Micah 7

New International Version

Israel’s Misery

7 What misery is mine!
I am like one who gathers summer fruit
    at the gleaning of the vineyard;
there is no cluster of grapes to eat,
    none of the early figs^(A) that I crave.
²The faithful have been swept from the land;^(B)
    not one^(C) upright person remains.
Everyone lies in wait^(D) to shed blood;^(E)
    they hunt each other^(F) with nets.^(G)
³Both hands are skilled in doing evil;^(H)
    the ruler demands gifts,
the judge accepts bribes,^(I)
    the powerful dictate what they desire—
    they all conspire together.
⁴The best of them is like a brier,^(J)
    the most upright worse than a thorn^(K) hedge.
The day God visits you has come,
    the day your watchmen sound the alarm.
    Now is the time of your confusion.^(L)
⁵Do not trust a neighbor;
    put no confidence in a friend.^(M)
Even with the woman who lies in your embrace
    guard the words of your lips.
⁶For a son dishonors his father,
    a daughter rises up against her mother,^(N)
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—
    a man’s enemies are the members of his own household.^(O)

⁷But as for me, I watch^(P) in hope^(Q) for the Lord,
I wait for God my Savior;
my God will hear^(R) me.

Israel Will Rise

⁸Do not gloat over me,^(S) my enemy!
    Though I have fallen, I will rise.^(T)
Though I sit in darkness,
    the Lord will be my light.^(U)
⁹Because I have sinned against him,
    I will bear the Lord’s wrath,^(V)
until he pleads my case^(W)
    and upholds my cause.
He will bring me out into the light;^(X)
    I will see his righteousness.^(Y)
¹⁰Then my enemy will see it
    and will be covered with shame,^(Z)
she who said to me,
    “Where is the Lord your God?”^(AA)
My eyes will see her downfall;^(AB)
    even now she will be trampled^(AC) underfoot
    like mire in the streets.

¹¹The day for building your walls^(AD) will come,
    the day for extending your boundaries.
¹²In that day people will come to you
    from Assyria^(AE) and the cities of Egypt,
even from Egypt to the Euphrates
    and from sea to sea
    and from mountain to mountain.^(AF)
¹³The earth will become desolate because of its inhabitants,
    as the result of their deeds.^(AG)

Prayer and Praise

¹⁴Shepherd^(AH) your people with your staff,^(AI)
    the flock of your inheritance,
which lives by itself in a forest,
    in fertile pasturelands.^[a]^(AJ)
Let them feed in Bashan^(AK) and Gilead^(AL)
    as in days long ago.^(AM)

¹⁵“As in the days when you came out of Egypt,
I will show them my wonders.^(AN)”

¹⁶Nations will see and be ashamed,^(AO)
    deprived of all their power.
They will put their hands over their mouths^(AP)
    and their ears will become deaf.
¹⁷They will lick dust^(AQ) like a snake,
    like creatures that crawl on the ground.
They will come trembling^(AR) out of their dens;
    they will turn in fear^(AS) to the Lord our God
    and will be afraid of you.
¹⁸Who is a God^(AT) like you,
    who pardons sin^(AU) and forgives^(AV) the transgression
    of the remnant^(AW) of his inheritance?^(AX)
You do not stay angry^(AY) forever
    but delight to show mercy.^(AZ)
¹⁹You will again have compassion on us;
    you will tread our sins underfoot
    and hurl all our iniquities^(BA) into the depths of the sea.^(BB)
²⁰You will be faithful to Jacob,
    and show love to Abraham,^(BC)
as you pledged on oath to our ancestors^(BD)
    in days long ago.^(BE)

Footnotes

Micah 7:14 Or in the middle of Carmel

John 10

New International Version

The Good Shepherd and His Sheep

10 “Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber.^(A) ²The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.^(B) ³The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice.^(C) He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.^(D) ⁴When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.^(E) ⁵But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” ⁶Jesus used this figure of speech,^(F) but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them.^(G)

⁷Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am^(H) the gate^(I) for the sheep. ⁸All who have come before me^(J) are thieves and robbers,^(K) but the sheep have not listened to them. ⁹I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.^[a] They will come in and go out, and find pasture. ¹⁰The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life,^(L) and have it to the full.^(M)

¹¹“I am^(N) the good shepherd.^(O) The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.^(P) ¹²The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away.^(Q) Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. ¹³The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.

¹⁴“I am the good shepherd;^(R) I know my sheep^(S) and my sheep know me— ¹⁵just as the Father knows me and I know the Father^(T)—and I lay down my life for the sheep.^(U) ¹⁶I have other sheep^(V) that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock^(W) and one shepherd.^(X) ¹⁷The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life^(Y)—only to take it up again. ¹⁸No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.^(Z) I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”^(AA)

¹⁹The Jews who heard these words were again divided.^(AB) ²⁰Many of them said, “He is demon-possessed^(AC) and raving mad.^(AD) Why listen to him?”

²¹But others said, “These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon.^(AE) Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”^(AF)

Further Conflict Over Jesus’ Claims

²²Then came the Festival of Dedication^[b] at Jerusalem. It was winter, ²³and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon’s Colonnade.^(AG) ²⁴The Jews^(AH) who were there gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”^(AI)

²⁵Jesus answered, “I did tell you,^(AJ) but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me,^(AK) ²⁶but you do not believe because you are not my sheep.^(AL) ²⁷My sheep listen to my voice; I know them,^(AM) and they follow me.^(AN) ²⁸I give them eternal life,^(AO) and they shall never perish;^(AP) no one will snatch them out of my hand.^(AQ) ²⁹My Father, who has given them to me,^(AR) is greater than all^[c];^(AS) no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. ³⁰I and the Father are one.”^(AT)

³¹Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him,^(AU) ³²but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?”

³³“We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.”^(AV)

³⁴Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law,^(AW) ‘I have said you are “gods”’^[d]?^(AX) ³⁵If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God^(AY) came—and Scripture cannot be set aside^(AZ)— ³⁶what about the one whom the Father set apart^(BA) as his very own^(BB) and sent into the world?^(BC) Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’?^(BD) ³⁷Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father.^(BE) ³⁸But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.”^(BF) ³⁹Again they tried to seize him,^(BG) but he escaped their grasp.^(BH)

⁴⁰Then Jesus went back across the Jordan^(BI) to the place where John had been baptizing in the early days. There he stayed, ⁴¹and many people came to him. They said, “Though John never performed a sign,^(BJ) all that John said about this man was true.”^(BK) ⁴²And in that place many believed in Jesus.^(BL)

Footnotes

John 10:9 Or kept safe
John 10:22 That is, Hanukkah
John 10:29 Many early manuscripts What my Father has given me is greater than all
John 10:34 Psalm 82:6