. Their king will pass before them, with the LORD at their head."
3Rulers, Priests, and Prophets for Hire
📜 The old Bible words
💬 In today’s words
1And I said, Hear, I pray you, O heads of Jacob, and ye princes of the house of Israel; Is it not for you to know judgment?
1Then I said, "Listen, please, you leaders of Jacob and rulers of the house of Israel. Shouldn't you of all people know what justice is?
2Who hate the good, and love the evil; who pluck off their skin from off them, and their flesh from off their bones;
2Yet you hate good and love evil. You tear the skin off my people and strip the flesh from their bones.
3Who also eat the flesh of my people, and flay their skin from off them; and they break their bones, and chop them in pieces, as for the pot, and as flesh within the caldron.
3You eat my people's flesh, flay the skin off them, and break their bones. You chop them up like meat for the pot, like flesh in a cooking kettle."
4Then shall they cry unto the LORD, but he will not hear them: he will even hide his face from them at that time, as they have behaved themselves ill in their doings.
4Then they will cry out to the LORD, but he will not answer them. At that time he will hide his face from them, because of the evil they have done.
5Thus saith the LORD concerning the prophets that make my people err, that bite with their teeth, and cry, Peace; and he that putteth not into their mouths, they even prepare war against him.
5This is what the LORD says about the prophets who lead my people astray: when they have something to chew on, they announce, "Peace!" But if someone puts nothing in their mouths, they declare war against him.
6Therefore night shall be unto you, that ye shall not have a vision; and it shall be dark unto you, that ye shall not divine; and the sun shall go down over the prophets, and the day shall be dark over them.
6"So night will come over you, without any vision; darkness will come over you, without any fortune-telling. The sun will set on the prophets, and the day will turn dark around them."
7Then shall the seers be ashamed, and the diviners confounded: yea, they shall all cover their lips; for there is no answer of God.
7The seers will be put to shame and the fortune-tellers disgraced. They will all cover their mouths, because there is no answer from God.
8But truly I am full of power by the spirit of the LORD, and of judgment, and of might, to declare unto Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin.
8But as for me, I am filled with power by the Spirit of the LORD, and with justice and strength, to tell Jacob his rebellion and Israel his sin.
9Hear this, I pray you, ye heads of the house of Jacob, and princes of the house of Israel, that abhor judgment, and pervert all equity.
9Listen to this, please, you leaders of the house of Jacob and rulers of the house of Israel, who despise justice and twist everything that is right.
10They build up Zion with blood, and Jerusalem with iniquity.
10You build Zion with bloodshed and Jerusalem with wickedness.
11The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet will they lean upon the LORD, and say, Is not the LORD among us? none evil can come upon us.
11Her leaders judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a fee, and her prophets tell fortunes for money. Yet they lean on the LORD and say, "Isn't the LORD among us? No harm can come to us."
12Therefore shall Zion for your sake be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of the forest.
12So because of you, Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become a pile of rubble, and the temple mountain will be like the wooded high places.
4The Mountain of the LORD's House
📜 The old Bible words
💬 In today’s words
1But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it.
1But in the last days, the mountain of the LORD's house will be set firmly at the top of the mountains and lifted above the hills, and peoples will stream to it.
2And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
2Many nations will come and say, "Come, let us climb the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths." For instruction will go out from Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
3And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
3He will judge between many peoples and settle matters for strong nations far away. They will hammer their swords into plow blades and their spears into pruning knives. Nation will not raise a sword against nation, and they will not train for war any longer.
4But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the LORD of hosts hath spoken it.
4Every one of them will sit under his own vine and his own fig tree, and no one will frighten them, for the mouth of the LORD of hosts has said so.
5For all people will walk every one in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name of the LORD our God for ever and ever.
5All the peoples may walk each in the name of its own god, but we will walk in the name of the LORD our God for ever and ever.
6In that day, saith the LORD, will I assemble her that halteth, and I will gather her that is driven out, and her that I have afflicted;
6"On that day," says the LORD, "I will gather the lame, and I will bring together those who were driven away and those I have made to suffer.
7And I will make her that halted a remnant, and her that was cast far off a strong nation: and the LORD shall reign over them in mount Zion from henceforth, even for ever.
