King James Version

Micah 7:4

The 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.

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Hebrew

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טוֹבָ֣םtovamgoodטוֹבadjective, adjective, masculine, singular, construct, suffix, pronominal, 3rd person, masculine, plural — “good”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH2896good (as an adjective) in the widest sense; used likewise as a noun, both in the masculine and the feminine, the singular and the plural (good, a good or good thing, a good man or woman; the good, goods or good things, good men or women), also as an adverb (well)beautiful, best, better, bountiful, cheerful, at ease, [idiom] fair (word), (be in) favour, fine, glad, good (deed, -lier, -liest, -ly, -ness, -s), graciously, joyful, kindly, kindness, liketh (best), loving, merry, [idiom] most, pleasant,…כְּחֵ֔דֶקkechedeqas brierחֵדֶקpreposition, noun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “as brier”, the ordinary formH2312a prickly plantbrier, thorn.יָשָׁ֖רyasharstraightיָשָׁרadjective, adjective, masculine, singular, absolute — “straight”, the ordinary formH3477straight (literally or figuratively)convenient, equity, Jasher, just, meet(-est), [phrase] pleased well right(-eous), straight, (most) upright(-ly, -ness).מִמְּסוּכָ֑הmimsukhahfrom thorn hedgeמְסוּכָהpreposition, noun, common, feminine, singular, absolute — “from thorn hedge”, the ordinary formH4534a hedgethorn hedge.י֤וֹםyomas long asיוֹםnoun, common, masculine, singular, construct — “as long as”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH3117a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an associated term), (often used adverb)age, [phrase] always, [phrase] chronicals, continually(-ance), daily, ((birth-), each, to) day, (now a, two) days (agone), [phrase] elder, [idiom] end, [phrase] evening, [phrase] (for) ever(-lasting, -more), [idiom] full, life, as (so) lon…מְצַפֶּ֨יךָ֙metsapeykhabeholdצָפָהverb, piel, participle, construct, suffix, pronominal, 2nd person, masculine, singular — “behold”, a verb used as a describing wordH6822properly, to lean forward, i.e. to peer into the distance; by implication, to observe, awaitbehold, espy, look up (well), wait for, (keep the) watch(-man).פְּקֻדָּתְךָ֣pequdatekhavisitationפְּקֻדָּהnoun, common, feminine, singular, construct, suffix, pronominal, 2nd person, masculine, singular — “visitation”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH6486visitation (in many senses, chiefly official)account, (that have the) charge, custody, that which...laid up, numbers, office(-r), ordering, oversight, [phrase] prison, reckoning, visitation.בָ֔אָהvaahto comeבּוֹאverb, qal, perfect, 3rd person, feminine, singular — “to come”, a completed actionH935to go or come (in a wide variety of applications)abide, apply, attain, [idiom] be, befall, [phrase] besiege, bring (forth, in, into, to pass), call, carry, [idiom] certainly, (cause, let, thing for) to come (against, in, out, upon, to pass), depart, [idiom] doubtless again, [phrase] eat,…עַתָּ֥הatahthis timeעַתָּהadverb — “this time”H6258at this time, whether adverb, conjunction or expletivehenceforth, now, straightway, this time, whereas.תִהְיֶ֖הtihyehbeהָיָהverb, qal, imperfect, 3rd person, feminine, singular — “be”, an unfinished actionH1961to exist, i.e. be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)beacon, [idiom] altogether, be(-come), accomplished, committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), do, faint, fall, [phrase] follow, happen, [idiom] have, last, pertain, quit (one-) self, require, [idiom] use.מְבוּכָתָֽםmevukhatamperplexityמְבוּכָהnoun, common, feminine, singular, construct, suffix, pronominal, 3rd person, masculine, plural — “perplexity”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH3998perplexityperplexity.

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

The best of them is as a brier; the most upright is worse than a thorn hedge; the day of thy watchmen, even thy visitation, is come; now shall be their perplexity.

Compare Public-Domain Translations

The King James Version remains the text of this page and the canonical URL.

American Standard Version (1901)

The best of them is as a brier; the most upright is worse than a thorn hedge: the day of thy watchmen, even thy visitation, is come; now shall be their perplexity.

Young’s Literal Translation

Their best one [is] as a brier, The upright one — than a thorn-hedge, The day of thy watchmen — Thy visitation — hath come. Now is their perplexity.

World English Bible

The 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.

Darby Translation

The best of them is as a briar; the most upright, [worse] than a thorn-fence. The day of thy watchmen, thy visitation is come; now shall be their perplexity.

Douay-Rheims

He that is best among them, is as a brier: and he that is righteous, as the thorn of the hedge. The day of thy inspection, thy visitation cometh: now shall be their destruction.

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

The best of them is as a brier; the most upright is worse than a thorn hedge; the day of thy watchmen, even thy visitation, is come; now shall be their perplexity.

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

therefore I will take away their goods as a devouring moth, and as one who acts by a rigid rule in a day of visitation. Woe, woe, thy times of vengeance are come; now shall be their lamentations.

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

ὡς σὴς ἐκτρώγων, καὶ βαδίζων ἐπὶ κανόνος ἐν ἡμέρᾳ σκοπιᾶς· οὐαὶ οὐαὶ, αἱ ἐκδικήσεις σου ἥκασι, νῦν ἔσονται κλαυθμοὶ αὐτῶν.