¹Misery is mine!

Indeed , I am like one who gathers the summer fruits , as gleanings of the vineyard.

There is no cluster of grapes to eat.

My soul desires to eat the early fig .

²The godly man has perished out of the earth,

and there is no one upright amongst men .

They all lie in wait for blood ;

every man hunts his brother with a net .

³Their hands are on that which is evil to do it diligently .

The ruler and judge ask for a bribe .

The powerful man dictates the evil desire of his soul .

Thus they conspire together .

⁴The best of them is like a brier .

The most upright is worse than a thorn hedge .

The day of your watchmen ,

even your visitation , has come ;

now is the time of their confusion .

⁵Don’t trust in a neighbour .

Don’t put confidence in a friend .

With the woman lying in your embrace,

be careful of the words of your mouth !

⁶For the son dishonours the father ,

the daughter rises up against her mother,

the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law ;

a man ’s enemies are the men of his own house .

⁷But as for me , I will look to the LORD .

I will wait for the God of my salvation .

My God will hear me .

⁸Don’t rejoice against me , my enemy.

When I fall , I will arise .

When I sit in darkness , the LORD will be a light to me .

⁹I will bear the indignation of the LORD ,

because I have sinned against him ,

until he pleads my case and executes judgement for me .

He will bring me out to the light .

I will see his righteousness .

¹⁰Then my enemy will see it ,

and shame will cover her who said to me ,

“Where is the LORD your God ?”

My eyes will see her .

Now she will be trodden down like the mire of the streets .

¹¹A day to build your walls !

In that day , he will extend your boundary .

¹²In that day they will come to you from Assyria and the cities of Egypt ,

and from Egypt even to the River ,

and from sea to sea ,

and mountain to mountain .

¹³Yet the land will be desolate because of those who dwell therein ,

for the fruit of their doings .

¹⁴Shepherd your people with your staff ,

the flock of your heritage ,

who dwell by themselves in a forest .

Let them feed in the middle of fertile pasture land ,

in Bashan and Gilead , as in the days of old .

¹⁵“As in the days of your coming out of the land of Egypt ,

I will show them marvellous things .”

¹⁶The nations will see and be ashamed of all their might .

They will lay their hand on their mouth .

Their ears will be deaf .

¹⁷They will lick the dust like a serpent .

Like crawling things of the earth , they will come trembling out of their dens.

They will come with fear to the LORD our God ,

and will be afraid because of you .

¹⁸Who is a God like you , who pardons iniquity ,

and passes over the disobedience of the remnant of his heritage ?

He doesn’t retain his anger forever ,

because he delights in loving kindness .

¹⁹He will again have compassion on us .

He will tread our iniquities under foot .

You will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea .

²⁰You will give truth to Jacob ,

and mercy to Abraham,

as you have sworn to our fathers from the days of old .