Micah 5

1 Yet now gather yourselves in troops, O people of troops! They lay siege against us; With a rod they smite the cheek of the judge of Israel.

“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 thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, Who art small to be among the thousands of Judah, Out of thee shall he come forth for me to be ruler in Israel, Whose origin is from the ancient age, from the days of old!

“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 But He [[Jehovah]] shall deliver them up, Until she that bringeth forth hath brought forth; Then shall the residue of his brethren return to the children of Israel.

So the Lord will only abandon Israel to its enemies until the woman in labor gives birth. Then the survivors will be reunited with their own people.

4 He shall stand and rule in the strength of Jehovah, In the majesty of Jehovah, his God; And they shall dwell in security, For he shall be great even 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 he shall be peace. When the Assyrian shall come into our land, To trample upon our palaces, Then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, And eight leaders of the people,

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 devour the land of Assyria with the sword, The land of Nimrod within her gates. Thus shall he deliver us from the Assyrian, when he cometh into our land, And treadeth 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 The residue of Jacob shall be in the midst of many nations As the dew which cometh from Jehovah, As drops of rain upon the grass, Which tarrieth not for man, Nor waiteth 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 The residue of Jacob shall be among the nations, In the midst of many kingdoms, As a lion among the beasts of the forest, As a young lion among flocks of sheep, Who, when he assaulteth, treadeth down and teareth, and none can deliver.

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 Thy hand shall be lifted up over thine adversaries, And all thine enemies shall be destroyed!

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

10 It shall come to pass in that day, saith Jehovah, That I will destroy thy horses from the midst of thee, And I will consume thy chariots;

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

11 I will destroy the fortified cities of thy land, And throw down all thy strongholds;

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

12 I will destroy sorceries from thy borders, And soothsayers shall not be with thee.

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

13 I will destroy thy graven images and thy statues from the midst of thee, And thou shalt no more bow down to the work 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 I will root out thy Astartes from the midst of thee, And I will destroy thy fortified cities;

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

15 And I will execute vengeance in anger and in fury Upon the nations which have not hearkened to me.

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