Micah 5

FROM DEFEATED RULER TO CONQUERING KING

5Now, daughter who is under attack,

you slash yourself in grief;

a siege is set against us!

They are striking the judge^g of Israel

on the cheek with a rod.

²Bethlehem Ephrathah,^h

you are small among the clans of Judah;

one will come from youⁱ

to be ruler over Israel for me.^j

His origin^D is from antiquity,^k

from ancient times.

³Therefore, Israel will be abandoned^l until the time

when she who is in labor^m has given birth;

then the rest of the ruler’s brothersⁿ will return

to the people of Israel.^o

⁴He will stand and shepherd them^p

in the strength of the Lord,

in the majestic name of the Lord his God.

They will live securely,

for then his greatness will extend

to the ends of the earth.^q

⁵He will be their peace.^r

When Assyria invades our land,^s

when it marches against our fortresses,

we will raise against it seven shepherds,

even eight leaders of men.

⁶They will shepherd^t the land of Assyria with the sword,

the land of Nimrod^u with a drawn blade.^A

So he will rescue us^v from Assyria

when it invades our land,

when it marches against our territory.

THE GLORIOUS AND PURIFIED REMNANT

⁷Then the remnant of Jacob^w

will be among many peoples

like dew from the Lord,^x

like showers on the grass,^y

which do not wait for anyone

or linger for mankind.

⁸Then the remnant of Jacob

will be among the nations, among many peoples,

like a lion among animals of the forest,^z

like a young lion among flocks of sheep,

which tramples^aa and tears^ab as it passes through,

and there is no one to rescue them.^ac

⁹Your hand will be lifted up against your adversaries,^ad

and all your enemies will be destroyed.

¹⁰In that day—

this is the Lord’s declaration—

I will remove your horses from you^ae

and wreck your chariots.

¹¹I will remove the cities of your land^af

and tear down all your fortresses.^ag

¹²I will remove sorceries from your hands,^ah

and you will not have any more fortune-tellers.

¹³I will remove your carved images^ai

and sacred pillars from you

so that you will no longer worship

the work of your hands.

¹⁴I will pull up the Asherah poles^aj from among you^ak

and demolish your cities.^B

¹⁵I will take vengeance in anger and wrath^al

against the nations that have not obeyed me.