7I will make the lame into a remnant and those thrown far away into a strong nation, and the LORD will rule over them on Mount Zion from that time on and forever."
8And thou, O tower of the flock, the strong hold of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion; the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem.
8And you, watchtower of the flock, stronghold of the daughter of Zion, to you it will come, the rule you had before; the kingdom will come to the daughter of Jerusalem.
9Now why dost thou cry out aloud? is there no king in thee? is thy counsellor perished? for pangs have taken thee as a woman in travail.
9Now why are you crying out so loudly? Is there no king among you? Has your counselor died, that pain has gripped you like a woman in labor?
10Be in pain, and labour to bring forth, O daughter of Zion, like a woman in travail: for now shalt thou go forth out of the city, and thou shalt dwell in the field, and thou shalt go even to Babylon; there shalt thou be delivered; there the LORD shall redeem thee from the hand of thine enemies.
10Writhe and strain to give birth, daughter of Zion, like a woman in labor. For now you must leave the city and camp in the open fields; you will go all the way to Babylon. There you will be rescued; there the LORD will buy you back from the hand of your enemies.
11Now also many nations are gathered against thee, that say, Let her be defiled, and let our eye look upon Zion.
11Now many nations have gathered against you, saying, "Let her be defiled! Let us feast our eyes on Zion."
12But they know not the thoughts of the LORD, neither understand they his counsel: for he shall gather them as the sheaves into the floor.
12But they do not know what the LORD is thinking, and they do not understand his plan, for he has gathered them like sheaves onto the threshing floor.
13Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion: for I will make thine horn iron, and I will make thy hoofs brass: and thou shalt beat in pieces many people: and I will consecrate their gain unto the LORD, and their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth.
13Get up and thresh, daughter of Zion, for I will give you horns of iron and hooves of bronze, and you will crush many peoples. You will devote their gains to the LORD, and their wealth to the Lord of the whole earth.
5A Ruler from Bethlehem
📜 The old Bible words
💬 In today’s words
1Now gather thyself in troops, O daughter of troops: he hath laid siege against us: they shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek.
1Now gather your troops, city of troops! A siege has been laid against us; they will strike the ruler of Israel on the cheek with a rod.
2But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
2But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who is to be ruler over Israel, one whose goings forth have been from the distant past, from days beyond counting.
3Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel.
3So he will give them up until the time when the woman in labor gives birth; then the rest of his brothers will return to the people of Israel.
4And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.
4He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God, and they will live in safety, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.
5And this man shall be the peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land: and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men.
5This man will be our peace. When the Assyrians invade our land and march through our fortresses, we will raise up against them seven shepherds, even eight leaders of men.
6And they shall waste the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in the entrances thereof: thus shall he deliver us from the Assyrian, when he cometh into our land, and when he treadeth within our borders.
6They will lay waste the land of Assyria with the sword, the land of Nimrod at its gates. So he will rescue us from the Assyrians when they invade our land and march across our borders.
7And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many people as a dew from the LORD, as the showers upon the grass, that tarrieth not for man, nor waiteth for the sons of men.
7Then the remnant of Jacob will be among many peoples like dew from the LORD, like showers on the grass, which do not wait for anyone or depend on the sons of men.
8And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles in the midst of many people as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep: who, if he go through, both treadeth down, and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver.
8The remnant of Jacob will be among the nations, in the midst of many peoples, like a lion among the animals of the forest, like a young lion among flocks of sheep, which tramples and tears as it goes through, and no one can rescue.
9Thine hand shall be lifted up upon thine adversaries, and all thine enemies shall be cut off.
9Your hand will be raised over your foes, and all your enemies will be cut down.
10And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD, that I will cut off thy horses out of the midst of thee, and I will destroy thy chariots:
10"On that day," says the LORD, "I will cut off your horses from among you and destroy your chariots.
11And I will cut off the cities of thy land, and throw down all thy strong holds:
11I will cut off the cities of your land and tear down all your strongholds.
12And I will cut off witchcrafts out of thine hand; and thou shalt have no more soothsayers:
12I will cut off the sorcery from your hand, and you will have no more fortune-tellers.
