Print Page Options Listen to Micah 5

Now gather thyself in troops, O daughter of troops: he hath laid siege against us: they shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek.

But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel.

And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.

And this man shall be the peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land: and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men.

And they shall waste the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in the entrances thereof: thus shall he deliver us from the Assyrian, when he cometh into our land, and when he treadeth within our borders.

And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many people as a dew from the Lord, as the showers upon the grass, that tarrieth not for man, nor waiteth for the sons of men.

And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles in the midst of many people as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep: who, if he go through, both treadeth down, and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver.

Thine hand shall be lifted up upon thine adversaries, and all thine enemies shall be cut off.

10 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord, that I will cut off thy horses out of the midst of thee, and I will destroy thy chariots:

11 And I will cut off the cities of thy land, and throw down all thy strong holds:

12 And I will cut off witchcrafts out of thine hand; and thou shalt have no more soothsayers:

13 Thy graven images also will I cut off, and thy standing images out of the midst of thee; and thou shalt no more worship the work of thine hands.

14 And I will pluck up thy groves out of the midst of thee: so will I destroy thy cities.

15 And I will execute vengeance in anger and fury upon the heathen, such as they have not heard.

E tu, Betlemme di Efrata
così piccola per essere fra i capoluoghi di Giuda,
da te mi uscirà colui
che deve essere il dominatore in Israele;
le sue origini sono dall'antichità,
dai giorni più remoti.
Perciò Dio li metterà in potere altrui
fino a quando colei che deve partorire partorirà;
e il resto dei tuoi fratelli ritornerà ai figli di Israele.
Egli starà là e pascerà con la forza del Signore,
con la maestà del nome del Signore suo Dio.
Abiteranno sicuri perché egli allora sarà grande
fino agli estremi confini della terra

Il vincitore futuro di Assur

e tale sarà la pace:
se Assur entrerà nella nostra terra
e metterà il piede sul nostro suolo,
noi schiereremo contro di lui
sette pastori e otto capi di uomini,
che governeranno la terra di Assur con la spada,
il paese di Nimròd con il suo stesso pugnale.
Ci libereranno da Assur,
se entrerà nella nostra terra
e metterà piede entro i nostri confini.

Ruolo futuro del resto tra le nazioni

Il resto di Giacobbe
sarà, in mezzo a molti popoli,
come rugiada mandata dal Signore
e come pioggia che cade sull'erba,
che non attende nulla dall'uomo
e nulla spera dai figli dell'uomo.
Allora il resto di Giacobbe sarà,
in mezzo a popoli numerosi,
come un leone tra le belve della foresta,
come un leoncello tra greggi di pecore,
il quale, se entra, calpesta e sbrana
e non c'è scampo.

Il Signore sopprimerà tutte le tentazioni

La tua mano si alzerà
contro tutti i tuoi nemici,
e tutti i tuoi avversari
saranno sterminati.
In quel giorno - dice il Signore -
distruggerò i tuoi cavalli in mezzo a te
e manderò in rovina i tuoi carri;
10 distruggerò le città della tua terra
e demolirò tutte le tue fortezze.
11 Ti strapperò di mano i sortilegi
e non avrai più indovini.
12 Distruggerò in mezzo a te
le tue sculture e le tue stele,
nè più ti prostrerai
davanti a un'opera delle tue mani.
13 Estirperò da te i tuoi pali sacri,
distruggerò i tuoi idoli.
14 Con ira e furore,
farò vendetta delle genti,
che non hanno voluto obbedire.

[a]“Now marshal yourselves as troops.[b]
He has laid siege to us.
    They will strike the judge[c] of Israel on the cheek with a rod.”

The Ruler from Bethlehem

[d]“As for you, Bethlehem of Ephrathah,
    even though you remain least among the clans[e] of Judah,
nevertheless, the one who rules in Israel for me
    will emerge from you.
His existence has been[f] from antiquity,
    even from eternity.
Therefore that ruler[g] will abandon them
    until the woman in labor gives birth.
Then the rest of his countrymen will return to the Israelis.”

“Then he will take his stand,
    shepherding by means of the strength of the Lord,
        by the power[h] of the name of the Lord his God.
And they will be firmly[i] established;
    indeed, from then on he will become great—
        to the ends of the earth.
And he will be our peace.”

God’s Judgment on Assyria

“When the Assyrian invades our land,
    trampling through our palaces,
we will raise up seven shepherds against him,
    even eight significant men.
The shepherds[j] will devastate the land of Assyria with the sword,
    along with the entrances to the land of Nimrod.

“This is how he will vanquish[k] Assyria
    when he invades our land,
        trampling within our borders:
The survivors of Jacob will live among many nations,
    as dew from the Lord,
        as showers upon the grass.
They will look to no one,
    and will place no hope in human beings.
The survivors of Jacob will live among the nations;
    they will live among many nations,
        like a lion among flocks of sheep,
who, if he passes through,
    will trample and tear down
        with no one to deliver.
You will turn your power[l] against your adversaries,
    and all of your enemies will be cut down.”

God Removes Idolatry

10 “It will come about at that time,” declares the Lord,
    “I will tear away your horses from you,
        and I will destroy your chariots.
11 I will cut off the cities of your land,
    and I will tear down all of your fortifications.
12 I will render your witchcraft powerless,[m]
    and mediums will no longer exist among you.
13 I will separate you from your carved images and sacred pillars,
    and you no longer will worship
        what you’ve made with your hands.
14 I will uproot your cultic gods[n] from you,
    and I will tear down your cities.
15 I will execute vengeance, anger, and fury
    on the nations who do not obey.”

