1 Now, daughter who is under attack,

you slash yourself in grief;

a siege is set against us!

They are striking the judge  * of Israel

on the cheek with a rod.

2 Bethlehem Ephrathah,  *

you are small among the clans of Judah;

one will come from you  *

to be ruler over Israel for me.  *

His origin  * is from antiquity,  *

from ancient times.

3 Therefore, Israel will be abandoned  * until the time

when she who is in labor  * has given birth;

then the rest of the ruler’s brothers  * will return

to the people of Israel.  *

4 He will stand and shepherd them  *

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.  *

5 He will be their peace.  *

When Assyria invades our land,  *

when it marches against our fortresses,

we will raise against it seven shepherds,

even eight leaders of men.

6 They will shepherd  * the land of Assyria with the sword,

the land of Nimrod  * with a drawn blade.  *

So he will rescue us  * from Assyria

when it invades our land,

when it marches against our territory.

7 Then the remnant of Jacob  *

will be among many peoples

like dew from the  Lord,  *

like showers on the grass,  *

which do not wait for anyone

or linger for mankind.

8 Then the remnant of Jacob

will be among the nations, among many peoples,

like a lion among animals of the forest,  *

like a young lion among flocks of sheep,

which tramples  * and tears  * as it passes through,

and there is no one to rescue them.  *

9 Your hand will be lifted up against your adversaries,  *

and all your enemies will be destroyed.

10 In that day —

this is the  Lord’s declaration —

I will remove your horses from you  *

and wreck your chariots.

11 I will remove the cities of your land  *

and tear down all your fortresses.  *

12 I will remove sorceries from your hands,  *

and you will not have any more fortune-tellers.

13 I will remove your carved images  *

and sacred pillars from you

so that you will no longer worship

the work of your hands.

14 I will pull up the Asherah poles  * from among you  *

and demolish your cities.  *

15 I will take vengeance in anger and wrath  *

against the nations that have not obeyed me.