Micah 7:3
New International Version
Both hands are skilled in doing evil; the ruler demands gifts, the judge accepts bribes, the powerful dictate what they desire— they all conspire together.

New Living Translation
Both their hands are equally skilled at doing evil! Officials and judges alike demand bribes. The people with influence get what they want, and together they scheme to twist justice.

English Standard Version
Their hands are on what is evil, to do it well; the prince and the judge ask for a bribe, and the great man utters the evil desire of his soul; thus they weave it together.

Berean Standard Bible
Both hands are skilled at evil; the prince and the judge demand a bribe. When the powerful utters his evil desire, they all conspire together.

King James Bible
That 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.

New King James Version
That they may successfully do evil with both hands— The prince asks for gifts, The judge seeks a bribe, And the great man utters his evil desire; So they scheme together.

New American Standard Bible
As for evil, both hands do it well. The leader asks for a bribe, also the judge, And the great one speaks the capricious desire of his soul; So they plot it together.

NASB 1995
Concerning evil, both hands do it well. The prince asks, also the judge, for a bribe, And a great man speaks the desire of his soul; So they weave it together.

NASB 1977
Concerning evil, both hands do it well. The prince asks, also the judge, for a bribe, And a great man speaks the desire of his soul; So they weave it together.

Legacy Standard Bible
Concerning evil, both hands do it well. The prince asks, also the judge, for a payment, And a great man speaks the craving of his soul; So they weave it together.

Amplified Bible
Concerning evil, both of their hands pursue it and do it diligently and thoroughly; The prince asks, also the judge, for a bribe, And a great man speaks the [evil] desire of his soul. So they twist the course of justice between them.

Christian Standard Bible
Both hands are good at accomplishing evil: the official and the judge demand a bribe; when the powerful man communicates his evil desire, they plot it together.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Both hands are good at accomplishing evil: the official and the judge demand a bribe; when the powerful man communicates his evil desire, they plot it together.

American Standard Version
Their hands are upon that which is evil to do it diligently; the prince asketh, and the judge is ready for a reward; and the great man, he uttereth the evil desire of his soul: thus they weave it together.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Their hands are ready for evil and they do no good; the Ruler asks for gold and the Judge says, ”Give a bribe” and the Prince speaks the desire of his soul

Brenton Septuagint Translation
they prepare their hands for mischief, the prince asks a reward, and the judge speaks flattering words; it is the desire of their soul:

Contemporary English Version
People cooperate to commit crime. Judges and leaders demand bribes, and rulers cheat in court.

Douay-Rheims Bible
The evil of their hands they call good: the prince requireth, and the judge is for giving: and the great man hath uttered the desire of his soul, and they have troubled it.

English Revised Version
Their hands are upon that which is evil to do it diligently; the prince asketh, and the judge is ready for a reward; and the great man, he uttereth the mischief of his soul: thus they weave it together.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Their hands are skilled in doing evil. Officials ask for gifts. Judges accept bribes. Powerful people dictate what they want. So they scheme together.

Good News Translation
They are all experts at doing evil. Officials and judges ask for bribes. The influential people tell them what they want, and so they scheme together.

International Standard Version
And speaking of evil, they practice it eagerly—with both hands! Both leader and judge demand a bribe, the famous confess their perverted desires, and they scheme together.

JPS Tanakh 1917
Their hands are upon that which is evil to do it diligently; The prince asketh, and the judge is ready for a reward; And the great man, he uttereth the evil desire of his soul; Thus they weave it together.

Literal Standard Version
On the evil [are] both hands to do [it] well, | The prince is asking—also the judge—for repayment, | And the great—he is speaking the mischief of his soul, | And they wrap it up.

Majority Standard Bible
Both hands are skilled at evil; the prince and the judge demand a bribe. When the powerful utters his evil desire, they all conspire together.

New American Bible
Their hands succeed at evil; the prince makes demands, The judge is bought for a price, the powerful speak as they please.

NET Bible
They are determined to be experts at doing evil; government officials and judges take bribes, prominent men make demands, and they all do what is necessary to satisfy them.

