1Now gash yourself, O daughter of a troop; a siege has been laid against us. With a rod they strike the judge of Israel on the cheek.
2But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the clans of Judah, from you one will come forth for me to be ruler in Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient days.
3Therefore he will give them up until the time when she who is in labor has given birth; then the rest of his brothers will return to the sons of Israel.
4And he will stand and shepherd in the strength of Yahweh, in the majesty of the name of Yahweh his God; and they will dwell secure, for now he will be great to the ends of the earth.
5And this one will be peace. When Assyria comes into our land and when he treads upon our citadels, then we will raise up against him seven shepherds and eight leaders of men.
6And they will shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod at its entrances; and he will deliver from Assyria, when he comes into our land and when he treads within our border.
7Then the remnant of Jacob, in the midst of many peoples, will be like dew from Yahweh, like showers upon the grass, which does not wait for anyone nor hope for the sons of men.
8And the remnant of Jacob will be among the nations, in the midst of many peoples, like a lion among the beasts of the forest, like a young lion among flocks of sheep, which, if it passes through, tramples and tears in pieces, and there is no one to deliver.
9Your hand will be raised over your foes, and all your enemies will be cut off.
10And it will be in that day, declares Yahweh, that I will cut off your horses from your midst and destroy your chariots.
11And I will cut off the cities of your land and tear down all your fortresses.
12And I will cut off sorceries from your hand, and you will have no soothsayers.
13And I will cut off your carved images and your pillars from your midst, and you will no longer bow down to the work of your hands.
14And I will uproot your Asherah poles from your midst and destroy your cities.
15And in anger and wrath I will execute vengeance upon the nations that did not obey.
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