¶ Now gather¹ thyself in troops, O daughter of troops: he hath² laid siege against us: they³ shall smite the judge⁴ of Israel with a rod upon the cheek.

But thou,⁵ Bethlehem Ephratah⁶, though thou be little among⁸ the thousands⁹ of Judah, yet¹⁰ out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is¹¹ to be ruler in Israel; whose¹² goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting¹³.

Therefore¹⁴ will he give¹⁵ them up, until the time that she¹⁶ which travaileth hath brought forth: then¹⁷ the remnant of his¹⁸ brethren shall return unto the children of Israel.

And he shall stand¹⁹ and feed²⁰ in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty²¹ of the name of the LORD²² his God; and they shall abide²³: for now shall he be great²⁴ unto the ends of the earth.

And this²⁵ man shall be the peace, when the²⁶ Assyrian shall come into our land: and when he shall tread in our palaces, then²⁷ shall we raise against him seven²⁸ shepherds, and eight principal men²⁹.

And they³⁰ shall waste³¹ the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in the entrances thereof:³² thus shall he deliver us from the Assyrian³³, when he cometh into our land, and when he treadeth within our borders.

¶ And the remnant³⁴ of Jacob shall be in the midst of many people as a dew³⁵ from the LORD, as the showers upon the grass, that tarrieth³⁶ not for man, nor waiteth for the sons of men.

And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles in the midst of many people as a lion³⁷ among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep³⁸: who, if he go through, both treadeth down, and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver.

Thine hand³⁹ shall be lifted up upon thine adversaries, and all thine enemies shall be cut off.

¶ And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD, that I⁴⁰ will cut⁴¹ off thy horses out of the midst of thee, and I will destroy thy chariots:

And I will cut off the cities of thy land, and throw⁴² down all thy strong holds:

⁴³And I will cut off witchcrafts out of thine hand; and thou shalt have no more soothsayers:

Thy graven⁴⁴ images also will I cut off, and thy standing images⁴⁵ out of the midst of thee; and thou shalt no more worship the work of thine hands.

And I will pluck up thy groves out of the midst of thee: so will I destroy thy cities⁴⁶.

⁴⁷And I will execute vengeance in anger and fury upon the heathen, such as they have not heard.