Micah
Chapter 5
But you, Bethlehem-Ephrathah,
though you are small
and hardly recognized
among the clans of Judah,
from you I will raise up the one
who will rule over Israel;
he comes from of old,
from ancient times.
Therefore, the Lord will forsake Israel
until the time she who is to give birth
has given birth.
Then, the remaining
of his exiled brothers
will return to the people of Israel.
He will stand and shepherd his flock
with the strength of the Lord,
in the glorious Name of the Lord, his God.
They will live safely,
while he gains renown
to the ends of the earth.
He shall be peace.
When the Assyrian invades our land
and sets foot on our territory,
we will raise against him
not one, but seven shepherds;
eight warlords.
They will govern Assyria
with the sword,
and Babylonia with the bare blade.
He will save us from the Assyrians
when they come into our land,
when they step across our borders.
Then the remnant of Jacob will be
in the midst of many peoples,
like dew dropping down
from the Lord,
like showers falling on the grass.
For they do not place
their hope in man
or expect anything from mortals.
The remnant of Jacob will then be
among many peoples,
like a lion among the beasts of the forest,
like a young lion in a flock of sheep,
trampling down as it goes,
mangling its prey,
and with no rescuer in sight.
May your hand be lifted high
over your enemies,
and may all your foes perish.
“On that day—the Lord speaks—
I will drive away your horses;
I will wreck your chariots,
I will demolish your cities
and tear down your strongholds.
I will eliminate your witchcraft
and banish the soothsayers.
I will remove your carved images,
the sacred stones from among you,
so that you no longer worship
the work of your hands.
I will pull down your sacred poles
and destroy all your idols.
In furious rage,
I will take vengeance upon the nations
that have defied me.”