Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible—please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=none Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

OET (OET-RV) He’ll stand and shepherd his flock with Yahweh’s strength,
⇔ in the majesty of the name of his god Yahweh.
⇔ They’ll remain, because then he will be famous to the ends of the earth.

Key: khaki:verbs, blue:Elohim, green:YHWH.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the OET-RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

BrLXX Καὶ ἔσται αὐτῇ εἰρήνη, Ἀσσοὺρ ὅταν ἐπέλθῃ ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν ὑμῶν, καὶ ὅταν ἐπιβῇ ἐπὶ τὴν χώραν ὑμῶν, καὶ ἐπεγερθήσονται ἐπʼ αὐτὸν ἑπτὰ ποιμένες, καὶ ὀκτὼ δήγματα ἀνθρώπων,
(Kai estai autaʸ eiraʸnaʸ, Assour hotan epelthaʸ epi taʸn gaʸn humōn, kai hotan epibaʸ epi taʸn ⱪōran humōn, kai epegerthaʸsontai epʼ auton hepta poimenes, kai oktō daʸgmata anthrōpōn, )

BrTr And she shall have peace when Assur shall come into your land, and when he shall come up upon your country; and there shall be raised up against him seven shepherds, and eight attacks of men.

ULT He will stand
⇔ and shepherd his flock in the strength of Yahweh,
⇔ in the majesty of the name of Yahweh his God.
⇔ They will remain,
⇔ for then he will be great to the ends of the earth.

UST And that a man who will rule there in Jerusalem will stand and lead his people well,
⇔ because Yahweh, his God, will cause him to be strong and greatly honored.
⇔ Then the people whom he rules will live in Jerusalem safely;
⇔ he will be greatly honored by people all over the earth
⇔ so no one will dare to attack Jerusalem.

BSB He will stand and shepherd [His flock]
⇔ in the strength of the LORD,
⇔ in the majestic name of the LORD His God.
⇔ And they will dwell securely,
⇔ for then His greatness will extend
⇔ to the ends of the earth.

OEB ⇔ And he will stand and shepherd by the strength of the Lord,
⇔ In the exalted name of the Lord his God;
⇔ And they will live in security, for now he will be great,
⇔ even to the ends of the earth.

WEBBE He shall stand, and shall shepherd in the strength of the LORD,
⇔ in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God.
⇔ They will live, for then he will be great to the ends of the earth.

WMBB (Same as above)

MSG ^(2-4)But you, Bethlehem, David’s country,
  the runt of the litter—
From you will come the leader
  who will shepherd-rule Israel.
He’ll be no upstart, no pretender.
  His family tree is ancient and distinguished.
Meanwhile, Israel will be in foster homes
  until the birth pangs are over and the child is born,
And the scattered brothers come back
  home to the family of Israel.
He will stand tall in his shepherd-rule by God’s strength,
  centered in the majesty of God-Revealed.
And the people will have a good and safe home,
  for the whole world will hold him in respect—
  Peacemaker of the world!

NET He will assume his post and shepherd the people by the Lord’s strength,
⇔ by the sovereign authority of the Lord his God.
⇔ They will live securely, for at that time he will be honored
⇔ even in the distant regions of the earth.

LSV And He has stood and delighted in the strength of YHWH,
In the excellence of the Name of His God YHWH,
And they have remained,
For now He is great to the ends of the earth.

FBV He will stand up and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. They will live in safety because his greatness is recognized all over the world.

T4T ⇔ And that man who will be ruling there in Jerusalem will stand and lead his people well,
⇔ because Yahweh, his God, will cause him to be strong and greatly honored.
⇔ Then the people whom he rules will live in Jerusalem safely;
⇔ he will be greatly honored by people all over the earth,
⇔ so no one will dare to attack Jerusalem.

LEB   • And he will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of Yahweh,
  • in the majesty of the name of Yahweh his God.
• And they will live,
  • for now he will be great unto the ends of the earth.

BBE And he will take his place and give food to his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the glory of the name of the Lord his God; and their resting-place will be safe: for now he will be great to the ends of the earth.

Moff for by that time his power shall extend to the ends of the earth]], one who stands firm and rules
⇔ with the strength of the Eternal,
⇔ with high authority from his God the Eternal.
¶ 

JPS (5-3) And he shall stand, and shall 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 then shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.

