A Ruler From Bethlehem

1 (a)Now muster yourselves in troops, daughter of troops;(b)They have laid siege against us;With a rod they will (A)smite the judge of Israel on the cheek.

1 Now 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.

1 (a)Now, daughter who is under attack,you slash yourself in grief;a siege is set against us!They are striking the judge(A) of Israelon the cheek with a rod.

1 "Now marshal yourselves as troops. He has laid siege to us. They will strike the judge of Israel on the cheek with a rod."

1 “Now gather yourself in troops, O daughter of troops;A state of siege has been placed against us.They shall strike the ruler of Israel on the cheek with a rod (scepter).

God Promises A Ruler From Bethlehem

2 (c)But as for (B)you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,Too little to be among the clans of Judah,From (C)you One will go forth for Me to be (D)ruler in Israel.(d)His goings forth are (E)from long ago,From the days of eternity.”

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 ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

2 (b)Bethlehem Ephrathah,(B)you are small among the clans of Judah;One will come from you(C)to be ruler over Israel for Me.(D)His origin(c) is from antiquity,(E)from eternity.(d)

2 "As for you, Bethlehem of Ephrathah, even though you remain least among the clans of Judah, nevertheless, the one who rules in Israel for me will emerge from you. His existence has been from antiquity, even from eternity.

2 “But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,Too little to be among the clans of Judah;From you One shall come forth for Me [who is] to be Ruler in Israel,His goings forth (appearances) are from long ago,From (a)ancient days.”(A)

3 Therefore He will (F)give them up until the timeWhen she (G)who is in labor has borne a child.Then the (H)remainder of His brethrenWill return to the sons of Israel.

3 Therefore 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.

3 Therefore, He will abandon them(F) until the timewhen she who is in labor(G) has given birth;then the rest of His brothers(H) will returnto the people of Israel.(I)

3 Therefore that ruler will abandon them until the woman in labor gives birth. Then the rest of his countrymen will return to the Israelis."

3 Therefore, He will give them up until the timeWhen she who is in labor has given birth to a child.Then what is left of His kinsmenShall return to the children of Israel.

4 And He will arise and (I)shepherd His flockIn the strength of the Lord,In the majesty of the name of the Lord His God.And they will (e)remain,Because (f)at that time He will be greatTo the (J)ends of the earth.

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 shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.

4 He will stand and shepherd them(J)in the strength of Yahweh,in the majestic name of Yahweh His God.They will live securely,for then His greatness will extendto the ends of the earth.(K)

4 "Then he will take his stand, shepherding by means of the strength of the LORD, by the power of the name of the LORD his God. And they will be firmly established; indeed, from then on he will become great to the ends of the earth.

4 And He shall stand and shepherd and guide His flockIn the strength of the Lord,In the majesty of the name of the Lord His God;And they shall dwell [secure in undisturbed peace],Because at that time He shall be great [extending His authority][Even] to the ends of the earth.(B)

5 This One (K)will be our peace.When the (L)Assyrian invades our land,When he tramples on our (g)citadels,Then we will raise against himSeven shepherds and eight leaders of men.

5 And 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.

5 He will be their peace.(L)When Assyria invades our land,(M)when it marches against our fortresses,we will raise against it seven shepherds,even eight leaders of men.

5 And he will be our peace." "When the Assyrian invades our land, trampling through our palaces, we will raise up seven shepherds against him, even eight significant men.

5 This One [the Messiah] shall be our peace.When the Assyrian invades our landAnd tramples on our citadels and in our palaces,Then shall we raise against himSeven shepherds and eight princes [an overpowering force] among men.(C)

Deliverance And Punishment

6 They will (M)shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword,The land of (N)Nimrod at its entrances;And He will (O)deliver us from the AssyrianWhen he attacks our landAnd when he tramples our territory.

6 And 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.

6 They will shepherd(N) the land of Assyria with the sword,the land of Nimrod(O) with a drawn blade.(e)So He will rescue us(P) from Assyriawhen it invades our land,when it marches against our territory.

6 The shepherds will devastate the land of Assyria with the sword, along with the entrances to the land of Nimrod. "This is how he will vanquish Assyria when he invades our land, trampling within our borders:

6 They shall devastate the land of Assyria with the sword andThe land of Nimrod within her [own] gates.And He (the Messiah) shall rescue us from the Assyrian (all enemy nations)When he attacks our landAnd when he tramples our territory.

A Remnant Delivered

7 Then the (P)remnant of JacobWill be among many peoplesLike (Q)dew from the Lord,Like (R)showers on vegetationWhich do not wait for manOr delay for the sons of men.

