Micah 5
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
5 [a]Now you are walled around with a wall;[b]
siege is laid against us;
with a rod they strike the ruler of Israel
upon the cheek.(A)
The Ruler from Bethlehem
2 [c]But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah,
who are one of the little clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
one who is to rule in Israel,
whose origin is from of old,
from ancient days.(B)
3 Therefore he shall give them up until the time
when she who is in labor has brought forth;
then the rest of his kindred shall return
to the people of Israel.(C)
4 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 live secure, for now he shall be great
to the ends of the earth,(D)
5 and he shall be the one of peace.
If the Assyrians come into our land
and tread upon our soil,[d]
we will raise against them seven shepherds
and eight rulers.(E)
6 They shall rule the land of Assyria with the sword
and the land of Nimrod with the drawn sword;[e]
they[f] shall rescue us from the Assyrians
if they come into our land
or tread within our border.(F)
The Future Role of the Remnant
7 Then the remnant of Jacob,
surrounded by many peoples,
shall be like dew from the Lord,
like showers on the grass,
which do not depend upon people
or wait for any mortal.(G)
8 And among the nations the remnant of Jacob,
surrounded by many peoples,
shall be like a lion among the animals of the forest,
like a young lion among the flocks of sheep,
which, when it goes through, treads down
and tears in pieces, with no one to deliver.(H)
9 Your hand shall be lifted up over your adversaries,
and all your enemies shall be cut off.(I)
10 On that day, says the Lord,
I will cut off your horses from among you
and will destroy your chariots;(J)
11 and I will cut off the cities of your land
and destroy all your strongholds;(K)
12 and I will cut off sorceries from your hand,
and you shall have no more soothsayers;(L)
13 and I will cut off your images
and your pillars from among you,
and you shall bow down no more
to the work of your hands;
14 and I will uproot your sacred poles[g] from among you
and destroy your towns.(M)
15 And in anger and wrath I will execute vengeance
on the nations that did not obey.(N)
Micah 5
International Standard Version
5 [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
2 [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.
3 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.”
4 “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.
5 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.
6 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:
7 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.
8 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.
9 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
- Micah 5:1 5:1 is 4:14 in MT
- Micah 5:1 Lit. yourselves, you daughter of mobs
- Micah 5:1 Or ruler
- Micah 5:2 5:2 is 5:1 in MT, 5:3 is 5:2 in MT, and so throughout the chapter
- Micah 5:2 Or thousands
- Micah 5:2 The Heb. lacks has been
- Micah 5:3 Lit. Therefore he
- Micah 5:4 Or majesty
- Micah 5:4 The Heb. lacks firmly
- Micah 5:6 Lit. And they
- Micah 5:6 Lit. will deliver from
- Micah 5:9 Lit. hand
- Micah 5:12 Lit. will cut witchcraft out of your hands
- Micah 5:14 Heb. Asherim
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