New Revised Standard Version
Their hands are skilled to do evil; the official and the judge ask for a bribe, and the powerful dictate what they desire; thus they pervert justice.

New Heart English Bible
Their hands are on that which is evil to do it diligently. The ruler and judge ask for a bribe; and the powerful man dictates the evil desire of his soul. Thus they conspire together.

Webster's Bible Translation
That 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.

World English Bible
Their 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.

Young's Literal Translation
On the evil are both hands to do it well, The prince is asking -- also the judge -- for recompence, And the great -- he is speaking the mischief of his soul, And they wrap it up.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Israel's Great Misery
2The godly man has perished from the earth; there is no one upright among men. They all lie in wait for blood; they hunt one another with a net. 3 Both hands are skilled at evil; the prince and the judge demand a bribe. When the powerful utters his evil desire, they all conspire together. 4The best of them is like a brier; the most upright is sharper than a hedge of thorns. The day for your watchmen has come, the day of your visitation. Now is the time of their confusion.…

Cross References
Proverbs 4:16
For they cannot sleep unless they do evil; they are deprived of slumber until they make someone fall.

Proverbs 4:17
For they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence.

Proverbs 17:23
A wicked man takes a covert bribe to subvert the course of justice.

Isaiah 1:23
Your rulers are rebels, friends of thieves. They all love bribes and chasing after rewards. They do not defend the fatherless, and the plea of the widow never comes before them.

Isaiah 3:5
The people will oppress one another, man against man, neighbor against neighbor; the young will rise up against the old, and the base against the honorable.

Isaiah 5:23
who acquit the guilty for a bribe and deprive the innocent of justice.

Isaiah 32:7
The weapons of the scoundrel are destructive; he hatches plots to destroy the poor with lies, even when the plea of the needy is just.


Treasury of Scripture

That they may do evil with both hands earnestly, the prince asks, and the judge asks for a reward; and the great man, he utters his mischievous desire: so they wrap it up.

do.

Proverbs 4:16,17
For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall…

Jeremiah 3:5
Will he reserve his anger for ever? will he keep it to the end? Behold, thou hast spoken and done evil things as thou couldest.

Ezekiel 22:6
Behold, the princes of Israel, every one were in thee to their power to shed blood.

the prince.

Micah 3:11
The 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.

Isaiah 1:23
Thy princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves: every one loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards: they judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them.

Jeremiah 8:10
Therefore will I give their wives unto others, and their fields to them that shall inherit them: for every one from the least even unto the greatest is given to covetousness, from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely.

the great.

1 Kings 21:9-14
And she wrote in the letters, saying, Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people: …

his mischievous desire.

Isaiah 26:21
For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.

Luke 12:1,2
In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy…

1 Corinthians 4:5
Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.

Jump to Previous
Accepts Bribe Conspire Decisions Demands Desire Dictate Diligently Earnestly Evil Gifts Gives Great Hands Judge Makes Mischievous Money Pleasure Powerful Prince Ready Requests Reward Right Ruler Skilled Soul Together Twisted Uttereth Utters Weave Wrap
Jump to Next
Accepts Bribe Conspire Decisions Demands Desire Dictate Diligently Earnestly Evil Gifts Gives Great Hands Judge Makes Mischievous Money Pleasure Powerful Prince Ready Requests Reward Right Ruler Skilled Soul Together Twisted Uttereth Utters Weave Wrap
Micah 7
1. The church, complaining of her small number,
3. and the general corruption,
5. puts her confidence not in man, but in God.
8. She triumphs over her enemies.
14. She prays to God.
15. God comforts her by promises of confusion to her enemies;
18. and by his mercies.














(3) That they may do evil with both hands earnestly.--Literally, well. Dr. Benisch, in his Old Testament newly translated under the supervision of the Rev. the Chief Rabbi of the United Congregations of the British Empire (1852), avoids the oxymoron of doing "evil" "well" by translating the passage, "concerning the evil which their hands should amend," which satisfactorily harmonises with the rest of the passage.

