Micah 5

Now 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.

Gather your troops, city of warriors, for we are under siege. They will strike the judge of Israel on the cheek with a rod.

But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

Even though you, Bethlehem Ephratah, may seem small and insignificant among the many places in Judah, it's from you that a great leader of Israel will emerge. This leader's roots reach back to the ancient times, from eternity itself.

Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel.

He will give them up until the time comes when she who is in labor gives birth. Then the rest of his brothers will return to the people of Israel.

And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.

He will stand firm and shepherd his flock in God's power, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. They will live securely, for his greatness will reach every corner of the earth.

And this man shall be the peace, 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.

When the Assyrian invades our land, stepping into our homes, this man will bring us peace. We will rise up against the invader with seven brave leaders and eight noble men.

And they shall waste the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in the entrances thereof: thus shall he deliver us from the Assyrian, when he cometh into our land, and when he treadeth within our borders.

They will devastate Assyria with war, and Nimrod's land at its gateways. In this way, we will be saved from the Assyrian invader who steps into our territory.

And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many people as a dew from the LORD, as the showers upon the grass, that tarrieth not for man, nor waiteth for the sons of men.

Jacob's descendants will be like refreshing dew from God, like rain on the grass, not dependent on human will or waiting for mankind's approval.

And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles in the midst of many people as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep: who, if he go through, both treadeth down, and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver.

The remaining descendants of Jacob will live among many nations, like a lion among forest animals, or a young lion among a flock of sheep. They will move forward, unstoppable, tearing through obstacles, and no one can save them from their path.

Thine hand shall be lifted up upon thine adversaries, and all thine enemies shall be cut off.

You will rise against those who oppose you, and all your foes will be defeated.

And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD, that I will cut off thy horses out of the midst of thee, and I will destroy thy chariots:

On that day, declares the Lord, I will take away your horses and ruin your chariots.

And I will cut off the cities of thy land, and throw down all thy strong holds:

I will erase your cities from the earth and demolish your fortresses, leaving you defenseless.

And I will cut off witchcrafts out of thine hand; and thou shalt have no more soothsayers:

I will free you from the clutches of sorcery; you will no longer be influenced by fortune tellers.

Thy graven images also will I cut off, and thy standing images out of the midst of thee; and thou shalt no more worship the work of thine hands.

I will remove your idols and statues from your midst; you will no longer worship the creations of your own hands.

And I will pluck up thy groves out of the midst of thee: so will I destroy thy cities.

I will tear out your idol poles from among you, and in doing so, I will lay your cities to ruin.

And I will execute vengeance in anger and fury upon the heathen, such as they have not heard.

I will unleash my wrath and fury upon the nations that have not obeyed me, in ways they have never heard of.