13Thy graven images also will I cut off, and thy standing images out of the midst of thee; and thou shalt no more worship the work of thine hands.
13I will cut off your carved images and your sacred pillars from among you, and you will no longer bow down to the work of your own hands.
14And I will pluck up thy groves out of the midst of thee: so will I destroy thy cities.
14I will pull up your sacred groves from among you and wipe out your cities.
15And I will execute vengeance in anger and fury upon the heathen, such as they have not heard.
15And in anger and fury I will take vengeance on the nations, vengeance of a kind they have never heard of."
6The LORD's Case Against His People
📜 The old Bible words
💬 In today’s words
1Hear ye now what the LORD saith; Arise, contend thou before the mountains, and let the hills hear thy voice.
1Now listen to what the LORD says: "Get up, plead your case before the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice.
2Hear ye, O mountains, the LORD’s controversy, and ye strong foundations of the earth: for the LORD hath a controversy with his people, and he will plead with Israel.
2Listen, you mountains, to the LORD's complaint, and you too, everlasting foundations of the earth. For the LORD has a case against his people; he is bringing charges against Israel.
3O my people, what have I done unto thee? and wherein have I wearied thee? testify against me.
3My people, what have I done to you? How have I worn you out? Answer me!
4For I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed thee out of the house of servants; and I sent before thee Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.
4I brought you up out of the land of Egypt and set you free from the house of slavery. I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam ahead of you.
5O my people, remember now what Balak king of Moab consulted, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him from Shittim unto Gilgal; that ye may know the righteousness of the LORD.
5My people, remember what Balak king of Moab plotted and what Balaam son of Beor answered him, and what happened from Shittim to Gilgal, so that you may know the righteous acts of the LORD."
6Wherewith shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old?
6With what shall I come before the LORD and bow down before God on high? Shall I come to him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?
7Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
7Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my rebellion, the child of my own body for the sin of my soul?
8He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?
8He has told you, human being, what is good. And what is the LORD asking from you? Only this: that you deal justly, that you love to show mercy, and that you walk with your God in humility.
9The LORD’s voice crieth unto the city, and the man of wisdom shall see thy name: hear ye the rod, and who hath appointed it.
9The LORD's voice calls out to the city, and the person of wisdom will see your name: "Pay attention to the rod, and to the one who sent it.
10Are there yet the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked, and the scant measure that is abominable?
10Are there still treasures gained by wickedness in the house of the wicked, and the short measure that is detestable?
11Shall I count them pure with the wicked balances, and with the bag of deceitful weights?
11Can I call people clean who use dishonest scales and carry a bag of false weights?
12For the rich men thereof are full of violence, and the inhabitants thereof have spoken lies, and their tongue is deceitful in their mouth.
12For her rich men are full of violence, her people tell lies, and the tongues in their mouths are deceitful.
13Therefore also will I make thee sick in smiting thee, in making thee desolate because of thy sins.
13So I will strike you with a painful blow; I will bring you to ruin because of your sins.
14Thou shalt eat, but not be satisfied; and thy casting down shall be in the midst of thee; and thou shalt take hold, but shalt not deliver; and that which thou deliverest will I give up to the sword.
14You will eat but not be filled, and you will be brought low in your own midst. You will grab hold of things but not carry them to safety, and what you do save I will hand over to the sword.
15Thou shalt sow, but thou shalt not reap; thou shalt tread the olives, but thou shalt not anoint thee with oil; and sweet wine, but shalt not drink wine.
15You will sow but not reap; you will press olives but not rub yourself with the oil; you will crush grapes but not drink the wine.
16For the statutes of Omri are kept, and all the works of the house of Ahab, and ye walk in their counsels; that I should make thee a desolation, and the inhabitants thereof an hissing: therefore ye shall bear the reproach of my people.
16For you keep the laws of Omri and all the practices of the house of Ahab, and you follow their advice. So I will make you a ruin and your people a thing to be hissed at, and you will carry the disgrace of my people."
7Waiting for the God Who Pardons
📜 The old Bible words
💬 In today’s words
1Woe is me! for I am as when they have gathered the summer fruits, as the grapegleanings of the vintage: there is no cluster to eat: my soul desired the firstripe fruit.
