1Now come together in battle ranks,
daughter of soldiers;
the soldiers have set up a siege around city,
with a rod they will strike the judge of Israel
on the cheek. ⁰

2But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
even though you are small among the clans of Judah,
out of you one will come to me
to rule in Israel,
whose beginning is from ancient times,
from everlasting.

3Therefore God will give them up,
until the time when she who is in labor bears a child,
and the rest of his brothers return to the people of Israel.

4He will stand
and shepherd his flock in the strength of Yahweh,
in the majesty of the name of Yahweh his God.
They will remain,
for then he will be great to the ends of the earth.

5For this shall be the peace—
when the Assyrians come into our land,
and when they march against our fortresses,
then we will raise against them seven shepherds
and eight leaders over men.

6They will shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword,
and the land of Nimrod in its entrances. ¹
He will rescue us from the Assyrians,
when they come into our land,
when they march inside our borders.

7The remnant of Jacob will be in the midst of many peoples,
like dew from Yahweh,
like showers on the grass,
that do not wait for a man,
and they do not wait for the children of mankind.

8The remnant of Jacob will be among the nations,
among many peoples,
like a lion among the animals of the forest,
like a young lion among the flocks of sheep.
When he goes through them,
he will trample over them and tear them to pieces,
and there will be no one to save them.

9Your hand will be lifted against your enemies,
and it will destroy them.

10“It will happen in that day”—this is Yahweh's declaration—
“that I will destroy your horses from among you
and will demolish your chariots.

11I will destroy the cities in your land
and throw down all your strongholds.

12I will destroy the witchcraft in your hand,
and you will no longer have any diviners.

13I will destroy your carved figures
and your stone pillars from among you.
You will no longer worship the workmanship of your hands.

14I will uproot your Asherah poles from among you,
and I will destroy your cities.

15I will execute vengeance in anger and wrath
on the nations that have not listened.”