Read the Bible

^1 [a] Now muster your troops, O daughter^[b] of troops;
    siege is laid against us;
with a rod ^(a)they strike the judge of Israel
    on the cheek.
^{2 [c] (b)}But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
    who are too little to be among the clans of ^(c)Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
    one who is to be ^(d)ruler in Israel,
^(e)whose coming forth is ^(f)from of old,
    from ancient days.
³ Therefore he shall give them up ^(g)until the time
    when she who is in labor has given birth;
then ^(h)the rest of his brothers shall return
    to the people of Israel.
⁴ And he shall stand ⁽ⁱ⁾and shepherd his flock ^(j)in the strength of the Lord,
    in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they shall dwell secure, for now ^(k)he shall be great
    to the ends of the earth.
⁵ And he shall be ^(l)their peace.

^(m)When the Assyrian comes into our land
    and treads in our palaces,
then we will raise against him seven ⁽ⁿ⁾shepherds
    and eight princes of men;
⁶ they shall shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword,
    and the land of ^(o)Nimrod at its entrances;
and he shall deliver us from the Assyrian
    ^(p)when he comes into our land
    and treads within our border.

⁷ Then ^(q)the remnant of Jacob shall be
    in the midst of many peoples
like dew from the Lord,
    like showers on the grass,
which delay not for a man
    nor wait for the children of man.
⁸ And ^(r)the remnant of Jacob shall be among the nations,
    in the midst of many peoples,
like a lion among the beasts of the forest,
    like a young lion among the flocks of sheep,
^(s)which, when it goes through, treads down
    and tears in pieces, and there is none to deliver.
⁹ Your hand shall ^(t)be lifted up over your adversaries,
    and all your enemies shall be cut off.

¹⁰ And ^(u)in that day, declares the Lord,
    ^(v)I will cut off your horses from among you
    and will destroy your chariots;
^11 (w)and I will cut off the cities of your land
    and throw down all your strongholds;
¹² and I will cut off ^(x)sorceries from your hand,
    and ^(y)you shall have no more tellers of fortunes;
¹³ and ^(z)I will cut off your carved images
    and ^(aa)your pillars from among you,
^(ab)and you shall bow down no more
    to the work of your hands;
¹⁴ and I will root out your ^(ac)Asherah images from among you
    ^(ad)and destroy your cities.
¹⁵ And in anger and wrath ^(ae)I will execute vengeance
    on the nations that did not obey.