Micah 5
Amplified Bible, Classic Edition
5 Now gather yourself in troops, O daughter of troops; a state of siege has been placed against us. They shall smite the ruler of Israel with a rod (a scepter) on the cheek.
2 But you, Bethlehem Ephratah, you are little to be among the clans of Judah; [yet] out of you shall One come forth for Me Who is to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth have been from of old, from ancient days (eternity).(A)
3 Therefore shall He give them up until the time that she who travails has brought forth; then what is left of His brethren shall return to the children of Israel.
4 And He shall stand and feed His flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord His God; and they shall dwell [secure], for then shall He be great [even] to the ends of the earth.(B)
5 And this [One] shall be our peace. When the Assyrian comes into our land and treads upon our soil and in our palaces, then will we raise against him seven shepherds and eight princes among men.(C)
6 And they shall rule and waste the land of Assyria with the sword and the land of Nimrod within her [Assyria’s own] gates. Thus shall He [the Messiah] deliver us from the Assyrian [representing the opposing powers] when he comes into our land and when he treads on our borders.
7 Then the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many peoples like dew from the Lord, like showers upon the grass which [come suddenly and] tarry not for man nor wait for the sons of men.(D)
8 And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the nations in the midst of many peoples like a lion among the beasts of the forest, like a young lion [suddenly appearing] among the flocks of sheep which, when it goes through, treads down and tears in pieces, and there is no deliverer.
9 Your hand will be lifted up above your adversaries, and all your enemies shall be cut off.
10 And in that day, says the Lord, I will cut off your horses [on which you depend] from among you and will destroy your chariots.(E)
11 And I will cut off the cities of your land and throw down all your strongholds.
12 And I will cut off witchcrafts and sorceries from your hand, and you shall have no more soothsayers.
13 Your carved images also I will cut off and your statues or pillars out of your midst, and you shall no more worship the work of your hands.
14 And I will root out your Asherim [symbols of the goddess Asherah] and I will destroy your cities [the seats of false worship].(F)
15 And in anger and wrath I will execute vengeance upon the nations which would not obey [vengeance such as they have not heard of before].
Micah 5
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 5
1 But from you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,[a]
among the tiniest of the clans of Judah,
from you will come forth for me
one who is to be a ruler in Israel,
one whose origins are from the distant past,
from ancient times.
2 Therefore, the Lord will abandon them
only until she who is in labor has given birth.
Then those of the people who survive
will be reunited with the Israelites.
3 He will rise up to shepherd his flock
by the strength of the Lord,
in the majesty of the name
of the Lord his God.
And they will live in security,
for then his greatness will be renowned
to the ends of the earth.
4 He will ensure their peace.
If Assyria Invades Our Country . . .
If the Assyrians invade our country
and set foot upon our land,
we shall raise against them seven shepherds
and appoint eight[b] men to serve as rulers.
5 They will rule the land of Assyria with the sword,
and the land of Nimrod with drawn swords.
And we will be delivered from Assyria
if it invades our country
or treads upon our borders.
The Remnant of Jacob
6 Then the remnant of Jacob,
surrounded by many peoples,
will be like dew from the Lord,
like showers on the grass,
which do not depend upon man
or wait for any man’s bidding.
7 And among the nations the remnant of Jacob
will be surrounded by many peoples,
like a lion among the beasts of the forest,
like a young lion among the flocks of sheep,
trampling and tearing to pieces as it goes,
with no one able to stop the carnage.
8 Your hand will be lifted up over your foes,
and all your adversaries will be destroyed.
9 On that day, says the Lord,
I will slaughter your horses
and destroy your chariots.
10 I will demolish the cities of your land
and raze all your fortresses to the ground.
11 I will eliminate your sorcerers,
and there will be no more soothsayers among you.
12 I will cut down your images
and the sacred pillars in your midst;
you will no longer worship
the work of your hands.
13 I will uproot your sacred poles[c]
and destroy your cities.
14 In anger and fury, I will wreak vengeance
on the nations that have disobeyed me.
Footnotes
- Micah 5:1 Bethlehem Ephrathah: the second name distinguishes this Bethlehem from a Bethlehem in Galilee. Ephrathah was the name of the family group that settled there; it then came to signify the city.
- Micah 5:4 Seven . . . eight: a way of signifying a sizeable number; here it indicates the superiority of Israel.
- Micah 5:13 Sacred poles: sacred poles symbolizing the female Canaanite divinity of the vegetation.
Micah 5
New King James Version
The Messiah Will Be Born at Bethlehem
5 Now gather yourself in troops,
O daughter of troops;
He has laid siege against us;
They will (A)strike the judge of Israel with a rod on the cheek.
The Coming Messiah
2 “But you, (B)Bethlehem (C)Ephrathah,
Though you are little (D)among the (E)thousands of Judah,
Yet out of you shall come forth to Me
The One to be (F)Ruler in Israel,
(G)Whose goings forth are from of old,
From [a]everlasting.”
3 Therefore He shall give them up,
Until the time that (H)she who is in labor has given birth;
Then (I)the remnant of His brethren
Shall return to the children of Israel.
4 And He shall stand and (J)feed[b] His flock
In the strength of the Lord,
In the majesty of the name of the Lord His God;
And they shall abide,
For now He (K)shall be great
To the ends of the earth;
5 And this One (L)shall be peace.
Judgment on Israel’s Enemies
When the Assyrian comes into our land,
And when he treads in our palaces,
Then we will raise against him
Seven shepherds and eight princely men.
6 They shall [c]waste with the sword the land of Assyria,
And the land of (M)Nimrod at its entrances;
Thus He shall (N)deliver us from the Assyrian,
When he comes into our land
And when he treads within our borders.
7 Then (O)the remnant of Jacob
Shall be in the midst of many peoples,
(P)Like dew from the Lord,
Like showers on the grass,
That [d]tarry for no man
Nor [e]wait for the sons of men.
8 And the remnant of Jacob
Shall be among the Gentiles,
In the midst of many peoples,
Like a (Q)lion among the beasts of the forest,
Like a young lion among flocks of sheep,
Who, if he passes through,
Both treads down and tears in pieces,
And none can deliver.
9 Your hand shall be lifted against your adversaries,
And all your enemies shall be [f]cut off.
10 “And it shall be in that day,” says the Lord,
“That I will (R)cut[g] off your (S)horses from your midst
And destroy your (T)chariots.
11 I will cut off the cities of your land
And throw down all your strongholds.
12 I will cut off sorceries from your hand,
And you shall have no (U)soothsayers.
13 (V)Your carved images I will also cut off,
And your sacred pillars from your midst;
You shall (W)no more worship the work of your hands;
14 I will pluck your [h]wooden images from your midst;
Thus I will destroy your cities.
15 And I will (X)execute vengeance in anger and fury
On the nations that have not [i]heard.”
Footnotes
- Micah 5:2 Lit. the days of eternity
- Micah 5:4 shepherd
- Micah 5:6 devastate
- Micah 5:7 wait
- Micah 5:7 delay
- Micah 5:9 destroyed
- Micah 5:10 destroy
- Micah 5:14 Heb. Asherim, Canaanite deities
- Micah 5:15 obeyed
Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
