Chapter 5
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."