Micah 4:6-5:5

New International Version

The Lord’s Plan

⁶“In that day,” declares the Lord,

“I will gather the lame;^(A)
    I will assemble the exiles^(B)
    and those I have brought to grief.^(C)
⁷I will make the lame my remnant,^(D)
    those driven away a strong nation.^(E)
The Lord will rule over them in Mount Zion^(F)
    from that day and forever.^(G)
⁸As for you, watchtower of the flock,
    stronghold^[a] of Daughter Zion,
the former dominion will be restored^(H) to you;
    kingship will come to Daughter Jerusalem.^(I)”

⁹Why do you now cry aloud—
    have you no king^[b]^(J)?
Has your ruler^[c] perished,
    that pain seizes you like that of a woman in labor?^(K)
¹⁰Writhe in agony, Daughter Zion,
    like a woman in labor,
for now you must leave the city
    to camp in the open field.
You will go to Babylon;^(L)
    there you will be rescued.
There the Lord will redeem^(M) you
    out of the hand of your enemies.

¹¹But now many nations
    are gathered against you.
They say, “Let her be defiled,
    let our eyes gloat^(N) over Zion!”
¹²But they do not know
    the thoughts of the Lord;
they do not understand his plan,^(O)
    that he has gathered them like sheaves to the threshing floor.
¹³“Rise and thresh,^(P) Daughter Zion,
    for I will give you horns of iron;
I will give you hooves of bronze,
    and you will break to pieces many nations.”^(Q)
You will devote their ill-gotten gains to the Lord,^(R)
    their wealth to the Lord of all the earth.

A Promised Ruler From Bethlehem

5 ^[d]Marshal your troops now, city of troops,
for a siege is laid against us.
They will strike Israel’s ruler
on the cheek^(S) with a rod.

²“But you, Bethlehem^(T) Ephrathah,^(U)
    though you are small among the clans^[e] of Judah,
out of you will come for me
    one who will be ruler^(V) over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,^(W)
    from ancient times.”^(X)

³Therefore Israel will be abandoned^(Y)
until the time when she who is in labor bears a son,
and the rest of his brothers return
to join the Israelites.

⁴He will stand and shepherd his flock^(Z)
    in the strength of the Lord,
    in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they will live securely, for then his greatness^(AA)
    will reach to the ends of the earth.

⁵And he will be our peace^(AB)
    when the Assyrians invade^(AC) our land
    and march through our fortresses.
We will raise against them seven shepherds,
    even eight commanders,^(AD)