Micah 5

1 Nowe assemble thy garisons, O daughter of garisons: he hath layed siege against vs: they shall smite the iudge of Israel with a rod vpon the cheeke.

‘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 And thou Beth-leem Ephrathah art litle to bee among the thousandes of Iudah, yet out of thee shall he come forth vnto me, that shalbe the ruler in Israel: whose goings forth haue bene from the beginning and from euerlasting.

‘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 Therefore will he giue them vp, vntill the time that shee which shall beare, shall trauaile: then the remnant of their brethren shall returne vnto the children 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 And he shall stand, and feed in the strength of the Lord, and in the maiestie of the Name of the Lord his God, and they shall dwel still: for now shall he be magnified vnto the ends of 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 And hee shall be our peace when Asshur shall come into our lande: when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seuen shepheardes, and eight principall men.

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 shall destroy Asshur with the sword, and the land of Nimrod with their swordes: thus shall he deliuer vs from Asshur, when hee commeth into our lande, and when he shall tread within 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 And the remnant of Iaakob shalbe among many people, as a dewe from the Lord, and as the showres vpon the grasse, that waiteth not for man, nor hopeth in the sonnes of Adam.

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 And the remnant of Iaakob shalbe among the Gentiles in the middes of many people, as the lyon among the beastes of the forest, and as the lyons whelpe among the flockes of sheepe, who when he goeth thorow, treadeth downe and teareth in pieces, and none can deliuer.

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 Thine hand shall bee lift vp vpon thine aduersaries, and all thine enemies shalbe cut off.

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

10 And it shall come to passe in that day, sayth the Lord, that I will cut off thine horses out of the middes of thee, and I will destroy thy charets.

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

11 And I will cut off the cities of thy land, and ouerthrowe all thy strong holdes.

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

12 And I will cut off thine enchanters out of thine hande: and thou shalt haue no more southsayers.

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

13 Thine idoles also will I cut off, and thine images out of the middes of thee: and thou shalt no more worship the woorke of thine hands.

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

14 And I wil plucke vp thy groues out of the middes of thee: so will I destroy thine enemies.

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

15 And I will execute a vegeance in my wrath and indignation vpon the heathen, which they haue not heard.

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