1Du Betlehem-Efrat, du er kun en lille landsby i Juda, men fra dig skal en hersker udgå, som skal lede Israels folk på mine vegne. Hans oprindelse fortaber sig i fortiden.2Derfor vil Gud give folket i deres fjenders hænder, indtil den fastsatte tid er inde.[1] Resten af Judas folk[2] skal vende hjem, fulgt af de øvrige blandt Israels folk.3Han vil lede sit folk i den almægtige Guds navn, som en hyrde vogter sine får. Da skal de bo trygt, for hans herredømme omfatter hele jorden.4Han er den, der bringer fred. Når assyrerne[3] angriber vores land og prøver at indtage vores fæstninger, indsætter vi syv fyrster imod dem, mere end nok til at slå dem.[4]5De vil overmande assyrerne og herske over dem med hård hånd. Ja, vores konge vil redde os fra assyrerne, hvis de prøver at invadere vores land.6Den overlevende rest af Israels folk, som spredes blandt mange folkeslag, vil være som regnen, der får græsset til at vokse, som duggen, der kommer ned fra himlen. Det kommer fra Herren og afhænger ikke af menneskers vilje.7De vil leve midt iblandt andre folkeslag og blive et stærkt og frygtet folk, som en løve blandt skovens dyr, som en ungløve blandt flokke af får. Når de går på rov, slår de alt ned. Når de sønderriver et bytte, er der ingen redning.8De overvinder deres uvenner og rydder deres fjender af vejen.
Dommen over de ulydige
9„Når dommen rammer jer,” siger Herren, „vil jeg gøre det af med alle jeres heste og tilintetgøre alle jeres stridsvogne.10Jeg vil ødelægge jeres byer og nedbryde jeres fæstninger.11Jeg river alle amuletter ud af jeres hænder og gør op med enhver form for spådomskunst.12Jeg ødelægger jeres afgudsbilleder, slår alle jeres gudestatuer i stykker. Aldrig mere skal I tilbede de guder, som I selv har skabt.13Jeg vil rykke jeres Asherapæle op og lægge jeres byer i ruiner.14I min vrede vil jeg straffe ethvert folk, som ikke adlyder mig.”
1[1] Now muster your troops, O daughter[2] of troops; siege is laid against us; with a rod they strike the judge of Israel on the cheek. (1.Kong 22,24)2[3] But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days. (1.Mos 49,10; Salm 90,2; Ord 8,22; Es 9,6; Jer 30,21; Hos 6,3; Zak 9,9; Matt 2,6; Joh 1,1; Joh 7,42; Heb 7,14)3Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has given birth; then the rest of his brothers shall return to the people of Israel. (Mika 4,7; Mika 4,9)4And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth. (Salm 72,8; Es 11,3; Es 40,11; Es 52,13; Mika 7,14; Luk 1,32)5And he shall be their peace. When the Assyrian comes into our land and treads in our palaces, then we will raise against him seven shepherds and eight princes of men; (2.Kong 18,13; Es 3,2; Es 9,6; Zak 9,10; Ef 2,14)6they shall shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod at its entrances; and he shall deliver us from the Assyrian when he comes into our land and treads within our border. (1.Mos 10,8; 1.Mos 10,10; Mika 5,5)
A Remnant Shall Be Delivered
7Then 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. (Mika 5,3)8And 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, which, when it goes through, treads down and tears in pieces, and there is none to deliver. (Hos 5,14; Mika 5,3)9Your hand shall be lifted up over your adversaries, and all your enemies shall be cut off. (Es 26,11)10And in that day, declares the Lord, I will cut off your horses from among you and will destroy your chariots; (Es 2,7; Mika 4,1; Mika 4,6; Hag 2,22; Zak 9,10)11and I will cut off the cities of your land and throw down all your strongholds; (Es 17,9; Es 27,10; Hos 8,14; Mika 5,14; Zak 2,4)12and I will cut off sorceries from your hand, and you shall have no more tellers of fortunes; (5.Mos 18,10; 2.Kong 9,22; Es 2,6)13and I will cut off your carved images and your pillars from among you, and you shall bow down no more to the work of your hands; (Es 17,8; Hos 3,4; Zak 13,2)14and I will root out your Asherah images from among you and destroy your cities. (2.Mos 34,13; 5.Mos 16,21; Mika 5,11)15And in anger and wrath I will execute vengeance on the nations that did not obey. (Salm 149,7; Mika 5,8; 2.Thess 1,8)