1 Now shalt thou 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, Beth-lehem Ephrathah, which art little to be among the thousands of Judah, out of thee shall one come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.
3 Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the residue of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel.
4 And he shall stand, and shall feedhis flockin the strength of theLord, in the majesty of the name of theLordhis God: and they shall abide; for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.
5 And thismanshall beourpeace: 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: and he shall deliver us from the Assyrian, when he cometh into our land, and when he treadeth within our border.
7 And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many peoples as dew from theLord, as 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 nations, in the midst of many peoples, as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep: who, if he go through, treadeth down and teareth in pieces, and there is none to deliver.
9 Let thine hand be lifted up above thine adversaries, and let all thine enemies be cut off.
10 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith theLord, that I will cut off thy horses out of the midst of thee, and will destroy thy chariots:
11 and I will cut off the cities of thy land, and will throw down all thy strong holds:
12 And I will cut off witchcrafts out of thine hand; and thou shalt have nomoresoothsayers:
13 and I will cut off thy graven images and thy pillars out of the midst of thee; and thou shalt no more worship the work of thine hands,
14 and I will pluck up thine Asherim out of the midst of thee: and I will destroy thy cities.
15 And I will execute vengeance in anger and fury upon the nations which hearkened not.