Micah

And you, O Bethlehem of Ephrath,aEphrath The clan to which the Bethlehemites belonged; see 1 Sam. 17.12; Ruth 1.2; 4.11. Least among the clans of Judah,From you one shall come forthTo rule Israel for Me—One whose origin is from of old,From ancient times.

bMeaning of verse uncertain. Truly, [God] will leave them [helpless]Until she who is to bear has borne;chas borne I.e., has given birth to a ruler, shepherd (v. 3), to deliver Israel from the Assyrians (vv. 4–5). Then the rest of his kindredShall return to the children of Israel.

He shall stand and shepherdBy the might of GOD,By the power of the nameOf the ETERNAL his God,And they shall dwell [secure].For lo, he shall wax greatTo the ends of the earth;

And that shall afford safety.Should Assyria invade our landAnd tread upon our fortresses,dfortresses Septuagint and Syriac read “soil”; cf. v. 5. We will set up over that nationethat nation Heb. “it.” seven shepherds,Eight princes of other nations,fother nations Lit. “human beings.”

Who will shepherd Assyria’s land with swords,The land of Nimrod in its gates.gin its gates Emendation yields “with drawn blades”; cf. Ps. 37.14; 55.22. Thus he will deliver [us]From Assyria, should it invade our land,And should it trample our country.

The remnant of Jacob shall be,In the midst of the many peoples,Like dew from GOD,Like droplets on grass—Which do not look to anybodyNor place their hope in mortals.

The remnant of JacobShall be among the nations,In the midst of the many peoples,Like a lion among beasts of the wild,Like a fierce lion among flocks of sheep,Which tramples wherever it goesAnd rends, with none to deliver.

Your hand shall prevail over your foes,And all your enemies shall be cut down!

In that day—declares GOD—I will destroy the horses in your midstAnd wreck your chariots.

I will destroy the cities of your landAnd demolish all your fortresses.

I will destroy the sorcery you practice,And you shall have no more soothsayers.

I will destroy your idolsAnd the sacred pillars in your midst;And no more shall you bow downTo the work of your hands.

I will tear down the sacred postshsacred posts Used in worship of the goddess Asherah. in your midstAnd destroy your cities.icities Emendation yields “idols.”

In anger and wrathWill I wreak retributionOn the nationsjnations Emendation yields “arrogant.” that have not obeyed.