MIC 7:20 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible—please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=none Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

Key: khaki:verbs.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the OET-RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

BrLXX Δώσει εἰς ἀλήθειαν τῷ Ἰακὼβ, ἔλεον τῷ Ἁβραάμ, καθότι ὤμοσας τοῖς πατράσιν ἡμῶν, κατὰ τὰς ἡμέρας τὰς ἔμπροσθεν.
(Dōsei eis alaʸtheian tōi Yakōb, eleon tōi Habraʼam, kathoti ōmosas tois patrasin haʸmōn, kata tas haʸmeras tas emprosthen. )

BrTr He shall give blessings truly to Jacob, and mercy to Abraam, as thou swarest to our fathers, according to the former days.

ULT You will give truth to Jacob
⇔ and covenant faithfulness to Abraham,
⇔ as you swore to our ancestors in ancient days.

UST You will show that you faithfully do what you promised for us and faithfully love us,
⇔ just as you solemnly promised long ago to our ancestors Abraham and Jacob that you would do.

OEB You will show faithfulness to Jacob, and loving kindness to Abraham,
⇔ as you have sworn to our ancestors from the days of old.

WEBBE You will give truth to Jacob,
⇔ and mercy to Abraham,
⇔ as you have sworn to our fathers from the days of old.

WMBB (Same as above)

MSG ^(18-20)Where is the god who can compare with you—
  wiping the slate clean of guilt,
Turning a blind eye, a deaf ear,
  to the past sins of your purged and precious people?
You don’t nurse your anger and don’t stay angry long,
  for mercy is your specialty. That’s what you love most.
And compassion is on its way to us.
  You’ll stamp out our wrongdoing.
You’ll sink our sins
  to the bottom of the ocean.
You’ll stay true to your word to Father Jacob
  and continue the compassion you showed Grandfather Abraham—
Everything you promised our ancestors
  from a long time ago.

NET You will be loyal to Jacob
⇔ and extend your loyal love to Abraham,
⇔ which you promised on oath to our ancestors
¶ in ancient times.

LSV You give truth to Jacob, kindness to Abraham,
That You have sworn to our fathers, from the days of antiquity!

FBV You will give your trustworthy truth to the people of Jacob, your faithful love to the people of Abraham, as you promised our forefathers long ago.

T4T You will show that you faithfully do what you promised for us and faithfully love us,
⇔ just like you solemnly promised long ago to our ancestors Abraham and Jacob that you would do.

LEB • You will show faithfulness to Jacob, and loyal love to Abraham,
• as you have sworn to our ancestors[fn]
• from the days of old.

7:? Or “fathers”

BBE You will make clear your good faith to Jacob and your mercy to Abraham, as you gave your oath to our fathers from times long past.

Moff thou wilt prove faithful to Jacob
⇔ and loving to Abraham,
⇔ as from of old thou hast sworn to our fathers.

JPS Thou wilt show faithfulness to Jacob, mercy to Abraham, as Thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.

ASV Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the lovingkindness to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.

DRA Thou wilt perform the truth of Jacob, the mercy to Abraham: which thou hast sworn to our fathers from the days of old.

YLT Thou givest truth to Jacob, kindness to Abraham, That thou hast sworn to our fathers, from the days of antiquity!

Drby Thou wilt perform truth to Jacob, loving-kindness to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers, from the days of old.

RV Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.
(Thou/You wilt/will perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou/you hast sworn/promised unto our fathers from the days of old. )

SLT Thou wilt give truth to Jacob, mercy to Abraham, which thou didst swear to our fathers from the days of old.

Wbstr Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn to our fathers from the days of old.

KJB-1769 Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.
(Thou/You wilt/will perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou/you hast sworn/promised unto our fathers from the days of old. )

KJB-1611 Thou wilt performe the trueth to Iacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworne vnto our fathers from the dayes of old.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above)

Bshps Thou wilt perfourme to Iacob thy trueth, and thy mercie to Abraham, like as thou hast sworne vnto our fathers in olde time.
(Thou/You wilt/will perform to Yacob thy/your truth, and thy/your mercy to Abraham, like as thou/you hast sworn/promised unto our fathers in old time.)

Gnva Thou wilt perfourme thy trueth to Iaakob, and mercie to Abraham, as thou hast sworne vnto our fathers in olde time.
(Thou/You wilt/will perform thy/your truth to Yacob, and mercy to Abraham, as thou/you hast sworn/promised unto our fathers in old time. )

Cvdl Thou shalt kepe thy trust with Iacob, and thy mercy for Abraham, like as thou hast sworne vnto oure fathers longe agoo.
(Thou/You shalt/shall keep thy/your trust with Yacob, and thy/your mercy for Abraham, like as thou/you hast sworn/promised unto our fathers long agoo.)

Wycl Thou schalt yyue treuthe to Jacob, merci to Abraham, whiche thou sworist to oure fadris fro elde daies.
(Thou/You shalt/shall give truth to Yacob, mercy to Abraham, which thou/you sworist to our fathers from old days.)

Luth Du wirst dem Jakob die Treue und Abraham die Gnade halten, wie du unsern Vätern vorlängst geschworen hast.
(You(sg) will to_him Yakob the loyalty/faithfulness and Abraham the grace hold/keep, as/like you(sg) ours fathers before/in_front_oflängst sworn have.)

