Wait on the Lord
7 Woe is me!
Because I am as the gathering of summer fruit,
as the gleaning of grapes;
there is no cluster to eat,
no early fig that my soul desires.
2 The godly has perished from the earth,
and no one is upright among men.
All of them lie in wait for bloodshed;
each hunts his brother with a net.
3 Both hands are upon evil, to do it well.
The prince and the judge request the bribe,
the powerful asserts the craving of his very soul—
they intertwine together.
4 The best among them is like a brier,
the most upright among them a bramble;
the day of your watchmen,
of your punishment, has come;
now their confusion is at hand.
5 Do not trust in a companion,
do not rely on a friend;
from her who lies in your embrace,
guard the doors of your mouth.
6 For the son dishonors the father,
the daughter rises up against her mother,
the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—
the enemies of a man are members of his own household.
7 But as for me, I watch for the Lord;
I await the God of my salvation;
my God will hear me.
The Penitence of Israel
8 Do not rejoice over me, my enemy!
Although I have fallen, I will rise;
although I dwell in darkness,
the Lord is my light.
9 I will endure the rage of the Lord,
because I have sinned against Him,
until the time when He pleads my case
and executes judgment for me.
He will bring me out into the light;
I will look upon His vindication.
10 Then my enemy will see,
and shame will cover her
who said to me,
“Where is the Lord your God?”
My eyes will look upon her;
now she will be trampled
like muck in the streets.
11 A day for building your walls,
in that day the boundary will be extended.
12 In that day they will come to you
from Assyria and the cities of Egypt,
and from Egypt to the River,
from sea to sea,
and from mountain to mountain.
13 The earth will become desolate because of its inhabitants,
from the fruit of their deeds.
The Restoration of Israel
14 Shepherd your people with your staff,
the flock of your inheritance,
which live alone in a forest,
in the midst of a fertile land;
let them graze in Bashan and Gilead,
as in the days of old.
15 As in the days when you came out of Egypt,
I will display wonders.
16 Nations will see and be ashamed,
despite all their might;
they will put their hand on their mouth,
and their ears will be deaf.
17 They will lick dust like the serpent,
like crawling creatures of the earth;
they will come shuddering from their lairs.
They will turn in dread to the Lord our God,
and they will be afraid of You.
18 Who is a God like You,
bearing iniquity and passing over transgression
for the remnant of His inheritance?
He does not remain angry forever,
because He delights in benevolence.
19 He will again have compassion upon us.
He will tread down our iniquities,
and cast all of our sins into the depths of the sea.
20 You will give faithfulness to Jacob
and benevolence to Abraham,
which You swore to our fathers
from the days of old.