So they wrap it up.--Literally, twist it, and pervert the course of justice.

Verse 3. - That they may do evil, etc. rather, both hands are upon (equivalent to "busy with") evil to do it thoroughly. This clause and the rest of the verse are very obscure Cheyne supposes the text to be corrupt. Henderson renders, "For evil their hands are well prepared;" so virtually Hitzig, Pusey, and the Septuagint. Caspari agrees rather with the Vulgate (Malum manuum suarum dicunt bonum)," Hands are (busy) upon evil to make (it seem) good," which looks to that extremity of iniquity when men "call evil good, and good evil" (Isaiah 5:20). The general meaning is that they are ready enough to do evil, and, as the next clause says, can be bribed to do anything. The prince asketh; makes some nefarious demand of the judge, some perversion of justice at his hands, as in the case of Naboth (1 Kings 21.). The judge asketh (is ready) for a reward. The judge is willing to do what the prince wishes, if he is bribed for it. LXX., Ὁ κριτής εἰρηνικοὺς λόγους ἐλάλησε, "The judge speaks words of peace" (comp. Micah 3:11; Isaiah 1:23; Zephaniah 3:8). He uttereth his mischievous desire; or, the mischief of his soul. The rich man speaks out unblushingly the evil that he has conceived in his heart, the wicked design which he meditates. So they wrap it up; better, and they weave it together. The prince, the judge, and the rich man weave their evil plan together, to make it strong and right in others' eyes. The passage is altered in meaning by a different grouping of the Hebrew letters, thus: "The prince demandeth (a reward) to do good; and the judge, for the recompense of a great man, uttereth what he himself desireth. And they entangle the good more than briars, and the righteous more than a thorn hedge." The LXX. carries on the sense to the next verse, Καὶ ἐξελοῦμαι τὰ ἀγαθὰ αὐτῶν ὠς σὴς ἐκτρώγων, "And I will destroy their goods as a consuming moth."

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Both hands
כַּפַּ֙יִם֙ (kap·pa·yim)
Noun - fd
Strong's 3709: Hollow or flat of the hand, palm, sole (of the foot), a pan

are skilled
לְהֵיטִ֔יב (lə·hê·ṭîḇ)
Preposition-l | Verb - Hifil - Infinitive construct
Strong's 3190: To be good, well, glad, or pleasing

at evil;
הָרַ֤ע (hā·ra‘)
Article | Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 7451: Bad, evil

the prince
הַשַּׂ֣ר (haś·śar)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 8269: Chieftain, chief, ruler, official, captain, prince

and the judge
וְהַשֹּׁפֵ֖ט (wə·haš·šō·p̄êṭ)
Conjunctive waw, Article | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 8199: To judge, pronounce sentence, to vindicate, punish, to govern, to litigate

demand
שֹׁאֵ֔ל (šō·’êl)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 7592: To inquire, to request, to demand

a bribe;
בַּשִׁלּ֑וּם‪‬‪‬ (baš·šil·lūm)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7966: A requital, retribution, a fee

when the powerful
וְהַגָּד֗וֹל (wə·hag·gā·ḏō·wl)
Conjunctive waw, Article | Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 1419: Great, older, insolent

utters
דֹּבֵ֨ר (dō·ḇêr)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 1696: To arrange, to speak, to subdue

his
ה֖וּא (hū)
Pronoun - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1931: He, self, the same, this, that, as, are

evil
הַוַּ֥ת (haw·waṯ)
Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 1942: Desire, chasm, destruction

desire,
נַפְשׁ֛וֹ (nap̄·šōw)
Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 5315: A soul, living being, life, self, person, desire, passion, appetite, emotion

they all conspire together.
וַֽיְעַבְּתֽוּהָ׃ (way·‘ab·bə·ṯū·hā)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural | third person feminine singular
Strong's 5686: To interlace, to pervert


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OT Prophets: Micah 7:3 Their hands are on that which (Mc Mic. Mi)
Micah 7:2
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