Good News Translation GNT
World English Bible WEB
1 People of Jerusalem, gather your forces! We are besieged! They are attacking the leader of Israel!
1
Now you shall gather yourself in troops, Daughter of troops. He has laid siege against us; They will strike the judge of Israel with a rod on the cheek.
2 The Lord says, "Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are one of the smallest towns in Judah, but out of you I will bring a ruler for Israel, whose family line goes back to ancient times."
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But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Being small among the clans of Judah, Out of you one will come forth to me that is to be ruler in Israel; Whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.
3 So the Lord will abandon his people to their enemies until the woman who is to give birth has her son. Then those Israelites who are in exile will be reunited with their own people.
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Therefore he will abandon them until the time that she who is in labor gives birth. Then the rest of his brothers will return to the children of Israel.
4 When he comes, he will rule his people with the strength that comes from the Lord and with the majesty of the Lord God himself. His people will live in safety because people all over the earth will acknowledge his greatness,
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He shall stand, and shall shepherd in the strength of Yahweh, In the majesty of the name of Yahweh his God: And they will live, for then he will be great to the ends of the earth.
5 and he will bring peace. When the Assyrians invade our country and break through our defenses, we will send our strongest leaders to fight them.
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He will be our peace when Assyria invades our land, And when he marches through our fortresses, Then we will raise against him seven shepherds, And eight leaders of men.
6 By force of arms they will conquer Assyria, the land of Nimrod, and they will save us from the Assyrians when they invade our territory.
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They will rule the land of Assyria with the sword, And the land of Nimrod in its gates. He will deliver us from the Assyrian, When he invades our land, And when he marches within our border.
7 The people of Israel who survive will be like refreshing dew sent by the Lord for many nations, like showers on growing plants. They will depend on God, not people.
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The remnant of Jacob will be in the midst of many peoples, Like dew from Yahweh, Like showers on the grass, That don't wait for man, Nor wait for the sons of men.
8 Those who are left among the nations will be like a lion hunting for food in a forest or a pasture: it gets in among the sheep, pounces on them, and tears them to pieces - and there is no hope of rescue.
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The remnant of Jacob will be among the nations, In the midst of many peoples, Like a lion among the animals of the forest, Like a young lion among the flocks of sheep; Who, if he goes through, treads down and tears in pieces, And there is no one to deliver.
9 Israel will conquer her enemies and destroy them all.
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Let your hand be lifted up above your adversaries, And let all of your enemies be cut off.
10 The Lord says, "At that time I will take away your horses and destroy your chariots.
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"It will happen in that day," says Yahweh, "That I will cut off your horses out of the midst of you, And will destroy your chariots.
11 I will destroy the cities in your land and tear down all your defenses.
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I will cut off the cities of your land, And will tear down all your strongholds.
12 I will destroy the magic charms you use and leave you without any fortunetellers.
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I will destroy witchcraft from your hand; And you shall have no soothsayers.
13 I will destroy your idols and sacred stone pillars; no longer will you worship the things that you yourselves have made.
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I will cut off your engraved images and your pillars out of your midst; And you shall no more worship the work of your hands.
14 I will pull down the images of the goddess Asherah in your land and destroy your cities.
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I will uproot your Asherim out of your midst; And I will destroy your cities.
15 And in my great anger I will take revenge on all nations that have not obeyed me."
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I will execute vengeance in anger, And wrath on the nations that didn't listen."
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.
The World English Bible is in the public domain.