Micah 5
English Standard Version
The Ruler to Be Born in Bethlehem
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 labor 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.
A Remnant Shall Be Delivered
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.
Micah 5
New Living Translation
5 [a]Mobilize! Marshal your troops!
The enemy is laying siege to Jerusalem.
They will strike Israel’s leader
in the face with a rod.
A Ruler from Bethlehem
2 [b]But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
are only a small village among all the people of Judah.
Yet a ruler of Israel,
whose origins are in the distant past,
will come from you on my behalf.
3 The people of Israel will be abandoned to their enemies
until the woman in labor gives birth.
Then at last his fellow countrymen
will return from exile to their own land.
4 And he will stand to lead his flock with the Lord’s strength,
in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
Then his people will live there undisturbed,
for he will be highly honored around the world.
5 And he will be the source of peace.
When the Assyrians invade our land
and break through our defenses,
we will appoint seven rulers to watch over us,
eight princes to lead us.
6 They will rule Assyria with drawn swords
and enter the gates of the land of Nimrod.
He will rescue us from the Assyrians
when they pour over the borders to invade our land.
The Remnant Purified
7 Then the remnant left in Israel[c]
will take their place among the nations.
They will be like dew sent by the Lord
or like rain falling on the grass,
which no one can hold back
and no one can restrain.
8 The remnant left in Israel
will take their place among the nations.
They will be like a lion among the animals of the forest,
like a strong young lion among flocks of sheep and goats,
pouncing and tearing as they go
with no rescuer in sight.
9 The people of Israel will stand up to their foes,
and all their enemies will be wiped out.
10 “In that day,” says the Lord,
“I will slaughter your horses
and destroy your chariots.
11 I will tear down your walls
and demolish your defenses.
12 I will put an end to all witchcraft,
and there will be no more fortune-tellers.
13 I will destroy all your idols and sacred pillars,
so you will never again worship the work of your own hands.
14 I will abolish your idol shrines with their Asherah poles
and destroy your pagan cities.
15 I will pour out my vengeance
on all the nations that refuse to obey me.”
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
