Micah 5:2–15

²“¹But as for ^ayou, Bethlehem Ephrathah,

Too little to be among the clans of Judah,

From ^byou One will go forth for Me to be ^cruler in Israel.

²His goings forth are ^dfrom long ago,

From the days of eternity.”

³Therefore He will ^agive them up until the time

When she ^bwho is in labor has borne a child.

Then the ^cremainder of His brethren

Will return to the sons of Israel.

⁴And He will arise and ^ashepherd His flock

In the strength of the Lord,

In the majesty of the name of the Lord His God.

And they will ¹remain,

Because ²at that time He will be great

To the ^bends of the earth.

⁵This One ^awill be our peace.

When the ^bAssyrian invades our land,

When he tramples on our ¹citadels,

Then we will raise against him

Seven shepherds and eight leaders of men.

⁶They will ^ashepherd the land of Assyria with the sword,

The land of ^bNimrod at its entrances;

And He will ^cdeliver us from the Assyrian

When he attacks our land

And when he tramples our territory.

⁷Then the ^aremnant of Jacob

Will be among many peoples

Like ^bdew from the Lord,

Like ^cshowers on vegetation

Which do not wait for man

Or delay for the sons of men.

⁸The remnant of Jacob

Will be among the nations,

Among many peoples

^aLike a lion among the beasts of the forest,

Like a young lion among flocks of sheep,

Which, if he passes through,

^bTramples down and ^ctears,

And there is ^dnone to rescue.

⁹Your hand will be ^alifted up against your adversaries,

And all your enemies will be cut off.

¹⁰“It will be in that day,” declares the Lord,

“^aThat I will cut off your ^bhorses from among you

And destroy your chariots.

¹¹“I will also cut off the ^acities of your land

And tear down all your ^bfortifications.

¹²“I will cut off ^asorceries from your hand,

And you will have fortune-tellers no more.

¹³“^aI will cut off your carved images

And your sacred pillars from among you,

So that you will no longer bow down

To the work of your hands.

¹⁴“I will root out your ^1aAsherim from among you

And destroy your cities.

¹⁵“And I will ^aexecute vengeance in anger and wrath

On the nations which have not obeyed.”