ASV And he shall stand, and shall feed his flock in the strength of Jehovah, in the majesty of the name of Jehovah his God: and they shall abide; for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.

DRA And he shall stand, and feed in the strength of the Lord, in the height of the name of the Lord his God: and they shall be converted, for now shall he be magnified even to the ends of the earth.

YLT And he hath stood and delighted in the strength of Jehovah, In the excellency of the name of Jehovah his God, And they have remained, For now he is great unto the ends of earth.

Drby And he shall stand and feed [his flock] in the strength of Jehovah, in the majesty of the name of Jehovah his [fn]God. And they shall abide; for now shall he be great even unto the ends of the earth.

5.4 Elohim

RV And he shall stand, and shall 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 shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.

SLT And he stood and fed in the strength of Jehovah, in the majesty of the name of Jehovah his God; and they shall dwell: for now shall he be magnified to the ends of the earth.

Wbstr And he will stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God; and they shall abide: for now will he be great to the ends of the earth.

KJB-1769 ¶ And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.[fn]

5.4 feed: or, rule

KJB-1611 ¶ [fn]And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, in the Maiestie of the Name of the LORD his God, and they shall abide: for now shall he be great vnto the ends of the earth.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from capitalisation and punctuation and footnotes)

5:4 Or, rule.

Bshps He shall stande faste, and geue foode in the strength of the Lorde, and in the maiestie of the name of the Lorde his God: and when they be conuerted, he shalbe magnified vnto the farthest partes of the worlde.
(He shall stand fast, and give food in the strength of the Lord, and in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God: and when they be converted, he shall be magnified unto the farthest parts of the world.)

Gnva And he shall stand, and feed in the strength of the Lord, and in the maiestie of the Name of the Lord his God, and they shall dwel still: for now shall he be magnified vnto the ends of the world.
(And he shall stand, and feed in the strength of the Lord, and in the majesty of the Name of the Lord his God, and they shall dwell still: for now shall he be magnified unto the ends of the world. )

Cvdl He shal stonde fast, and geue fode in the strength of the LORDE, and in the victory of the name of ye LORDE his God: and when they be conuerted, he shall be magnified vnto the farthest partes of the worlde.
(He shall stand fast, and give fode in the strength of the LORD, and in the victory of the name of ye/you_all LORD his God: and when they be converted, he shall be magnified unto the farthest parts of the world.)

Wycl And he schal stonde, and schal fede in the strengthe of the Lord, in the heiythe of the name of his Lord God; and thei schulen be conuertid, for now he schal be magnefied til to the endis of al erthe.
(And he shall stand, and shall feed in the strength of the Lord, in the height of the name of his Lord God; and they should be converted, for now he shall be magnified till to the ends of all earth.)

Luth Dazu werden wir auch Frieden haben vor dem Assur, der jetzt in unser Land gefallen ist und unsere Häuser zertreten hat. Denn es werden sieben Hirten und acht Fürsten über ihn erwecket werden,
(In_addition become we/us also peace have before/in_front_of to_him Assur, the/of_the now/currently in our country fallen is and our houses crushed/trampled has. Because it become seven shepherds and eight prince(s)/ruler(s) above him/it awakened become,)

ClVg Et stabit, et pascet in fortitudine Domini, in sublimitate nominis Domini Dei sui: et convertentur, quia nunc magnificabitur usque ad terminos terræ.
(And will_stand, and he_will_feed in/into/on with_courage Master, in/into/on sublimitate of_the_name Master of_God self: and they_will_convert, because now magnificabitur until to boundaries of_the_earth/land. )

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 5:1–6: A ruler will be born in Bethlehem

In this section, Micah told the people of Jerusalem that an enemy would come against them who would cause them to suffer. But their suffering would end when a strong ruler came from Bethlehem. He would enable the people to defeat their enemies and would bring peace.

Here are some other examples of section headings:Some versions place a similar heading before verse 2. For example, the NRSV has “The Ruler from Bethlehem,” and the NET has “A King Will Come and a Remnant Will Prosper.”

A Promised Ruler (CEV)

The Ruler to Be Born in Bethlehem (ESV)

Birth of the King in Bethlehem (NASB)

Note: TN and most English versions number the verses in this chapter as 5:1–15. The NAB, NJB, and NJPS number the verses according to the Hebrew Text (BHS): 4:14–5:14.NET footnote (a). When TN quotes one of these four versions, it will adjust the numbering to follow the BSB and most English versions.

