GOD'S WORD Translation GW
New King James Version NKJV
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.
1
Now gather yourself in troops, O daughter of troops; He has laid siege against us; They will strike the judge of Israel with a rod on the cheek.
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.
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"But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting."
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.
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Therefore He shall give them up, Until the time that she who is in labor has given birth; Then the remnant of His brethren Shall return to the children of Israel.
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.
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And He shall stand and feed His flock In the strength of the Lord, In the majesty of the name of the Lord His God; And they shall abide, For now He shall be great To the ends of the earth;
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.
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And this One shall be peace. When the Assyrian comes into our land, And when he treads in our palaces, Then we will raise against him Seven shepherds and eight princely men.
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.
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They shall waste with the sword the land of Assyria, And the land of Nimrod at its entrances; Thus He shall deliver us from the Assyrian, When he comes into our land And when he treads within our borders.
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.
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Then the remnant of Jacob Shall be in the midst of many peoples, Like dew from the Lord, Like showers on the grass, That tarry for no man Nor wait for the sons of men.
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.
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And the remnant of Jacob Shall be among the Gentiles, In the midst of many peoples, Like a lion among the beasts of the forest, Like a young lion among flocks of sheep, Who, if he passes through, Both treads down and tears in pieces, And none can deliver.
9 You will use your power against your opponents, and all your enemies will be destroyed.
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Your hand shall be lifted against your adversaries, And all your enemies shall be cut off.
10 "When that day comes," declares the LORD, "I will destroy your horses and demolish your chariots.
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"And it shall be in that day," says the Lord, "That I will cut off your horses from your midst And destroy your chariots.
11 I will destroy the cities in your land and tear down all your fortresses.
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I will cut off the cities of your land And throw down all your strongholds.
12 I will destroy your sorcerers, and you will have no more fortunetellers.
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I will cut off sorceries from your hand, And you shall have no soothsayers.
13 I will destroy your idols and your sacred monuments. You will no longer worship what your hands have made.
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Your carved images I will also cut off, And your sacred pillars from your midst; You shall no more worship the work of your hands;
14 I will pull out your poles dedicated to the goddess Asherah. I will wipe out your cities.
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I will pluck your wooden images from your midst; Thus I will destroy your cities.
15 I will take revenge with great anger on the nations that do not obey me."
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And I will execute vengeance in anger and fury On the nations that have not heard."
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.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.