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
Lexham English Bible
A Ruler from Bethlehem
5 [a] Now muster troops, O daughter of troops;
a siege he puts against us.
They strike the ruler of Israel
with a rod on the cheek.
2 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
too small to be among the clans of Judah,
from you one will go out for me,
to be ruler in Israel;
and his origins are from of old,
from ancient days.
3 Therefore he will give them up
until the time of she who is with child has given birth.
And the rest of his brothers will return
to the children of Israel.
4 And he will stand and shepherd his flock
in the strength of Yahweh,
in the majesty of the name of Yahweh his God.
And they will live,
for now he will be great unto the ends of the earth.
5 And this one will be peace.
As for the Assyrian,[b] when he comes into our land
and when he treads on our fortresses,
then we will raise up against him seven shepherds
and eight leaders of men.
6 And they will shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword,
and the land of Nimrod at its entrances.
And he will rescue us from the Assyrian[c]
when he comes into our land,
and when they tread upon our border.
A Remnant Delivered
7 And the remnant of Jacob will be
in the midst of many nations,
like dew from Yahweh,
like showers upon the grass
which does not wait for a man,
nor delays for the children of humankind.
8 And the remnant of Jacob will be among the nations,
in the midst of many peoples,
like a lion among the wild animals of the forest,
like a young lion among the herds of sheep
which, when it passes through and treads down
and tears in pieces, there is none who can deliver.
9 Your hand will be lifted high over your enemies,
and all your foes will be cut off.
10 “And it will happen that in that day,” declares[d] Yahweh,
“then I will cut off your horses from among you,
and I will destroy your chariots.
11 And I will cut off the cities of your land,
and I will demolish all your fortifications.
12 And I will cut off sorceries from your hand,
and you will not have soothsayers.
13 And I will cut off your idols
and your stone pillars from among you,
and you will no longer bow down
to the work of your hands.
14 And I will uproot your Asherahs from among you,
and I will destroy your cities.
15 And in anger and in wrath I will execute vengeance
on the nations who did not obey.”
Footnotes
- Micah 5:1 Micah 5:1–15 in the English Bible is 4:14–5:14 in the Hebrew Bible
- Micah 5:5 Hebrew “Assyria”
- Micah 5:6 Hebrew “Assyria”
- Micah 5:10 Literally “a declaration of”
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
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