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Now thou, daughter of a thief, shalt be destroyed; they putted on us besieging, in a rod they shall smite the cheek of the judge of Israel. (Now, daughter of a thief, thou shalt be destroyed; they have put besieging against us, and they shall strike the cheek of the judge, or of the ruler, of Israel with a rod.)

And thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, art little in the thousands of Judah; he that is the lordly governor in Israel shall go out of thee to me (but he who shall be the ruler, or the governor, in Israel shall go out of thee to me); and the going out of him is from [the] beginning, from (the) days of everlastingness.

For this thing he shall give them (up), till to the time in which the (woman) travailing of child shall bear child, and the remnants of his brethren shall be turned again to the sons of Israel. (For this thing he shall give them all up, until the time in which the woman with child in labour shall give birth to her child, and then the remnants of his kinsmen shall return to the Israelites.)

And he shall stand, and shall feed in the strength of the Lord, in the height of the name of his Lord God; and they shall be converted, for now he shall be magnified till to the ends of all earth. (And he shall stand, and shall rule them in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God; and they shall continue in safety and security, for now he shall be magnified unto the ends of the earth.)

And this shall be peace, when (the) Assyrian shall come into our land, and when he shall tread in our houses; and we shall raise on him seven shepherds, and eight primates men, either the first in dignity. (And he shall be a man of peace. But when the Assyrians shall come into our land, and when they shall tread down our houses, then we shall raise up against them seven or eight shepherds, or primates, that is, those who be the first in dignity.)

And they shall waste the land of Assur by sword, and the land of Nimrod by (the) spears of him; and he shall deliver us from Assur, when he shall come into our land, and when he shall tread in our coasts. (And they shall destroy the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod with their spears; and they shall save us from the Assyrians, when they shall come into our land, and when they shall tread upon all our coasts.)

And remnants of Jacob shall be in the midst of many peoples, as dew of the Lord, and as drops on herb, which abideth not man, and shall not abide the sons of men. (And the remnants of Jacob shall be in the midst of many peoples, like dew from the Lord, and like drops on the grass, which do not wait for people, and do not follow their commands.)

And remnants of Jacob shall be in heathen men, in the middle of many peoples, as a lion among beasts of the woods, and as a whelp of a lion roaring in flocks of sheep; and when he passeth, and defouleth, and taketh, there is not that shall deliver. (And the remnants of Jacob shall be among the heathen, in the midst of many peoples, like a lion among the beasts of the woods, and like a lion’s cub roaring among the flocks of sheep; and when he passeth by, and taketh, and defileth them, there is no one who shall save them.)

And thine hand shall be raised (up)on thine enemies, and all thine enemies shall perish.

10 And it shall be, in that day, saith the Lord, I shall take away thine horses from the middle of thee, and I shall destroy thy four-horsed carts. (And it shall be, on that day, saith the Lord, I shall take away thy horses from thy midst, and I shall destroy thy chariots.)

11 And I shall lose the cities of thy land, and I shall destroy all thy strongholds, either wardings; (And I shall destroy the cities of thy land, and I shall destroy all thy fortresses;)

12 and I shall do away witchcrafts from thine hand, and divinations, either tellings by devil’s craft, shall not be in thee. (and I shall do away witchcraft from thee, and no more shall there be divinations, or fortunetelling by the devil’s craft, among thee.)

13 And I shall make for to perish thy graven images, and I shall break together from the middle of thee thine images, and thou shalt no more worship the works of thine hands. (And I shall make thy carved idols to perish, and I shall altogether break thy images, or thy figures, in thy midst, and thou shalt no more worship the works of thy hands.)

14 And I shall draw out of the midst of thee thy woods (dedicated to idols), and I shall all-break thy cities. (And I shall pull down thy sacred poles in thy midst, and I shall altogether break, or completely destroy, thy cities.)

15 And I shall make in wrath and indignation vengeance in all folks, which heard not. (And in anger and indignation, I shall take vengeance upon all the nations, who did not obey me.)

A Promised Ruler From Bethlehem

[a]Marshal your troops now, city of troops,
    for a siege is laid against us.
They will strike Israel’s ruler
    on the cheek(A) with a rod.

“But you, Bethlehem(B) Ephrathah,(C)
    though you are small among the clans[b] of Judah,
out of you will come for me
    one who will be ruler(D) over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,(E)
    from ancient times.”(F)

Therefore Israel will be abandoned(G)
    until the time when she who is in labor bears a son,
and the rest of his brothers return
    to join the Israelites.

He will stand and shepherd his flock(H)
    in the strength of the Lord,
    in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they will live securely, for then his greatness(I)
    will reach to the ends of the earth.

And he will be our peace(J)
    when the Assyrians invade(K) our land
    and march through our fortresses.
We will raise against them seven shepherds,
    even eight commanders,(L)
who will rule[c] the land of Assyria with the sword,
    the land of Nimrod(M) with drawn sword.[d](N)
He will deliver us from the Assyrians
    when they invade our land
    and march across our borders.(O)

The remnant(P) of Jacob will be
    in the midst of many peoples
like dew(Q) from the Lord,
    like showers on the grass,(R)
which do not wait for anyone
    or depend on man.
The remnant of Jacob will be among the nations,
    in the midst of many peoples,
like a lion among the beasts of the forest,(S)
    like a young lion among flocks of sheep,
which mauls and mangles(T) as it goes,
    and no one can rescue.(U)
Your hand will be lifted up(V) in triumph over your enemies,
    and all your foes will be destroyed.

10 “In that day,” declares the Lord,

“I will destroy your horses from among you
    and demolish your chariots.(W)
11 I will destroy the cities(X) of your land
    and tear down all your strongholds.(Y)
12 I will destroy your witchcraft
    and you will no longer cast spells.(Z)
13 I will destroy your idols(AA)
    and your sacred stones from among you;(AB)
you will no longer bow down
    to the work of your hands.(AC)
14 I will uproot from among you your Asherah poles[e](AD)
    when I demolish your cities.
15 I will take vengeance(AE) in anger and wrath
    on the nations that have not obeyed me.”

Footnotes

  1. Micah 5:1 In Hebrew texts 5:1 is numbered 4:14, and 5:2-15 is numbered 5:1-14.
  2. Micah 5:2 Or rulers
  3. Micah 5:6 Or crush
  4. Micah 5:6 Or Nimrod in its gates
  5. Micah 5:14 That is, wooden symbols of the goddess Asherah

Now gather thyself in troops, O daughter of troops: he hath laid siege against us: they shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek.

But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel.

And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.

And this man shall be the peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land: and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men.

And they shall waste the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in the entrances thereof: thus shall he deliver us from the Assyrian, when he cometh into our land, and when he treadeth within our borders.

And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many people as a dew from the Lord, as the showers upon the grass, that tarrieth not for man, nor waiteth for the sons of men.

And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles in the midst of many people as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep: who, if he go through, both treadeth down, and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver.

Thine hand shall be lifted up upon thine adversaries, and all thine enemies shall be cut off.

10 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord, that I will cut off thy horses out of the midst of thee, and I will destroy thy chariots:

11 And I will cut off the cities of thy land, and throw down all thy strong holds:

12 And I will cut off witchcrafts out of thine hand; and thou shalt have no more soothsayers:

13 Thy graven images also will I cut off, and thy standing images out of the midst of thee; and thou shalt no more worship the work of thine hands.

14 And I will pluck up thy groves out of the midst of thee: so will I destroy thy cities.

15 And I will execute vengeance in anger and fury upon the heathen, such as they have not heard.