Micah 5

1 Now you will be devastated, you daughter of a robber. They have placed a blockade against us, with a rod they will strike the jaw of the judge of Israel.

Now you will give yourselves deep wounds for grief; they will put up a wall round us: they will give the judge of Israel a blow on the face with a rod.

2 And you, Bethlehem Ephrata, are a little one among the thousands of Judah. From you will go forth he who shall be the ruler in Israel, and his landing place has been set from the beginning, from the days of eternity.

And you, Beth-lehem Ephrathah, the least among the families of Judah, out of you one will come to me who is to be ruler in Israel; whose going out has been purposed from time past, from the eternal days.

3 Because of this, he will provide for them, even until the time in which she who bears him gives birth. And the remnant of his brothers will be converted to the sons of Israel.

For this cause he will give them up till the time when she who is with child has given birth: then the rest of his brothers will come back to the children of Israel.

4 And he will stand firm and feed on the strength of the Lord, according to the sublime name of the Lord his God. And they will be converted, for now he will be magnified, even to the ends of the earth.

And he will take his place and give food to his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the glory of the name of the Lord his God; and their resting-place will be safe: for now he will be great to the ends of the earth.

5 And this man will be our peace, when the Assyrian will come into our land, and when he will trample on our houses; and we will raise against him seven shepherds and eight principal men.

And this will be our peace: when the Assyrian comes into our country and his feet are in our land, then we will put up against him seven keepers of the flocks and eight chiefs among men.

6 And they will graze on the land of Assur with the sword, and the land of Nimrod with its spears; and he will free us from Assur, when he will come into our land, and when he will trample our borders.

And they will make waste the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod with the edge of the sword: he will give us salvation from the Assyrian when he comes into our country, when his feet come inside the limit of our land.

7 And there will be a remnant of Jacob in the midst of many peoples, like a dew from the Lord and like drops upon the grass, which awaits no man and does not stand before the sons of men.

And the rest of Jacob will be among the mass of peoples like dew from the Lord, like showers on the grass, which may not be kept back by man, or be waiting for the sons of men.

8 And there will be a remnant of Jacob within the Gentiles, in the midst of many peoples, like a lion among the beasts of the forests, and like a young lion among the flocks of sheep, who, when he will pass through and trample down and seize, there is none who can rescue.

And the rest of Jacob will be among the nations, in the middle of the mass of peoples, like a lion among the beasts of the woods, like a young lion among the flocks of sheep: if he goes through, they will be crushed under foot and pulled to bits, and there will be no saviour.

9 Your hand will be exalted over your enemies, and all your adversaries will pass away.

Your hand is lifted up against those who are against you, and all your haters will be cut off.

10 And it will be in that day, says the Lord: I will take away your horses from your midst, and I will utterly ruin your four-horse chariots.

And it will come about in that day, says the Lord, that I will take away your horses from you, and will give your war-carriages to destruction:

11 And I will destroy the cities of your land, and I will pull down all your fortifications,

I will have the towns of your land cut off and all your strong places pulled down:

12 and I will take away evil-doing from your hand, and there will be no divinations among you.

I will put an end to your use of secret arts, and you will have no more readers of signs:

13 And I will cause your graven images to perish, and your statues, from your midst. And you will no longer adore the works of your hands.

And I will have your images and your pillars cut off from you; and you will no longer give worship to the work of your hands.

14 And I will root out your sacred groves from your midst, and I will crush your cities.

I will have your Asherahs pulled up from among you: and I will send destruction on your images.

15 And I will exact vengeance, in fury and in indignation, among all the nations which have not listened.

And my punishment will be effected on the nations with such burning wrath as they have not had word of.