| International Standard Version | New Living Translation |
| 1 "Now marshal yourselves as troops. He has laid siege to us. They will strike the judge of Israel on the cheek with a rod." | 1 Mobilize! Marshal your troops! The enemy is laying siege to Jerusalem. They will strike Israel’s leader in the face with a rod. A Ruler from Bethlehem |
| 2 "As for you, Bethlehem of Ephrathah, even though you remain least among the clans of Judah, nevertheless, the one who rules in Israel for me will emerge from you. His existence has been from antiquity, even from eternity. | 2 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel, whose origins are in the distant past, will come from you on my behalf. |
| 3Therefore that ruler will abandon them until the woman in labor gives birth. Then the rest of his countrymen will return to the Israelis." | 3The people of Israel will be abandoned to their enemies until the woman in labor gives birth. Then at last his fellow countrymen will return from exile to their own land. |
| 4"Then he will take his stand, shepherding by means of the strength of the LORD, by the power of the name of the LORD his God. And they will be firmly established; indeed, from then on he will become great— to the ends of the earth. | 4And he will stand to lead his flock with the LORD’s strength, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. Then his people will live there undisturbed, for he will be highly honored around the world. |
| 5And he will be our peace." "When the Assyrian invades our land, trampling through our palaces, we will raise up seven shepherds against him, even eight significant men. | 5And he will be the source of peace. When the Assyrians invade our land and break through our defenses, we will appoint seven rulers to watch over us, eight princes to lead us. |
| 6The shepherds will devastate the land of Assyria with the sword, along with the entrances to the land of Nimrod. "This is how he will vanquish Assyria when he invades our land, trampling within our borders: | 6They will rule Assyria with drawn swords and enter the gates of the land of Nimrod. He will rescue us from the Assyrians when they pour over the borders to invade our land. The Remnant Purified |
| 7The survivors of Jacob will live among many peoples, as dew from the LORD, as showers upon the grass. They will look to no one, and will place no hope in human beings. | 7Then the remnant left in Israel will take their place among the nations. They will be like dew sent by the LORD or like rain falling on the grass, which no one can hold back and no one can restrain. |
| 8The survivors of Jacob will live among the nations; they will live among many peoples, like a lion among flocks of sheep, who, if he passes through, will trample and tear down with no one to deliver. | 8The remnant left in Israel will take their place among the nations. They will be like a lion among the animals of the forest, like a strong young lion among flocks of sheep and goats, pouncing and tearing as they go with no rescuer in sight. |
| 9You will turn your power against your adversaries, and all of your enemies will be cut down." | 9The people of Israel will stand up to their foes, and all their enemies will be wiped out. |
| 10"It will come about at that time," declares the LORD, "I will tear away your horses from you, and I will destroy your chariots. | 10“In that day,” says the LORD, “I will slaughter your horses and destroy your chariots. |
| 11I will cut off the cities of your land, and I will tear down all of your fortifications. | 11I will tear down your walls and demolish your defenses. |
| 12I will render your witchcraft powerless, and mediums will no longer exist among you. | 12I will put an end to all witchcraft, and there will be no more fortune-tellers. |
| 13I will separate you from your carved images and sacred pillars, and you no longer will worship what you've made with your hands. | 13I will destroy all your idols and sacred pillars, so you will never again worship the work of your own hands. |
| 14I will uproot your cultic gods from you, and I will tear down your cities. | 14I will abolish your idol shrines with their Asherah poles and destroy your pagan cities. |
| 15I will execute vengeance, anger, and fury on the nations who do not obey." | 15I will pour out my vengeance on all the nations that refuse to obey me.” |
The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1 Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. | Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. |
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