From Defeated Ruler to Conquering King
1Now, daughter who is under attack,
you slash yourself in grief;
a siege is set against us!
They are striking the judge of Israel
on the cheek with a rod.
2Bethlehem Ephrathah,
you are small among the clans of Judah;
one will come from you
to be ruler over Israel for me.
His origin is from antiquity,
from ancient times.
3Therefore, Israel will be abandoned until the time
when she who is in labor has given birth;
then the rest of the ruler’s brothers will return
to the people of Israel.
4He will stand and shepherd them
in the strength of the Lord,
in the majestic name of the Lord his God.
They will live securely,
for then his greatness will extend
to the ends of the earth.
5He will be their peace.
When Assyria invades our land,
when it marches against our fortresses,
we will raise against it seven shepherds,
even eight leaders of men.
6They will shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword,
the land of Nimrod with a drawn blade.
So he will rescue us from Assyria
when it invades our land,
when it marches against our territory.
The Glorious and Purified Remnant
7Then the remnant of Jacob
will be among many peoples
like dew from the Lord,
like showers on the grass,
which do not wait for anyone
or linger for mankind.
8Then the remnant of Jacob
will be among the nations, among many peoples,
like a lion among animals of the forest,
like a young lion among flocks of sheep,
which tramples and tears as it passes through,
and there is no one to rescue them.
9Your hand will be lifted up against your adversaries,
and all your enemies will be destroyed.
10In that day —
this is the Lord’s declaration —
I will remove your horses from you
and wreck your chariots.
11I will remove the cities of your land
and tear down all your fortresses.
12I will remove sorceries from your hands,
and you will not have any more fortune-tellers.
13I will remove your carved images
and sacred pillars from you
so that you will no longer worship
the work of your hands.
14I will pull up the Asherah poles from among you
and demolish your cities.
15I will take vengeance in anger and wrath
against the nations that have not obeyed me.