1 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.

2 But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,

being small among the clans of Judah,

out of you one will come out to me who is to be ruler in Israel;

whose goings out are from of old, from ancient times.

3 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.

4 He shall stand, and shall shepherd in the strength of Yahweh,

in the majesty of the name of Yahweh his God.

They will live, for then he will be great to the ends of the earth.

5 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.

6 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.

7 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.

8 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.

9 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 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.

You shall have no soothsayers.

13 I will cut off your engraved images and your pillars from among you;

and you shall no more worship the work of your hands.

14 I will uproot your Asherah poles 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."

1 Now thou shalt be besieged by armies, O daughter of [the] army: he shall lay siege against us; they shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek.

2 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 Lord in Israel; and his goings forth [are] from the beginning, from the days of the ages.

3 Therefore he will give them up until the time [that] she who travails has brought forth; then the remnant of his brethren shall return with the sons of Israel.

4 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 he shall be great unto the ends of the earth.

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

6 And they shall waste the land of Assyria with the blade, and the land of Nimrod with their swords; and he shall deliver [us] from the Assyrian when he comes against our land and when he treads [within] our borders.

7 And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many peoples as the dew of the LORD, as the rains upon the grass, which did not expect [a] man, nor did they expect the sons of men.

8 And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles in the midst of many peoples as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep, who, if he goes through and treads down and tears in pieces, there are none that can escape.

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

10 And it shall come to pass in that day, said the LORD, that I will cause thy horses to be killed out of the midst of thee, and I will cause thy chariots to be destroyed:

11 and I will cause all the cities of thy land to be destroyed, and I will cause all thy fortresses to be destroyed:

12 and I will cause the witchcrafts to be destroyed by thy hand; and no [more] soothsayers shall be found in thee:

13 and I will cause thy graven images and thy images to be destroyed out of the midst of thee; and never again shalt thou 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 in the Gentiles who have not heard.: