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The Ruler Will Come from Bethlehem

¹ "^(F1)Now muster yourselves in troops, daughter of troops;
^(F2)They have laid siege against us;
With a rod they will ^(C1)strike the judge of Israel on the cheek.

² "^(F1)But as for ^(C1)you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
Too little to be among the clans of Judah,
From ^(C2)you One will go forth for Me to be ^(C3)ruler in Israel.
^(F2)His goings forth are ^(C4)from everlasting,
From the ancient days."

³ Therefore He will ^(C1)give them up until the time
When she ^(C2)who is in childbirth has borne a child.
Then the ^(C3)remainder of His brothers
Will return to the sons of Israel.

⁴ And He will stand and ^(C1)shepherd His flock
In the strength of Yahweh,
In the majesty of the name of Yahweh His God.
And they will ^(F1)remain
Because ^(F2)at that time He will be great
To the ^(C2)ends of the earth.

⁵ And this One ^(C1)will be peace.

When the ^(C2)Assyrian enters our land,
When he treads on our ^(F1)citadels,
Then we will raise against him
Seven shepherds and eight princes of men.

⁶ And they will ^(C1)shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword,
The land of ^(C2)Nimrod at its entrances;
And He will ^(C3)deliver us from the Assyrian
When he enters our land
And when he treads within our borders.

⁷ Then the ^(C1)remnant of Jacob
Will be among many peoples
Like ^(C2)dew from Yahweh,
Like ^(C3)showers on vegetation
Which do not hope for man
Or wait for the sons of men.

⁸ Then the remnant of Jacob
Will be among the nations,
Among many peoples
^(C1)Like a lion among the beasts of the forest,
Like a young lion among flocks of sheep,
Which, if it passes through,
^(C2)Tramples down and ^(C3)tears,
And there is ^(C4)none to deliver.

⁹ Your hand will be ^(C1)raised up against your adversaries,
And all your enemies will be cut off.

¹⁰ "And it will be in that day," declares Yahweh,
"^(C1)That I will cut off your ^(C2)horses from among you
And destroy your chariots.

¹¹ "And I will cut off the ^(C1)cities of your land
And pull down all your ^(C2)fortifications.

¹² "And I will cut off ^(C1)sorceries from your hand,
And you will have soothsaying no more.

¹³ "^(C1)And I will cut off your graven images
And your sacred pillars from among you
So that you will no longer worship
The work of your hands.

¹⁴ "And I will uproot your ^(F1)(C1)Asherim from among you
And ^(F2)eradicate your cities.

¹⁵ "And I will ^(C1)execute vengeance in anger and wrath
On the nations which have not ^(F1)(C2)listened."