¹ Now gather yourself in troops, O daughter of troops: he has laid siege against us: they will smite the judge of Israel with a rod on the cheek. ² But you, Bethlehem Ephratah, though you be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you will he come forward to me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forward have been from of old, from everlasting . ³ Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which labours has brought forward: then the remnant of his brothers will return to the children of Israel. ⁴ And he will stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God; and they will abide: for now will he be great to the ends of the earth. ⁵ And this man will be the peace, when the Assyrian will come into our land: and when he will tread in our palaces, then will we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men. ⁶ And they will waste the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in the entrances of it: so will he deliver us from the Assyrian, when he comes into our land, and when he treads within our borders. ⁷ And the remnant of Jacob will be in the midst of many people as a dew from the LORD, as the showers on the grass, that tarries not for man, nor waits for the sons of men. ⁸ And the remnant of Jacob will 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 treads down, and tears in pieces, and none can deliver. ⁹ Your hand will be lifted up on your adversaries, and all your enemies will be cut off. ¹⁰ And it will come to pass in that day, says the LORD, that I will cut off your horses out of the midst of you, and I will destroy your chariots ¹¹ And I will cut off the cities of your land, and throw down all your strong holds ¹² And I will cut off witchcrafts out of your hand and you will have no more soothsayers ¹³ your graven images also will I cut off, and your standing images out of the midst of you; and you will no more worship the work of your hands. ¹⁴ And I will pluck up your groves out of the midst of you: so will I destroy your cities . ¹⁵ And I will execute vengeance in anger and fury on the heathen, such as they have not heard.