Paragraphs:In some cases, the paragraph divisions are not indicated or else differ between Paratext, TW, Logos, and Bible Gateway. In such cases, TN has tried to follow the majority. The Notes will divide this section into the following paragraphs: 5:1, 2–4, 5–6 (NJB). Divide the paragraphs in a way that will be appropriate and acceptable to the readers in your language area.

Paragraph 5:2–4

These verses describe the birthplace and origin of the coming ruler, the Messiah. They also identify the time of his coming in relation to the return of his kindred from exile, and describe the way in which he will lead and care for his people like a shepherd.

5:4

This verse describes the way in which the ruler will rule his people.

5:4a–b

Notice the parallel lines that are similar in meaning:

^4a He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD,

^4b in the majestic name of the LORD his God.

There is an ellipsis (a deliberately omitted phrase) in 5:4b. In some languages, it may be necessary to supply the missing words from 5:4a. For example:

^4b he will stand and shepherd them in the majestic name of the LORD his God.

5:4a

He will stand and shepherd His flock in the strength of the LORD,

And he will become the shepherd of his flock and will begin to lead them with the strength that comes from Yahweh.
He can be compared to a person who cares for sheep. He will assume/begin his work as their leader, and he will govern/rule the people of Israel. Yahweh will give him the strength/ability to do this.

In some versions this verse starts with a word that indicates how this clause connects to the previous clauses. In those versions, it introduces a further description of the ruler who is talked about in the previous verses.

Here are some ways to indicate how this clause connects to the previous clauses:

Use a general (non-specific) connection word such as “and.” For example:
And He will arise and shepherd his flock (NASB)
Leave the connection implied. For example:
He will rise up to lead them (REB)
Make the connection more explicit. For example:
When he comes, he will rule his people (GNT)

Indicate this clause connection in a natural way in your language.

He will stand and shepherd His flock: This clause is a metaphor that compares the future ruler to a shepherd. It describes the way he will rule over his people. He will lead, protect, and care for them in the same way that a shepherd cares for sheep.NAC (page 100). Also, this metaphor probably reminded people of King David, who was a shepherd as a young man. See UBS (page 210) and Waltke 2007 (page 283).

Here are some ways to translate this metaphor:

Use a metaphor. For example:
he shall stand and feed his flock (NRSV)
Use a simile. Make the similarity or topic explicit if it will be helpful. For example:
Like a shepherd taking care of his sheep, this ruler will lead and care for his people (CEV)
Translate the meaning without using a figure of speech. For example:
he will rule his people (GNT)

stand: In this context, there are two main ways to interpret the Hebrew word for stand:

It means “arrive” or “appear on the scene” and assume his responsibilities.BDB (page 764) #5975 Qal 6.a; Waltke 2007 (page 282), NAC (page 100), and NICOT (page 346). For example:
He will become the shepherd of his flock (adapted from GW)
He will assume his post and shepherd the people (NET)
He shall take his place as shepherd (NABRE) (CEV, GW, NABRE, NASB, NET, NJB, REB, GNT)The NJB (“take his stand”) and the REB (“rise up to lead them”) have been listed here with some uncertainty. The NJB may imply taking his stand against opponents. Similarly, the REB may imply rising up against an enemy, such as the Assyrians (5:5).
It means to “be firm” or “be unmovable.”NAC (page 100), A&F (page 469), and Waltke 2007 (page 282). For example:
He shall stand firm and shepherd his flock (NAB) (NAB)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1).Some scholars think that “stand” may include the aspect of standing firm as well as the aspects of arriving and assuming his responsibilities. For example, see Waltke 2007 (page 282). Many versions, including the BSB, translate stand literally. Try to translate it so that one or more aspects of interpretation (1) will be clearly understood.

shepherd His flock: Here this phrase refers to the ruler governing his people.KD (page 328).

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

shepherd the people (NET)

lead his flock (NLT)

take care of his people (NCV)

rule his people (GNT)

in the strength of the LORD: This phrase describes the way in which the future ruler will rule. It means that the ruler’s ability and strength to rule comes from the LORD.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

with the strength that comes from the Lord (GNT)

by the might of the Lord (NJPS)

The LORD will give him the ability to do this.

5:4b

in the majestic name of the LORD His God.

