UST MIC Chapter 5

◄ MIC 5 ► ║ ═ ©

5 Now, people of Jerusalem, gather yourselves into a troop!

Even though you have a wall to protect your city, enemy soldiers have surrounded it.

They are here to overpower and humiliate the ruler of Israel.

2 However, I have something to say about Bethlehem in the region of Ephrathah.

Even though the clan that lives there is the smallest of the clans of Judah,

someone who will rule Israel for me will come from that town.

He has been active since ancient times, from eternity.

3 So God will allow Israel’s enemies to conquer them,

until the time when she who will bear gives birth.

Then the rest of those who, with him, are part of Israel

will rejoin their fellow Israelites.

4 Yahweh will strengthen him to rule and to care for his people

as majestically and authoritatively as if Yahweh, his God, were doing those things himself.

His people will live safely,

because, at that time, people all over the earth will honor him.

5 He will cause his people to prosper.

When the army of Assyria attacks our land

and breaks through our fortresses,

we will appoint many leaders

to lead our army to fight against them.

6 They will lead our army to rule the land of Assyria, that is, the territory that Nimrod founded long ago. The ruler will rescue us from the Assyrians when they cross our borders to invade our land. 7 Then the descendants of Jacob who have survived will live among many other peoples. They will be a blessing for those peoples, just as the dew and the rain are that Yahweh sends for the grass. They will depend on Yahweh to sustain them just as the grass does, and not on other people. 8 Yes, the descendants of Jacob who have survived will be in other nations, living among many other peoples. But they will be powerful, like a lion is among the other animals. If they need to do so, they can easily defeat those peoples, just as a young lion pounces on sheep and tears them apart, and no one can rescue them. 9 Yahweh, we want you to powerfully defeat all of your enemies and to destroy them completely! 10 Yahweh declares, “At that time,

I will take away your war horses

and I will destroy your chariots.

11 I will tear down the cities in your land

and I will destroy all of your fortresses.

12 I will stop you from practicing witchcraft and

there will be no more fortune tellers among you

. 13 I will take away your idols and your sacred stone pillars,

and then you will no longer worship things that you yourselves have made.

14 I will remove the poles that you use to worship the goddess Asherah,

and I will destroy your cities.

15 Because I am very angry,

I will severely punish the people of the nations that have not obeyed me.”

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