Footnotes

  1. Micah 5:1 5:1 is 4:14 in MT
  2. Micah 5:1 Lit. yourselves, you daughter of mobs
  3. Micah 5:1 Or ruler
  4. Micah 5:2 5:2 is 5:1 in MT, 5:3 is 5:2 in MT, and so throughout the chapter
  5. Micah 5:2 Or thousands
  6. Micah 5:2 The Heb. lacks has been
  7. Micah 5:3 Lit. Therefore he
  8. Micah 5:4 Or majesty
  9. Micah 5:4 The Heb. lacks firmly
  10. Micah 5:6 Lit. And they
  11. Micah 5:6 Lit. will deliver from
  12. Micah 5:9 Lit. hand
  13. Micah 5:12 Lit. will cut witchcraft out of your hands
  14. Micah 5:14 Heb. Asherim

A Promised Ruler From Bethlehem

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

“But you, Bethlehem(B) Ephrathah,(C)
    though you are small among the clans[b] of Judah,
out of you will come for me
    one who will be ruler(D) over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,(E)
    from ancient times.”(F)

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

He will stand and shepherd his flock(H)
    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(I)
    will reach to the ends of the earth.

And he will be our peace(J)
    when the Assyrians invade(K) our land
    and march through our fortresses.
We will raise against them seven shepherds,
    even eight commanders,(L)
who will rule[c] the land of Assyria with the sword,
    the land of Nimrod(M) with drawn sword.[d](N)
He will deliver us from the Assyrians
    when they invade our land
    and march across our borders.(O)

The remnant(P) of Jacob will be
    in the midst of many peoples
like dew(Q) from the Lord,
    like showers on the grass,(R)
which do not wait for anyone
    or depend on man.
The remnant of Jacob will be among the nations,
    in the midst of many peoples,
like a lion among the beasts of the forest,(S)
    like a young lion among flocks of sheep,
which mauls and mangles(T) as it goes,
    and no one can rescue.(U)
Your hand will be lifted up(V) in triumph over your enemies,
    and all your foes will be destroyed.

10 “In that day,” declares the Lord,

“I will destroy your horses from among you
    and demolish your chariots.(W)
11 I will destroy the cities(X) of your land
    and tear down all your strongholds.(Y)
12 I will destroy your witchcraft
    and you will no longer cast spells.(Z)
13 I will destroy your idols(AA)
    and your sacred stones from among you;(AB)
you will no longer bow down
    to the work of your hands.(AC)
14 I will uproot from among you your Asherah poles[e](AD)
    when I demolish your cities.
15 I will take vengeance(AE) in anger and wrath
    on the nations that have not obeyed me.”

Footnotes

  1. Micah 5:1 In Hebrew texts 5:1 is numbered 4:14, and 5:2-15 is numbered 5:1-14.
  2. Micah 5:2 Or rulers
  3. Micah 5:6 Or crush
  4. Micah 5:6 Or Nimrod in its gates
  5. Micah 5:14 That is, wooden symbols of the goddess Asherah

The Messiah Will Be Born at Bethlehem

Now gather yourself in troops,
O daughter of troops;
He has laid siege against us;
They will (A)strike the judge of Israel with a rod on the cheek.

The Coming Messiah

“But you, (B)Bethlehem (C)Ephrathah,
Though you are little (D)among the (E)thousands of Judah,
Yet out of you shall come forth to Me
The One to be (F)Ruler in Israel,
(G)Whose goings forth are from of old,
From [a]everlasting.”

Therefore He shall give them up,
Until the time that (H)she who is in labor has given birth;
Then (I)the remnant of His brethren
Shall return to the children of Israel.
And He shall stand and (J)feed[b] His flock
In the strength of the Lord,
In the majesty of the name of the Lord His God;
And they shall abide,
For now He (K)shall be great
To the ends of the earth;
And this One (L)shall be peace.

Judgment on Israel’s Enemies

When the Assyrian comes into our land,
And when he treads in our palaces,
Then we will raise against him
Seven shepherds and eight princely men.
They shall [c]waste with the sword the land of Assyria,
And the land of (M)Nimrod at its entrances;
Thus He shall (N)deliver us from the Assyrian,
When he comes into our land
And when he treads within our borders.

Then (O)the remnant of Jacob
Shall be in the midst of many peoples,
(P)Like dew from the Lord,
Like showers on the grass,
That [d]tarry for no man
Nor [e]wait for the sons of men.
And the remnant of Jacob
Shall be among the Gentiles,
In the midst of many peoples,
Like a (Q)lion among the beasts of the forest,
Like a young lion among flocks of sheep,
Who, if he passes through,
Both treads down and tears in pieces,
And none can deliver.
Your hand shall be lifted against your adversaries,
And all your enemies shall be [f]cut off.

10 “And it shall be in that day,” says the Lord,
“That I will (R)cut[g] off your (S)horses from your midst
And destroy your (T)chariots.
11 I will cut off the cities of your land
And throw down all your strongholds.
12 I will cut off sorceries from your hand,
And you shall have no (U)soothsayers.
13 (V)Your carved images I will also cut off,
And your sacred pillars from your midst;
You shall (W)no more worship the work of your hands;
14 I will pluck your [h]wooden images from your midst;
Thus I will destroy your cities.
15 And I will (X)execute vengeance in anger and fury
On the nations that have not [i]heard.”

Footnotes

  1. Micah 5:2 Lit. the days of eternity
  2. Micah 5:4 shepherd
  3. Micah 5:6 devastate
  4. Micah 5:7 wait
  5. Micah 5:7 delay
  6. Micah 5:9 destroyed
  7. Micah 5:10 destroy
  8. Micah 5:14 Heb. Asherim, Canaanite deities
  9. Micah 5:15 obeyed