1Now 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.
2But 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.
3Therefore 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.
4And 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.
5And 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.
6And 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.
7And 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.
8And 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.
9Thine hand shall be lifted up upon thine
adversaries, and all thine enemies shall be cut off.
10And 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:
11And I will cut off the cities of thy land,
and throw down all thy strong holds:
12And I will cut off witchcrafts out of thine
hand; and thou shalt have no more soothsayers:
13Thy 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.
14And I will pluck up thy groves out of the
midst of thee: so will I destroy thy cities.
15And I will execute vengeance in anger and
fury upon the heathen, such as they have not heard.