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Now you shall gather yourself in troops,
    daughter of troops.
He has laid siege against us.
    They will strike the judge of Israel with a rod on the cheek.
But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
    being small among the clans of Judah,
    out of you one will come out to me that is to be ruler in Israel;
    whose goings out are from of old, from ancient times.
Therefore he will abandon them until the time that she who is in labor gives birth.
    Then the rest of his brothers will return to the children of Israel.
He shall stand, and shall shepherd in the strength of Yahweh,
    in the majesty of the name of Yahweh his God:
    and they will live, for then he will be great to the ends of the earth.
He will be our peace when Assyria invades our land,
    and when he marches through our fortresses,
    then we will raise against him seven shepherds,
    and eight leaders of men.
They will rule the land of Assyria with the sword,
    and the land of Nimrod in its gates.
He will deliver us from the Assyrian,
    when he invades our land,
    and when he marches within our border.
The remnant of Jacob will be among many peoples,
    like dew from Yahweh,
    like showers on the grass,
    that don’t wait for man,
    nor wait for the sons of men.
The remnant of Jacob will be among the nations,
    among many peoples,
    like a lion among the animals of the forest,
    like a young lion among the flocks of sheep;
    who, if he goes through, treads down and tears in pieces,
    and there is no one to deliver.
Let your hand be lifted up above your adversaries,
    and let all of your enemies be cut off.
10 “It will happen in that day”, says Yahweh,
    “that I will cut off your horses out from among you,
    and will destroy your chariots.
11 I will cut off the cities of your land,
    and will tear down all your strongholds.
12 I will destroy witchcraft from your hand;
    and you shall have no soothsayers.
13 I will cut off your engraved images and your pillars out from among you;
    and you shall no more worship the work of your hands.
14 I will uproot your Asherah poles out from among you;
    and I will destroy your cities.
15 I will execute vengeance in anger,
    and wrath on the nations that didn’t listen.”

[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

[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.
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.
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.
    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.
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

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.
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.
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.”

Footnotes

  1. 5:1 Verse 5:1 is numbered 4:14 in Hebrew text.
  2. 5:2 Verses 5:2-15 are numbered 5:1-14 in Hebrew text.
  3. 5:7 Hebrew in Jacob; also in 5:8. See note on 1:5a.