Micah 5
1 Gather your troops together, Jerusalem! An enemy is besieging us. They will strike Israel's leader on the cheek with a rod.
‘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.
2 But from you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, (though you are only a small place in Judah), will come a ruler of Israel to do my will. His existence is from the ages of eternity past.
‘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.’
3 So the Lord will give up on them until the woman in labor has given birth. Then the rest of his brothers will return to the people of Israel.
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.
4 He will stand up and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. They will live in safety because his greatness is recognized all over the world.
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.
5 He will be our source of peace when the Assyrians invade our land and destroy our fortresses. Then we will appoint many strong leaders,
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.
6 and they will rule Assyria with their swords, the land of Nimrod with drawn swords. He shall rescue us from the Assyrians when they invade our land, marching across our borders.
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.
7 Then those who are left of the people of Jacob shall be in the center of many nations, like dew from the Lord, like showers on the grass, which wait for no one, and which no one can delay.
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.
8 Those who are left of the people of Jacob shall be among many nations, in the center of many peoples. They will be like a lion among the wild animals of the forest, like a young lion among flocks of sheep, clawing and tearing as it passes through, with no one to come to the rescue.
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.
9 Lift your hand in triumph against your enemies; all of them will be destroyed.
Let your hand triumph over your adversaries, let all your enemies be cut off.
10 On that day, says the Lord, I will kill your horses and break your chariots.
On that day, says the Lord: ‘I will slaughter your horses from your midst, and destroy your chariots.
11 I will tear down your city walls and demolish your fortresses.
I will devastate the cities in your land, and tear down your fortresses.
12 I will stop the witchcraft you practice; there will be no more fortune-tellers for you.
I will destroy your magic charms, and you will have no soothsayers.
13 I will smash down the idols and stone pillars that stand among you: you shall not bow down and worship idols that you make with your own hands any more.
I will cut down your idols and sacred pillars, and you will not worship any more the work of your hands.
14 I will pull up the Asherah poles that you have and destroy your pagan places.
I will uproot your sacred poles, and destroy your idols.
15 In anger and fury I will execute vengeance on those nations that do not obey me.
In my wrath and my anger I will seek vengeance on the nations that ignore me.’
