Micah 7:2
The good man is perished out of the earth: and there is none upright among men: they all lie in wait for blood; they hunt every man his brother with a net.
Study Note
Study Note
Micah's lament 'the good man is perished out of the earth: and there is none upright among men: they all lie in wait for blood; they hunt every man his brother with a net' describes a social collapse as complete as a harvest after which no gleaning remains (verse 1). The verse belongs to a prophetic tradition of social lament (cf. Isaiah 57:1; Psalm 12:1) that diagnoses the disappearance of 'the faithful from among men' as the marker of ultimate social breakdown. Romans 3:12's citation ('there is none that doeth good, no, not one') draws on this tradition within Paul's comprehensive indictment of universal human sinfulness. The verse's context — Micah's prayer of hope in 7:7-20 following the lament — shows that prophetic honesty about social corruption is not despair but the precondition for genuine trust in divine restoration.
Other Translations
The godly man is perished out of the earth, and there is none upright among men: they all lie in wait for blood; they hunt every man his brother with a net.
Perished hath the kind out of the land, And upright among men--there are none, All of them for blood lie in wait, Each his brother they hunt <FI>with<Fi> a net.
The good man is gone from the earth, there is no one upright among men: they are all waiting secretly for blood, every man is going after his brother with a net.
Cross References
Now therefore, let not my blood fall to the earth before the face of the Lord: for the king of …
Moreover, my father, see, yea, see the skirt of thy robe in my hand: for in that I cut off …
The words of the wicked are to lie in wait for blood: but the mouth of the upright shall deliver …
If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without …
Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood: their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting …
The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart: and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the …
Behold, I will send for many fishers, saith the Lord, and they shall fish them; and after will I send …
For among my people are found wicked men: they lay wait, as he that setteth snares; they set a trap, …
Their quiver is as an open sepulchre, they are all mighty men.
They build up Zion with blood, and Jerusalem with iniquity.