MICAH 5 [†]  [1] Now muster your troops, O daughter [2] of troops;

siege is laid against us;

with a rod  p they strike the judge of Israel

on the cheek.

2[^][†]  [3]  q But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,

who are too little to be among the clans of  r Judah,

from you shall come forth for me

one who is to be  s ruler in Israel,

 t whose coming forth is  u from of old,

from ancient days.

3[†] Therefore he shall give them up  v until the time

when she who is in labor has given birth;

then  w the rest of his brothers shall return

to the people of Israel.

4[†] And he shall stand  x and shepherd his flock  y in the strength of the LORD,

in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God.

And they shall dwell secure, for now  z he shall be great

to the ends of the earth.

5[†] And he shall be  a their peace.

 b When the Assyrian comes into our land

and treads in our palaces,

then we will raise against him seven  c shepherds

and eight princes of men;

6 they shall shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword,

and the land of  d Nimrod at its entrances;

and he shall deliver us from the Assyrian

 b when he comes into our land

and treads within our border.

7[†] Then  w the remnant of Jacob shall be

in the midst of many peoples

like dew from the LORD,

like showers on the grass,

which delay not for a man

nor wait for the children of man.

8[^] And  w 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 among the flocks of sheep,

 e which, when it goes through, treads down

and tears in pieces, and there is none to deliver.

9[†] Your hand shall  f be lifted up over your adversaries,

and all your enemies shall be cut off.

10[†] And  g in that day, declares the LORD,

 h I will cut off your horses from among you

and will destroy your chariots;

11  i and I will cut off the cities of your land

and throw down all your strongholds;

12[†] and I will cut off  j sorceries from your hand,

and  k you shall have no more tellers of fortunes;

13 and  l I will cut off your carved images

and  m your pillars from among you,

 n and you shall bow down no more

to the work of your hands;

14[†] and I will root out your  o Asherah images from among you

 i and destroy your cities.

15[†] And in anger and wrath  p I will execute vengeance

on the nations that did not obey.