1How miserable I am! I am like someone gathering after the summer fruit is picked, like a gleaner after the grape harvest: there is not a cluster left to eat, not one of the early figs I longed for.
2The good man is perished out of the earth: and there is none upright among men: they all lie in wait for blood; they hunt every man his brother with a net.
2The godly have vanished from the land; there is no one honest left among people. They all lie in wait to shed blood; each one hunts his own brother with a net.
3That they may do evil with both hands earnestly, the prince asketh, and the judge asketh for a reward; and the great man, he uttereth his mischievous desire: so they wrap it up.
3Both their hands are skilled at doing evil. The ruler demands gifts, the judge asks for a bribe, and the powerful man announces whatever he craves; together they weave it all together.
4The best of them is as a brier: the most upright is sharper than a thorn hedge: the day of thy watchmen and thy visitation cometh; now shall be their perplexity.
4The best of them is like a briar; the most upright is worse than a thorn hedge. The day your watchmen warned of, the day of your punishment, has come; now they will be thrown into confusion.
5Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide: keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom.
5Do not trust a friend; do not rely on a companion. Guard the doors of your mouth even from the wife who lies in your arms.
6For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter in law against her mother in law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own house.
6For a son treats his father with contempt, a daughter rises up against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; a man's enemies are the members of his own household.
7Therefore I will look unto the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.
7But as for me, I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God who saves me. My God will hear me.
8Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me.
8Do not gloat over me, my enemy. Though I fall, I will get up again; though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light.
9I will bear the indignation of the LORD, because I have sinned against him, until he plead my cause, and execute judgment for me: he will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold his righteousness.
9I will bear the LORD's anger, because I have sinned against him, until he takes up my case and sees that justice is done for me. He will bring me out into the light, and I will see his righteousness.
10Then she that is mine enemy shall see it, and shame shall cover her which said unto me, Where is the LORD thy God? mine eyes shall behold her: now shall she be trodden down as the mire of the streets.
10Then my enemy will see it, and shame will cover the one who said to me, "Where is the LORD your God?" My eyes will look on her; now she will be trampled like mud in the streets.
11In the day that thy walls are to be built, in that day shall the decree be far removed.
11The day for rebuilding your walls is coming; on that day the decree against you will be removed far away.
12In that day also he shall come even to thee from Assyria, and from the fortified cities, and from the fortress even to the river, and from sea to sea, and from mountain to mountain.
12On that day people will come to you from Assyria and from the fortified cities, from the fortress to the River, from sea to sea and from mountain to mountain.
13Notwithstanding the land shall be desolate because of them that dwell therein, for the fruit of their doings.
13Yet the land will be left desolate because of the people who live in it, as the fruit of what they have done.
14Feed thy people with thy rod, the flock of thine heritage, which dwell solitarily in the wood, in the midst of Carmel: let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old.
14Shepherd your people with your staff, the flock that is your own possession, who live alone in the woods in the middle of Carmel. Let them graze in Bashan and Gilead as in days long ago.
15According to the days of thy coming out of the land of Egypt will I shew unto him marvellous things.
15"As in the days when you came out of the land of Egypt, I will show him wonders."
16The nations shall see and be confounded at all their might: they shall lay their hand upon their mouth, their ears shall be deaf.
16The nations will see and be ashamed, for all their power. They will put their hands over their mouths, and their ears will go deaf.
17They shall lick the dust like a serpent, they shall move out of their holes like worms of the earth: they shall be afraid of the LORD our God, and shall fear because of thee.
17They will lick the dust like a snake, like creatures that crawl on the ground; they will come trembling out of their hiding places. They will be afraid of the LORD our God, and they will fear because of you.
18Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.
18Who is a God like you, who forgives wrongdoing and passes over the rebellion of the remnant of his own people? He does not stay angry forever, because he loves to show mercy.
19He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.
19He will turn back and have compassion on us; he will tread our sins underfoot. You will throw all their sins into the deepest part of the sea.
20Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.
20You will keep faith with Jacob and show steadfast love to Abraham, as you swore to our ancestors in days long ago.