The Darby Translation DBY
GOD'S WORD Translation GW
1 Now gather thyself in troops, O daughter of troops; he hath laid siege against us: they shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek.
1
Now, gather your troops, you city of troops. We are under attack. Enemies will strike the judge of Israel on the cheek with a stick.
2 (And thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, little to be among the thousands of Judah, out of thee shall he come forth unto me [who is] to be Ruler in Israel: whose goings forth are from of old, from the days of eternity.)
2
You, Bethlehem Ephrathah, are too small to be included among Judah's cities. Yet, from you Israel's future ruler will come for me. His origins go back to the distant past, to days long ago.
3 Therefore will he give them up, until the time when she which travaileth shall have brought forth: and the residue of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel.
3
That is why the LORD will abandon Israel until the time a mother has a child. Then the rest of the LORD's people will return to the people of Israel.
4 And he shall stand and feed [his flock] in the strength of Jehovah, in the majesty of the name of Jehovah his God. And they shall abide; for now shall he be great even unto the ends of the earth.
4
The child will become the shepherd of his flock. [He will lead them] with the strength of the LORD, with the majestic name of the LORD his God. They will live in safety because his greatness will reach the ends of the earth.
5 And this [man] shall be Peace. When the Assyrian shall come into our land, and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight princes of men.
5
This man will be their peace. When the Assyrians invade our land and trample our palaces, we will attack them with seven shepherds and eight leaders.
6 And they shall waste the land of Asshur with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in the entrances thereof; and he shall deliver [us] from the Assyrian, when he cometh into our land, and when he treadeth within our borders.
6
They will rule Assyria with their swords and the country of Nimrod with drawn swords. They will rescue us from the Assyrians when they come into our land and walk within our territory.
7 And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many peoples as dew from Jehovah, as showers upon the grass, that tarrieth not for man, neither waiteth for the sons of men.
7
Then the few people left from Jacob will be among many people like dew from the LORD, like showers on the grass. They do not put their hope in humans or wait for mortals.
8 And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the nations, in the midst of many peoples, as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep: who, if he go through, treadeth down, and teareth in pieces, and there is none to deliver.
8
The few people left from Jacob will be among the nations, among many people. They will be like a lion among animals in the forest, like a young lion among flocks of sheep. When a lion hunts, it tramples [its victims] and tears [them] to pieces, and there is no one to rescue them.
9 Thy hand shall be lifted up upon thine adversaries, and all thine enemies shall be cut off.
9
You will use your power against your opponents, and all your enemies will be destroyed.
10 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith Jehovah, that I will cut off thy horses out of the midst of thee, and I will destroy thy chariots.
10
"When that day comes," declares the LORD, "I will destroy your horses and demolish your chariots.
11 And I will cut off the cities of thy land, and overthrow all thy strongholds.
11
I will destroy the cities in your land and tear down all your fortresses.
12 And I will cut off sorceries out of thy hand; and thou shalt have no soothsayers.
12
I will destroy your sorcerers, and you will have no more fortunetellers.
13 Thy graven images also will I cut off, and thy statues out of the midst of thee; and thou shalt no more bow down to the work of thy hands.
13
I will destroy your idols and your sacred monuments. You will no longer worship what your hands have made.
14 And I will pluck up thine Asherahs out of the midst of thee, and I will destroy thy cities.
14
I will pull out your poles dedicated to the goddess Asherah. I will wipe out your cities.
15 And I will execute vengeance in anger and in fury upon the nations, such as they have not heard of.
15
I will take revenge with great anger on the nations that do not obey me."
The Darby Translation is in the public domain.
GOD'S WORD® is a copyrighted work of God's Word to the Nations. Copyright © 1995 by God's Word to the Nations. All rights reserved. Used by permission.