1Now gather yourself in troops, daughter of troops; one has laid a siege against us; they shall strike the judge of Israel with a rod on the cheek.

2"And you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, you being least among the thousands of Judah, out of you He shall come forth to Me, that is to become Ruler in Israel. He Whose goings forth have been from of old, from the days of eternity."

3Therefore He will give them over until the time that she who is in travail has given birth; then the rest of His brethren shall return to the children of Israel.

4And 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 live, for now He shall be great to the ends of the earth.

5And this One shall be our peace. When the Assyrian shall come into our land, and when he shall walk in our palaces, then we shall raise against him seven shepherds and eight anointed ones from among men.

6And they shall waste the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod at her own entrances. And thus He shall deliver us from Assyria when he comes into our land, and when he treads within our border.

7And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many people, as dew from the LORD, as showers on grass, which does not wait for man, nor wait for the sons of men.

8And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles, in the midst of many people, like a lion among the beasts of the forest, like a young lion among the flocks of sheep, who, if he goes through, both tramples and tears in pieces, and none can deliver.

9Your hand shall be high above your adversaries, and all your enemies shall be cut off.

10"And it shall be in that day," says the LORD, "I will cut off your horses out of your midst, and I will destroy your chariots.

11And I will cut off the cities of your land, and throw down all your strongholds.

12And I will cut off witchcrafts out of your hand, and there shall not be fortunetellers among you.

13I will also cut off your graven images, and your sacred pillars out of the midst of you; and you shall never again worship the work of your hands.

14And I will pluck your groves out of the midst of you; thus I will destroy your cities.

15And I will execute vengeance in anger and fury upon the heathen, such as they have never heard."