ClVg Dabis veritatem Jacob, misericordiam Abraham, quæ jurasti patribus nostris a diebus antiquis.]
(You_will_give the_truth Yacob, mercy Abraham, which rightssti to_the_fathers ours from days ancient.] )

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 7:14–20: A prayer to the LORD for restoration, and praise for his mercy

This section has two main parts. The first part, 7:14–17, contains prayers to the LORD for the restoration of his people and the defeat of their enemies. The second part, 18–20, is a hymn of praise to the LORD for his compassion and his faithful relationship with Israel. These Notes and the Display will assume that the main speaker is Micah, who speaks as a representative of the people.This suggestion is favored by EBC, JFB, TOTC, Mangum, and Waltke 2007. Commentators who suggest that the speaker is the people, collectively, include Achtemeier, NICOT, WBC, and UBS. However, in 7:15 and in 18–20 there are brief changes of speaker and/or addressee. See the notes under paragraph 7:14–17 and under paragraph 7:18–20 for more detailed discussion.

Here are some other examples of section headings:

Prayer and Praise (NIV)

The Lord’s compassion on Israel (NLT)

Paragraph 7:18–20

In this paragraph, the subject changes. In 7:14–17, the subject was the nations’ response to the marvelous things that the LORD would do. In this paragraph, the subject is the character of the LORD and his relationship to Israel.

The literary form of this paragraph is probably a hymn.Waltke 2007 (page 444). Micah is the speaker. He represents people of Israel who believe in the LORD. In this hymn, the addressee alternates between the LORD and the people. In 7:18a–c, Micah addresses the LORD. In 7:18d–19b, he addresses the people. In 7:19c–7:20, he again addresses the LORD. The main themes are God’s love and his forgiveness of sin.

Some versions place a heading here. For example:

God’s Compassion and Steadfast Love (NRSV)

No One is Like God (CEV)

7:20a–b

You will show faithfulness to Jacob and loving devotion to Abraham,

You^(sing) will be true to Jacob and show love to Abraham,
We^(excl) know that you will be faithful to keep the covenant with Abraham and Jacob

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

^20a You will show faithfulness to Jacob

^20band loving devotion to Abraham,

There is an ellipsis (a deliberately omitted phrase) in 7:20b. In some languages, it may be necessary to supply the missing words from 7:20a. For example:

^17band you will show loving devotion to Abraham,

In these lines, Micah expresses his confidence that the LORD will show his faithfulness and loyalty to Jacob and Abraham. The lines refer to the promise he made to Abraham and Jacob to be faithful to his covenant with them.Waltke 2007, NAC, and EBC. The implication is that the LORD would be faithful and loyal to the descendants of these patriarchs as well.JFB and EBC.

Some versions make this implied information explicit. For example:

You will show your faithfulness and constant love to your people, the descendants of Abraham and of Jacob, as you promised our ancestors long ago. (GNT)

faithfulness…loving devotion: In Hebrew, these words have a similar meaning. This pair of words often occurs in other verses of the Old and New Testaments. For example, Exodus 34:6 “steadfast love and faithfulness” and John 1:7 “grace and truth.”A&F (page 599) considers the two words to be hendiadys for “reliable mercy.” In this verse, the word faithfulness means that the LORD is “reliable.” He keeps every promise.BDB #571 (page 54), CBC, and JFB. The word loving devotion means that the LORD shows love by keeping his covenant.BDB #2617 (page 339), NAC, and CBC. The same Hebrew word is used in 7:18d. See the note there.

Here are some other ways to translate these words:

loyal…loyal love (NET)

faithfulness…unfailing love (NLT)

keep your word…be faithful (CEV)

Jacob…Abraham: These are two important ancestors in the history of Israel. The LORD made his covenant with Abraham and reaffirmed it to Jacob.EBC and CBC. The covenant included the LORD’s promise to Abraham that he would make a great nation of his many descendants.

7:20a–c

(combined/reordered)

You will show us your faithfulness and unfailing love as you promised to our ancestors Abraham and Jacob long ago. (NLT)

7:20c

as You swore to our fathers from the days of old.

as you^(sing) promised with an oath to our^(excl) ancestors/forefathers long ago.
that you made with them in ancient times.

as You swore to our fathers from the days of old: In this line, Micah reaffirms why they can have faith in the LORD. The LORD swore to their ancestors long ago that he would be faithful and loyal.

swore: In Hebrew, this word means “to make a promise by binding oneself by an oath.”TWOT #2319.

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

promised on oath (NET)

pledged on oath (NIV)

promised (NLT)

our fathers: This phrase probably refers to Jacob and Abraham, the two ancestors of the people of Israel that are named in 7:20a–b.Waltke 2007 (page 448) suggests that the reference is to Abraham and Jacob only. However, UBS (page 264) suggests that the reference may be to all the ancestors alive at the time the covenant was made at Sinai.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

our forefathers (NASB)

from the days of old: This phrase probably refers to the specific time when the LORD swore an oath to the ancestors. Often the word from can indicate a duration of time. However, in this context, the meaning is probably not a duration of time, but a point in time.Waltke 2007 (pages 448–449). It was the time in the distant past when the special relationship between the LORD and the people of Israel began. It is recommended that you translate this phrase in a way that indicates a point in time rather than a duration. For example:

as you promised our ancestors many years ago (CEV)

Here are some other ways to translate the phrase the days of old:

in ancient times (NET)

long ago (NLT)

in days gone by (REB)

General Comment on 7:20a–c

In some languages, it may be more natural to combine and/or reorder these lines. For example: