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