5 ^[a] Now muster your troops, O daughter^[b] of troops;
    siege is laid against us;
with a rod ^(A)they strike the judge of Israel
    on the cheek.
^{2 [c] (B)}But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
    who are too little to be among the clans of ^(C)Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
    one who is to be ^(D)ruler in Israel,
^(E)whose coming forth is ^(F)from of old,
    from ancient days.
³ Therefore he shall give them up ^(G)until the time
    when she who is in labour has given birth;
then ^(H)the rest of his brothers shall return
    to the people of Israel.
⁴ And he shall stand ^(I)and shepherd his flock ^(J)in the strength of the Lord,
    in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they shall dwell secure, for now ^(K)he shall be great
    to the ends of the earth.
⁵ And he shall be ^(L)their peace.
^(M)When the Assyrian comes into our land
    and treads in our palaces,
then we will raise against him seven ^(N)shepherds
    and eight princes of men;
⁶ they shall shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword,
    and the land of ^(O)Nimrod at its entrances;
and he shall deliver us from the Assyrian
    ^(P)when he comes into our land
    and treads within our border.

⁷ Then ^(Q)the remnant of Jacob shall be
    in the midst of many peoples
like dew from the Lord,
    like showers on the grass,
which delay not for a man
    nor wait for the children of man.
⁸ And ^(R)the remnant of Jacob shall be among the nations,
    in the midst of many peoples,
like a lion among the beasts of the forest,
    like a young lion among the flocks of sheep,
^(S)which, when it goes through, treads down
    and tears in pieces, and there is none to deliver.
⁹ Your hand shall ^(T)be lifted up over your adversaries,
    and all your enemies shall be cut off.
¹⁰ And ^(U)in that day, declares the Lord,
    ^(V)I will cut off your horses from among you
    and will destroy your chariots;
^11 (W)and I will cut off the cities of your land
    and throw down all your strongholds;
¹² and I will cut off ^(X)sorceries from your hand,
    and ^(Y)you shall have no more tellers of fortunes;
¹³ and ^(Z)I will cut off your carved images
    and ^(AA)your pillars from among you,
^(AB)and you shall bow down no more
    to the work of your hands;
¹⁴ and I will root out your ^(AC)Asherah images from among you
    ^(AD)and destroy your cities.
¹⁵ And in anger and wrath ^(AE)I will execute vengeance
    on the nations that did not obey.