Birth of the King in Bethlehem
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).
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,
Fromancient days.”
3 Therefore, He will give them up until the time
When she who is in labor has given birth to a child.
Then what is left of His kinsmen
Shall return to the children of Israel.
4 And He shall stand and shepherdandguideHis flock
In the strength of the Lord,
In the majesty of the name of the LordHis 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.
5 This One [the Messiah] shall be our peace.
When the Assyrian invades our land
And tramples on our citadelsandin our palaces,
Then shall we raise against him
Seven shepherds and eight princes [an overpowering force] among men.
6 They shall devastate the land of Assyria with the sword and
The land of Nimrod within her [own] gates.
And He (the Messiah) shall rescue us from the Assyrian (all enemy nations)
When he attacks our land
And when he tramples our territory.
7 Then the remnant of Jacob
Shall be among many peoples
Like dew from the Lord,
Like showers on the grass [a source of blessing]
Which [come suddenly and] do not wait for man
Nor delay for the sons of men.
8 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, 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 lifted up against your adversaries,
And all your enemies shall be cut offanddestroyed.
10 “And in that day,” says the Lord,
“I will cut off your horses from among you
And destroy your chariots [on which you depend].
11 “I will cut off the cities of your land
And tear down all your fortifications.
12 “I will cut off witchcraftsandsorceries from your hand,
And you shall have no more fortune-tellers.
13 “I will also cut off your carved images
And yoursacredpillars from among you,
So that you will no longer worshipandbow down
To the work of your hands.
14 “I will root out your Asherim (symbols of the goddess Asherah) from among you
And destroy your cities [which are the centers of pagan worship].
15 “And in anger and wrath I shall execute vengeance
On the nations which have not obeyed [such vengeance as they have not known before].”