 1 Now gather together in troops, daughter of a troop. One sets a siege against us. They will strike the judge of Israel with a rod on the cheek. 2 You, Bethlehem Ephratah, you being least among the thousands of Judah, out of you He will come forth to become ruler in Israel, He whose goings forth have been from of old, from the days of eternity. 3 Therefore He will give them over until the time the one giving birth has given birth. Then the rest of His brothers will return to the children of Israel. 4 He will stand and feed in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord His God. They will sit. For now He will be great to the ends of the earth. 5 This one will be peace. When Assyria will come into our land and will walk in our palaces, then we will raise against him seven shepherds and eight anointed ones from men. 6 They will mar the land of Assyria with the sword and the land of Nimrod at her own entrances. He will deliver us from Assyria when he comes into our land and when he treads within our border. 7 The remnant of Jacob will be in the midst of many people, as dew from the Lord, as showers on a blade of the grass that does not wait for man, nor delay for the sons of men. 8 The remnant of Jacob will be among the nations, in the midst of many people, like a lion among the beasts of the forest, like a young lion among the flocks of sheep, who, if he goes through, both tramples and tears in pieces. And there is none to snatch back. 9 Your hand will be high above your foes, and all your enemies will be cut off. 10 In that day, says the Lord, I will cut off your horses out of your midst, and I will destroy your chariots. 11 I will cut off the cities of your land, and throw down all your strongholds. 12 I will cut off witchcraft out of your hand, and there will not be fortune tellers among you. 13 I will also cut off your graven images, and your pillars out of the midst of you. And you shall never again worship the work of your hands. 14 I will pluck your shrines out of the midst of you. So I will destroy your cities. 15 I will execute vengeance in anger and fury on the nations, such as they have not heard.
|