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Now gather yourself in troops, O daughter of troops; a state of siege has been placed against us. They shall smite the ruler of Israel with a rod (a scepter) on the cheek.

But you, Bethlehem Ephratah, you are little to be among the clans of Judah; [yet] out of you shall One come forth for Me Who is to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth have been from of old, from ancient days (eternity).(A)

Therefore shall He give them up until the time that she who travails has brought forth; then what is left of His brethren shall return to the children of Israel.

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 dwell [secure], for then shall He be great [even] to the ends of the earth.(B)

And this [One] shall be our peace. When the Assyrian comes into our land and treads upon our soil and in our palaces, then will we raise against him seven shepherds and eight princes among men.(C)

And they shall rule and waste the land of Assyria with the sword and the land of Nimrod within her [Assyria’s own] gates. Thus shall He [the Messiah] deliver us from the Assyrian [representing the opposing powers] when he comes into our land and when he treads on our borders.

Then the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many peoples like dew from the Lord, like showers upon the grass which [come suddenly and] tarry not for man nor wait for the sons of men.(D)

And 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 [suddenly appearing] among the flocks of sheep which, when it goes through, treads down and tears in pieces, and there is no deliverer.

Your hand will be lifted up above your adversaries, and all your enemies shall be cut off.

10 And in that day, says the Lord, I will cut off your horses [on which you depend] from among you and will destroy your chariots.(E)

11 And I will cut off the cities of your land and throw down all your strongholds.

12 And I will cut off witchcrafts and sorceries from your hand, and you shall have no more soothsayers.

13 Your carved images also I will cut off and your statues or pillars out of your midst, and you shall no more worship the work of your hands.

14 And I will root out your Asherim [symbols of the goddess Asherah] and I will destroy your cities [the seats of false worship].(F)

15 And in anger and wrath I will execute vengeance upon the nations which would not obey [vengeance such as they have not heard of before].

From Defeated Ruler to Conquering King

[a]Now, daughter who is under attack,
you slash yourself in grief;
a siege is set against us!
They are striking the judge(A) of Israel
on the cheek with a rod.
[b]Bethlehem Ephrathah,(B)
you are small among the clans of Judah;
One will come from you(C)
to be ruler over Israel for Me.(D)
His origin[c] is from antiquity,(E)
from eternity.[d]
Therefore, He will abandon them(F) until the time
when she who is in labor(G) has given birth;
then the rest of His brothers(H) will return
to the people of Israel.(I)
He will stand and shepherd them(J)
in the strength of Yahweh,
in the majestic name of Yahweh His God.
They will live securely,
for then His greatness will extend
to the ends of the earth.(K)
He will be their peace.(L)
When Assyria invades our land,(M)
when it marches against our fortresses,
we will raise against it seven shepherds,
even eight leaders of men.
They will shepherd(N) the land of Assyria with the sword,
the land of Nimrod(O) with a drawn blade.[e]
So He will rescue us(P) from Assyria
when it invades our land,
when it marches against our territory.

The Glorious and Purified Remnant

Then the remnant of Jacob(Q)
will be among many peoples
like dew from the Lord,(R)
like showers on the grass,(S)
which do not wait for anyone
or linger for mankind.
Then the remnant of Jacob
will be among the nations, among many peoples,
like a lion among animals of the forest,(T)
like a young lion among flocks of sheep,
which tramples(U) and tears(V) as it passes through,
and there is no one to rescue them.(W)
Your hand will be lifted up against your adversaries,(X)
and all your enemies will be destroyed.

10 In that day—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
I will remove your horses from you(Y)
and wreck your chariots.
11 I will remove the cities of your land(Z)
and tear down all your fortresses.(AA)
12 I will remove sorceries from your hands,(AB)
and you will not have any more fortune-tellers.
13 I will remove your carved images(AC)
and sacred pillars from you
so that you will not bow down again
to the work of your hands.
14 I will pull up the Asherah poles(AD) from among you(AE)
and demolish your cities.[f]
15 I will take vengeance in anger and wrath(AF)
against the nations that have not obeyed Me.

Footnotes

  1. Micah 5:1 Mc 4:14 in Hb
  2. Micah 5:2 Mc 5:1 in Hb
  3. Micah 5:2 Lit His going out
  4. Micah 5:2 Or from ancient times
  5. Micah 5:6 Aq, Vg; MT, Sym read Nimrod at its gateways
  6. Micah 5:14 Or shrines

The Leader Who Will Shepherd-Rule Israel

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.

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.”

Povo de Jerusalém, prepare-se para se defender, pois as tropas inimigas estão cercando a cidade e querem matar o rei de Israel!

Deus promete um rei para o seu povo

O Senhor Deus diz:

— Belém-Efrata, você é uma das menores cidades de Judá, mas do seu meio farei sair aquele que será o rei de Israel. Ele será descendente de uma família que começou em tempos antigos, num passado muito distante.

Deus vai entregar os israelitas nas mãos do inimigo, que os dominará até que nasça o filho da mulher que está para dar à luz. Então os israelitas que estão no cativeiro voltarão a se reunir com os seus patrícios na Terra Prometida. O rei virá e será o pastor do seu povo, governando-o com a força que o Senhor lhe dará e em nome do Senhor, o seu glorioso Deus. O seu povo viverá em segurança, pois o seu poder alcançará os lugares mais distantes do mundo. E ele trará a paz.

Quando os assírios invadirem o nosso país e conquistarem as nossas fortalezas, nós mandaremos para lutar contra eles os nossos líderes mais importantes. Estes invadirão a terra de Ninrode, isto é, a Assíria, e a conquistarão. E assim, quando os assírios atacarem o nosso país, o rei nos salvará.

Os israelitas que continuarem vivos serão para os outros povos como o sereno que o Senhor manda sobre a terra, como a chuva que cai nas plantas. Eles contarão com a ajuda de Deus e não com a dos seres humanos. Os israelitas que continuarem vivos serão no meio dos outros povos como um leão entre os animais selvagens, como um leão novo que ataca um rebanho de ovelhas e as agarra e despedaça, sem que ninguém as possa salvar. Assim o povo de Israel conquistará e matará todos os seus inimigos.

10 O Senhor diz ao povo de Israel:

— Naquele dia, matarei os seus cavalos e destruirei os seus carros de guerra. 11 Deixarei em ruínas as cidades e derrubarei as fortalezas. 12 Acabarei com as suas feitiçarias e os deixarei sem adivinhos. 13 Destruirei os seus ídolos e as colunas do deus Baal, e vocês nunca mais adorarão objetos feitos por vocês mesmos.

14 Derrubarei todos os postes da deusa Aserá e destruirei as cidades. 15 Na minha ira, no meu furor, eu me vingarei de todas as nações que me desobedeceram.