He will rule them with excellence by the power of Yahweh, his God.
He will rule with the power and authority of Yahweh’s name.

in the majestic name of the LORD His God: This phrase also describes the way in which the future ruler will rule. It means that the ruler will govern his people with the kind of excellence/highness that characterizes the LORD his God.

majestic: This word is literally “height.” When it refers to God, as in this phrase, it means “exultation,” “majesty,” or “excellence.”BDB #1347 (pages 144–145).

Since this phrase is parallel with 5:4a, God’s being majestic here may refer especially to his great power. For example:

^4a…with the Lord’s strength ^4band with the power of the name of the Lord his God. (NCV)

^4a…by the might of the Lord ^4bby the power of the name of the Lord his God (NJPS)

name of the LORD: This phrase may be a title for Yahweh. It is another way to refer to him.HALOT (electronic edition, pages 1550–1551) calls the phrase “an interchangeable expression for Yahweh.” NAC (page 100) says it refers to the LORD himself or to his manifested character. His name implies his character and his attributes, such as his power and authority.NICOT (page 346), Waltke 2007 (page 283), and CBC (page 328) all suggest that this phrase refers to the LORD delegating his authority to the ruler.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

the Lord God himself (GNT)

the sovereign authority of the Lord his God (NET)

his God: This phrase indicates that there is a very close relationship between the ruler and the LORD.Some of the commentators that talk about the implication of an especially close relationship are Waltke 2007, NICOT and KD.

5:4c

And they will dwell securely,

And they will be safe/secure,
His people will live without danger.

And they will dwell securely: This clause talks about the time when the ruler will govern in the strength and majesty of the LORD. His people will be able to live securely. They will no longer have to struggle with war and exile.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

His people will live in safety (GNT)

Then his people will live there undisturbed (NLT)

and they will be secure (NJB)

5:4d

for then His greatness will extend to the ends of the earth.

because at that time, people will highly honor him everywhere on earth.
That is because all over the earth people will acknowledge that he is great.

for then His greatness will extend to the ends of the earth: This clause gives the reason why his people will live securely. It is because the ruler will be great throughout the whole earth.

for then: This phrase indicates the connection of this clause to the previous one. The word for indicates that the clause is a reason. The word then refers to the future time when the ruler will come. Here are two other ways to translate it:

Leave this word implied. For example:
because his greatness will reach all over the earth (NCV)
Use a word or phrase that indicates a future time. For example:
because at that time he will be great to the ends of the earth (NASB)

His greatness will extend to the ends of the earth: Here the word greatness means to be very important like a king.BDB #1431.

Here are some things that this clause implies:

His kingdom and authority will reach everywhere on earth.Waltke 2007 (pages 285–286), NICOT (page 347), Achtemeier (page 340), and KD (page 328).
He will defeat all his enemies.Waltke 2007 (pages 285–286).
He will have the omnipotence (unlimited power) of the LORD.Waltke 2007 (pages 285–286).
People everywhere will recognize that he is great.UBS (page 211).

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

people all over the earth will acknowledge his greatness (GNT)

he will be highly honored all around the world (NLT)

UTN uW Translation Notes:

General Information:

These verses continue describing the ruler from Bethlehem.

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

(Occurrence 0) He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of Yahweh

(Some words not found in UHB: and=it_was this peace ʼAshshūr that/for/because/then/when invades in,our_of,land and=because/when marches on,our_of,fortresses and,we_will_raise_up on/upon/above=him/it seven shepherds and,eight leaders_of humankind )

A shepherd, who feeds and protects his sheep, is a metaphor for the ruler, who will provide for and protect the people of Israel. Alternate translation: “Yahweh will give him the strength to lead his people”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

(Occurrence 0) in the majesty of the name of Yahweh his God

The person’s name is a metonym for person’s authority. Alternate translation: “and people will honor him because Yahweh his God has given him the authority to rule”

(Occurrence 0) They will remain

the people of Israel will remain

(Occurrence 0) remain

Alternate translation: “live in safety”

(Occurrence 0) he will be great to the ends of the earth

All people from every nation will give honor to Israel’s ruler.

Parallel MIC 5:4

Section 5:1–6: A ruler will be born in Bethlehem

Paragraph 5:2–4

5:4

5:4a–b

5:4a

5:4b

5:4c

5:4d

General Information: