Micah 5

The Ruler from Bethlehem

¹Now gather yourself in troops, O daughter of troops;

he has laid siege against us.

With a rod they will strike

the judge of Israel on the cheek.

²But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,[#Ru 4:11]

although you are small among the tribes of Judah,

from you will come forth for Me

one who will be ruler over Israel.

His origins are from of old,

from ancient times.

³Therefore He will give them up,[#Hos 11:8]

until the time when she who is in labor has given birth,

and the rest of his brothers will return

to the Israelites.

⁴He will stand and shepherd[#Mic 7:14]

in the strength of the Lord ,

in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God;

then they will live securely, because now He will be great

until the ends of the earth;

⁵and He will be their peace.[#Lk 2:14]

The Remnant of Jacob Delivered

When Assyria enters our land

and treads through our palaces,

then we will raise up against him seven shepherds

and eight commanders of men.

⁶They will shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword,

and the land of Nimrod at her gates;

He will rescue us from Assyria,

when he enters our land

and when he treads within our border.

⁷Then the remnant of Jacob will be

in the midst of many peoples,

like dew from the Lord ,

like showers upon the grass,

which do not wait for a man

and do not linger for the sons of men.

⁸The remnant of Jacob will be among the nations,

in the midst of many peoples,

like a lion among the beasts of the forest,

like a young lion among flocks of sheep,

which when it passes through, tramples and mauls,

without rescuer.

⁹Your hand will be lifted up over your adversaries,[#Ps 21:8; Isa 26:11]

and all your enemies will be cut off.

¹⁰And in that day, declares the Lord ,

I will cut off your horses from among you,

and I will destroy your chariots.

¹¹Then I will cut off the cities of your land,

and I will overthrow your strongholds;

¹²then I will cut off sorceries from your hand,

and you will no longer have fortune-tellers.

¹³Then I will cut off your idols,[#Eze 6:9]

and your sacred stones from among you,

and you will no longer bow down

to the work of your hands;

¹⁴then I will root out your Asherah idols from among you,[#Ex 34:13]

and I will annihilate your cities.

¹⁵And in anger and wrath I will take vengeance[#Ps 149:7]

on the nations that have not listened.