Micah 5

1 Now gather yourself together, O daughter of troops, He has laid a siege against us, They strike [the] judge of Israel 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 “And you, Beth-Lehem Ephratah, Little to be among the chiefs of Judah! From you He comes forth to Me—to be ruler in Israel, And His comings forth [are] of old, From the days of antiquity.”

‘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 He gives them up until the time she who brings forth has brought forth, And the remnant of His brothers return to the sons 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 has stood and delighted in the strength of YHWH, In the excellence of the Name of His God YHWH, And they have remained, For now He is great to the ends of the earth.

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 this [One] has been peace. Asshur, when he comes into our land, And when he treads in our palaces, We have raised against him seven shepherds, And eight anointed of man.

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 have afflicted the land of Asshur with the sword, And the land of Nimrod at its openings, And He has delivered from Asshur when he comes into our land, And when he treads in 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 Jacob has been in the midst of many peoples, As dew from YHWH—as showers on the herb, That does not wait for man, nor stays for the sons of men.

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 Indeed, the remnant of Jacob has been among nations, In the midst of many peoples, As a lion among beasts of a forest, As a young lion among ranks of a flock, Which if it has passed through, Has both trodden down and has torn, And there is no deliverer.

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 High is your hand above your adversaries, And all your enemies are cut off.

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

10 “And it has come to pass in that day,” A declaration of YHWH, “I have cut off your horses from your midst, And I have destroyed your chariots,

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

11 And I have cut off the cities of your land, And I have thrown down all your fortresses,

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

12 And have cut off sorcerers out of your hand, And observers of clouds—you have none.

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

13 And I have cut off your carved images, And your standing-pillars out of your midst, And you do not bow yourself anymore To the work of your 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 have plucked up your Asherim out of your midst, And I have destroyed your enemies.

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

15 And I have done vengeance in anger and in fury, With the nations who have not listened!”

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