Micah 5
New American Standard Bible
Birth of the King in Bethlehem
5 “[a]Now muster yourselves in troops, daughter of troops;
[b]They have laid siege against us;
With a rod they will (A)strike the judge of Israel on the cheek.
2 [c]But as for (B)you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
Too little to be among the clans of Judah,
From (C)you One will come forth for Me to be (D)ruler in Israel.
His times of coming forth are (E)from long ago,
From the days of eternity.”
3 Therefore He will (F)give them up until the time
When she (G)who is in labor has given birth.
Then the (H)remainder of His kinsmen
Will return to the sons of Israel.
4 And He will arise and (I)shepherd His flock
In the strength of the Lord,
In the majesty of the name of the Lord His God.
And they will [d]remain,
Because [e]at that time He will be great
To the (J)ends of the earth.
5 This One (K)will be our peace.
When the (L)Assyrian invades our land,
When he tramples on our [f]citadels,
Then we will raise against him
Seven shepherds and eight leaders of people.
6 They will (M)shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword,
The land of (N)Nimrod at its entrances;
And He will (O)rescue us from the Assyrian
When he invades our land,
And when he tramples our territory.
7 Then the (P)remnant of Jacob
Will be among many peoples
Like (Q)dew from the Lord,
Like (R)showers on vegetation
That do not wait for man,
Or delay for [g]mankind.
8 The remnant of Jacob
Will be among the nations,
Among many peoples
(S)Like a lion among the animals of the forest,
Like a young lion among flocks of sheep,
Which, if he passes through,
(T)Tramples and (U)tears,
And there is (V)no one who can rescue.
9 Your hand will be (W)lifted up against your adversaries,
And all your enemies will be eliminated.
10 “And it will be on that day,” declares the Lord,
“(X)That I will eliminate your (Y)horses from among you,
And destroy your chariots.
11 I will also eliminate the (Z)cities of your land,
And tear down all your (AA)fortifications.
12 I will eliminate (AB)sorceries from your hand,
And you will have no fortune-tellers.
13 (AC)I will eliminate your carved images
And your memorial stones from among you,
So that you will no longer bow down
To the work of your hands.
14 I will uproot your [h](AD)Asherim from among you,
And destroy your cities.
15 And I will (AE)execute vengeance in anger and wrath
On the nations which have not obeyed.”
Micah 5
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
5 [a]Now you are walled around with a wall;[b]
siege is laid against us;
with a rod they strike the ruler of Israel
upon the cheek.(A)
The Ruler from Bethlehem
2 [c]But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah,
who are one of the little clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
one who is to rule in Israel,
whose origin is from of old,
from ancient days.(B)
3 Therefore he shall give them up until the time
when she who is in labor has brought forth;
then the rest of his kindred shall return
to the people of Israel.(C)
4 And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord,
in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great
to the ends of the earth,(D)
5 and he shall be the one of peace.
If the Assyrians come into our land
and tread upon our soil,[d]
we will raise against them seven shepherds
and eight rulers.(E)
6 They shall rule the land of Assyria with the sword
and the land of Nimrod with the drawn sword;[e]
they[f] shall rescue us from the Assyrians
if they come into our land
or tread within our border.(F)
The Future Role of the Remnant
7 Then the remnant of Jacob,
surrounded by many peoples,
shall be like dew from the Lord,
like showers on the grass,
which do not depend upon people
or wait for any mortal.(G)
8 And among the nations the remnant of Jacob,
surrounded by many peoples,
shall be like a lion among the animals of the forest,
like a young lion among the flocks of sheep,
which, when it goes through, treads down
and tears in pieces, with no one to deliver.(H)
9 Your hand shall be lifted up over your adversaries,
and all your enemies shall be cut off.(I)
10 On that day, says the Lord,
I will cut off your horses from among you
and will destroy your chariots;(J)
11 and I will cut off the cities of your land
and destroy all your strongholds;(K)
12 and I will cut off sorceries from your hand,
and you shall have no more soothsayers;(L)
13 and I will cut off your images
and your pillars from among you,
and you shall bow down no more
to the work of your hands;
14 and I will uproot your sacred poles[g] from among you
and destroy your towns.(M)
15 And in anger and wrath I will execute vengeance
on the nations that did not obey.(N)
Micah 5
Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition
5 Now shalt thou be laid waste, O daughter of the robber: they have laid siege against us, with a rod shall they strike the cheek of the judge of Israel.
