| International Standard Version | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1 "Now marshal yourselves as troops. He has laid siege to us. They will strike the judge of Israel on the cheek with a rod." | 1Now, daughter who is under attack, you slash yourself in grief; a siege is set against us! They are striking the judge of Israel on the cheek with a rod. |
| 2 "As for you, Bethlehem of Ephrathah, even though you remain least among the clans of Judah, nevertheless, the one who rules in Israel for me will emerge from you. His existence has been from antiquity, even from eternity. | 2Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are small among the clans of Judah; One will come from you to be ruler over Israel for Me. His origin is from antiquity, from eternity. |
| 3Therefore that ruler will abandon them until the woman in labor gives birth. Then the rest of his countrymen will return to the Israelis." | 3Therefore, He will abandon them until the time when she who is in labor has given birth; then the rest of His brothers will return to the people of Israel. |
| 4"Then he will take his stand, shepherding by means of the strength of the LORD, by the power of the name of the LORD his God. And they will be firmly established; indeed, from then on he will become great— to the ends of the earth. | 4He will stand and shepherd them in the strength of Yahweh, in the majestic name of Yahweh His God. They will live securely, for then His greatness will extend to the ends of the earth. |
| 5And he will be our peace." "When the Assyrian invades our land, trampling through our palaces, we will raise up seven shepherds against him, even eight significant men. | 5He will be their peace. When Assyria invades our land, when it marches against our fortresses, we will raise against it seven shepherds, even eight leaders of men. |
| 6The shepherds will devastate the land of Assyria with the sword, along with the entrances to the land of Nimrod. "This is how he will vanquish Assyria when he invades our land, trampling within our borders: | 6They will shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword, the land of Nimrod with a drawn blade. So He will rescue us from Assyria when it invades our land, when it marches against our territory. |
| 7The survivors of Jacob will live among many peoples, as dew from the LORD, as showers upon the grass. They will look to no one, and will place no hope in human beings. | 7Then the remnant of Jacob will be among many peoples like dew from the LORD, like showers on the grass, which do not wait for anyone or linger for mankind. |
| 8The survivors of Jacob will live among the nations; they will live among many peoples, like a lion among flocks of sheep, who, if he passes through, will trample and tear down with no one to deliver. | 8Then the remnant of Jacob will be among the nations, among many peoples, like a lion among animals of the forest, like a young lion among flocks of sheep, which tramples and tears as it passes through, and there is no one to rescue them. |
| 9You will turn your power against your adversaries, and all of your enemies will be cut down." | 9Your hand will be lifted up against your adversaries, and all your enemies will be destroyed. |
| 10"It will come about at that time," declares the LORD, "I will tear away your horses from you, and I will destroy your chariots. | 10In that day-- this is the LORD's declaration-- I will remove your horses from you and wreck your chariots. |
| 11I will cut off the cities of your land, and I will tear down all of your fortifications. | 11I will remove the cities of your land and tear down all your fortresses. |
| 12I will render your witchcraft powerless, and mediums will no longer exist among you. | 12I will remove sorceries from your hands, and you will not have any more fortune-tellers. |
| 13I will separate you from your carved images and sacred pillars, and you no longer will worship what you've made with your hands. | 13I will remove your carved images and sacred pillars from you so that you will not bow down again to the work of your hands. |
| 14I will uproot your cultic gods from you, and I will tear down your cities. | 14I will pull up the Asherah poles from among you and demolish your cities. |
| 15I will execute vengeance, anger, and fury on the nations who do not obey." | 15I will take vengeance in anger and wrath against the nations that have not obeyed Me. |
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