Micah 5

1 ‘Now cut yourself in bitter grief, daughter besieged by soldiers. They have set a wall around you. They strike the ruler of Israel, in the face with a rod.

Now thou shall gather thyself in troops, O daughter of troops. He has laid siege against us. They shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek.

2 ‘Bethlehem in Ephrathah, small among the tribes of Judah, from you will come a king who will rule for me over Israel, whose family line goes back to the distant past.’

But thou, Bethlehem Ephrathah, which are little to be among the thousands of Judah, out of thee he shall come forth to me who is to be ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.

3 So the Lord will only abandon Israel to its enemies until the woman in labour gives birth. Then the survivors will be reunited with their own people.

Therefore he will give them up until the time that she who travails has brought forth. Then the residue of his brothers shall return to the sons of Israel.

4 And he will stand and shepherd by the strength of the Lord, In the exalted name of the Lord his God; And they will live in security, for now he will be great, even to the ends of the earth.

And he shall stand, and shall feed his flock in the strength of Jehovah, in the majesty of the name of Jehovah his God, and they shall abide. For now he shall be great to the ends of the earth.

5 This will be our peace: when Assyria comes into our land and treads on our soil, we will raise up against him seven shepherds, eight leaders of men.

And this man shall be our peace. When the Assyrian shall come into our land, and when he shall tread in our palaces, then we shall raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men.

6 They will shepherd Assyria with a sword, and the land of Nimrod with bared blades. They will deliver us from Assyria, when they come into our land, and tread within our borders.

And they shall waste the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in the entrances of it. And he shall deliver us from the Assyrian, when he comes into our land, and when he treads within our border.

7 And the survivors of Jacob will be disbursed among the nations, in the midst of many peoples, like dew from the Lord, like showers on the grass, which don’t wait for people to come or linger for mortals.

And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many peoples as dew from Jehovah, as showers upon the grass, that tarry not for man, nor wait for the sons of men.

8 And the survivors of Jacob will be disbursed among the nations, in the midst of many peoples, like a lion among the beasts of the forest, like a young lion among the sheep-folds, who, when he passes through, pounces. He savages his prey. There is no rescuer.

And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the nations, in the midst of many peoples, as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep, who, if he goes through, treads down and tears in pieces, and there is none to deliver.

9 Let your hand triumph over your adversaries, let all your enemies be cut off.

Let thy hand be lifted up above thine adversaries, and let all thine enemies be cut off.

10 On that day, says the Lord: ‘I will slaughter your horses from your midst, and destroy your chariots.

And it shall come to pass in that day, says Jehovah, that I will cut off thy horses out of the midst of thee, and will destroy thy chariots,

11 I will devastate the cities in your land, and tear down your fortresses.

and I will cut off the cities of thy land, and will throw down all thy strongholds.

12 I will destroy your magic charms, and you will have no soothsayers.

And I will cut off witchcrafts out of thy hand, and thou shall have no more soothsayers.

13 I will cut down your idols and sacred pillars, and you will not worship any more the work of your hands.

And I will cut off thy graven images and thy pillars out of the midst of thee, and thou shall no more worship the work of thy hands.

14 I will uproot your sacred poles, and destroy your idols.

And I will pluck up thine Asherim out of the midst of thee, and I will destroy thy cities.

15 In my wrath and my anger I will seek vengeance on the nations that ignore me.’

And I will execute vengeance in anger and wrath upon the nations that did not hearken.