7 And 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.

7 Then the remnant of Jacob(Q)will be among many peopleslike dew from the Lord,(R)like showers on the grass,(S)which do not wait for anyoneor linger for mankind.

7 The survivors of Jacob will live among many nations, as dew from the LORD, as showers upon the grass. They will look to no one, and will place no hope in human beings.

7 Then the remnant of JacobShall be among many peoplesLike dew from the Lord,Like showers on the grass [a source of blessing]Which [come suddenly and] do not wait for manNor delay for the sons of men.(D)

8 The remnant of JacobWill be among the nations,Among many peoples(S)Like a lion among the beasts of the forest,Like a young lion among flocks of sheep,Which, if he passes through,(T)Tramples down and (U)tears,And there is (V)none to rescue.

8 And 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.

8 Then the remnant of Jacobwill be among the nations, among many peoples,like a lion among animals of the forest,(T)like a young lion among flocks of sheep,which tramples(U) and tears(V) as it passes through,and there is no one to rescue them.(W)

8 The survivors of Jacob will live among the nations; they will live among many nations, like a lion among flocks of sheep, who, if he passes through, will trample and tear down with no one to deliver.

8 The remnant of JacobShall be among the nations,In the midst of many peoplesLike a lion among the beasts of the forest,Like a young lion [suddenly appearing] among the flocks of sheepWhich, if he passes through,Tramples down and tears into pieces [the nations in judgment],And there is no one to rescue.

9 Your hand will be (W)lifted up against your adversaries,And all your enemies will be cut off.

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

9 Your hand will be lifted up against your adversaries,(X)and all your enemies will be destroyed.

9 You will turn your power against your adversaries, and all of your enemies will be cut down."

9 Your hand will be lifted up against your adversaries,And all your enemies shall be cut off and destroyed.

10 “It will be in that day,” declares the Lord,(X)That I will cut off your (Y)horses from among youAnd destroy your chariots.

10 And 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:

10 In that day—this is the Lord’s declaration—I will remove your horses from you(Y)and wreck your chariots.

10 "It will come about at that time," declares the LORD, "I will tear away your horses from you, and I will destroy your chariots.

10 “And in that day,” says the Lord,“I will cut off your horses from among youAnd destroy your chariots [on which you depend].(E)

11 “I will also cut off the (Z)cities of your landAnd tear down all your (AA)fortifications.

11 And I will cut off the cities of thy land, and throw down all thy strong holds:

11 I will remove the cities of your land(Z)and tear down all your fortresses.(AA)

11 I will cut off the cities of your land, and I will tear down all of your fortifications.

11 “I will cut off the cities of your landAnd tear down all your fortifications.

12 “I will cut off (AB)sorceries from your hand,And you will have fortune-tellers no more.

12 And I will cut off witchcrafts out of thine hand; and thou shalt have no more soothsayers:

12 I will remove sorceries from your hands,(AB)and you will not have any more fortune-tellers.

12 I will render your witchcraft powerless, and mediums will no longer exist among you.

12 “I will cut off witchcrafts and sorceries from your hand,And you shall have no more fortune-tellers.

13 (AC)I will cut off your carved imagesAnd your sacred pillars from among you,So that you will no longer bow downTo the work of your hands.

13 Thy 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.

13 I will remove your carved images(AC)and sacred pillars from youso that you will not bow down againto the work of your hands.

13 I will separate you from your carved images and sacred pillars, and you no longer will worship what you've made with your hands.

13 “I will also cut off your carved imagesAnd your sacred pillars from among you,So that you will no longer worship and bow downTo the work of your hands.

14 “I will root out your (h)(AD)Asherim from among youAnd destroy your cities.

14 And I will pluck up thy groves out of the midst of thee: so will I destroy thy cities.

14 I will pull up the Asherah poles(AD) from among you(AE)and demolish your cities.(f)

14 I will uproot your cultic gods from you, and I will tear down your cities.

14 “I will root out your Asherim (symbols of the goddess Asherah) from among youAnd destroy your cities [which are the centers of pagan worship].(F)

15 “And I will (AE)execute vengeance in anger and wrathOn the nations which have not obeyed.”

15 And I will execute vengeance in anger and fury upon the heathen, such as they have not heard.

15 I will take vengeance in anger and wrath(AF)against the nations that have not obeyed Me.

15 I will execute vengeance, anger, and fury on the nations who do not obey."

15 “And in anger and wrath I shall execute vengeanceOn the nations which have not obeyed [such vengeance as they have not known before].”

Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers.

International Standard Version Copyright © 1996-2008 by the ISV Foundation.

King James Version Public Domain

New American Standard Bible Copyright ©1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org