Micah 7:3 (ASV)

Passage

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.

Nearby Context

Micah 7:1 Woe is me! for I am as when they have gathered the summer fruits, as the grape gleanings of the vintage: there is no cluster to eat; my soul desireth the first-ripe fig.

Micah 7:2 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.

Micah 7:3 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.

Micah 7:4 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.

Micah 7:5 Trust ye not in a neighbor; put ye not confidence in a friend; keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "hands", "upon", "evil", "diligently", "prince", "asketh", "judge", and "ready". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "hands" and "upon", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "The godly man is perished out of..." into verse 4's "The best of them is as a...", so "hands" and "upon" belong inside that flow. In Micah context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "hands" and "upon" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.