2 AND THOU, BETHLEHEM Ephrata, art a little one among the thousands of Juda: out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be the ruler in Israel: and his going forth is from the beginning, from the days of eternity.
3 Therefore will he give them up even till the time wherein she that travaileth shall bring forth: and the remnant of his brethren shall be converted to the children of Israel.
4 And he shall stand, and feed in the strength of the Lord, in the height of the name of the Lord his God: and they shall be converted, for now shall he be magnified even to the ends of the earth.
5 And this man shall be our peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land, and when he shall set his foot in our houses: and we shall raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men.
6 And they shall feed the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nemrod with the spears thereof: and he shall deliver us from the Assyrian, when he shall come into our land, and when he shall tread in our borders.
7 And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many peoples as a dew from the Lord, and as drops upon the grass, which waiteth not for man, nor tarrieth for the children of men.
8 And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles in the midst of many peoples as a lion among the beasts of the forests, and as a young lion among the flocks of sheep: who when he shall go through and tread down, and take, there is none to deliver.
9 Thy hand shall be lifted up over thy enemies, and all thy enemies shall be cut off.
10 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord, that I will take away thy horses out of the midst of thee, and will destroy thy chariots.
11 And I will destroy the cities of thy land, and will throw down all thy strong holds, and I will take away sorceries out of thy hand, and there shall be no divinations in thee.
12 And I will destroy thy graven things, and thy statues out of the midst of thee: and thou shalt no more adore the works of thy hands.
13 And I will pluck up thy groves out of the midst of thee: and will crush thy cities.
14 And I will execute vengeance in wrath and in indignation among all the nations that have not given ear.
Micah 5
The Message
The Leader Who Will Shepherd-Rule Israel
5 But for now, prepare for the worst, victim daughter!
The siege is set against us.
They humiliate Israel’s king,
slapping him around like a rag doll.
2-4 But you, Bethlehem, David’s country,
the runt of the litter—
From you will come the leader
who will shepherd-rule Israel.
He’ll be no upstart, no pretender.
His family tree is ancient and distinguished.
Meanwhile, Israel will be in foster homes
until the birth pangs are over and the child is born,
And the scattered brothers come back
home to the family of Israel.
He will stand tall in his shepherd-rule by God’s strength,
centered in the majesty of God-Revealed.
And the people will have a good and safe home,
for the whole world will hold him in respect—
Peacemaker of the world!
5-6 And if some bullying Assyrian shows up,
invades and violates our land, don’t worry.
We’ll put him in his place, send him packing,
and watch his every move.
Shepherd-rule will extend as far as needed,
to Assyria and all other Nimrod-bullies.
Our shepherd-ruler will save us from old or new enemies,
from anyone who invades or violates our land.
7 The purged and select company of Jacob will be
like an island in the sea of peoples.
They’ll be like dew from God,
like summer showers
Not mentioned in the weather forecast,
not subject to calculation or control.
8-9 Yes, the purged and select company of Jacob will be
like an island in the sea of peoples,
Like the king of beasts among wild beasts,
like a young lion loose in a flock of sheep,
Killing and devouring the lambs
and no one able to stop him.
With your arms raised in triumph over your foes,
your enemies will be no more!
* * *
10-15 “The day is coming”
—God’s Decree—
“When there will be no more war. None.
I’ll slaughter your war horses and demolish your chariots.
I’ll dismantle military posts
and level your fortifications.
I’ll abolish your religious black markets,
your underworld traffic in black magic.
I will smash your carved and cast gods
and chop down your phallic posts.
No more taking control of the world,
worshiping what you do or make.
I’ll root out your sacred sex-and-power centers
and destroy the God-defiant.
In raging anger, I’ll make a clean sweep
of godless nations who haven’t listened.”
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
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Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson