Micah 5:4-15

5:4 He will assume his post ¹  and shepherd the people ²  by the Lord’s strength,

by the sovereign authority of the Lord his God. ³ 

They will live securely, ⁴  for at that time he will be honored ⁵ 

even in the distant regions of ⁶  the earth.

5:5 He will give us peace. ⁷ 

Should the Assyrians try to invade our land

and attempt to set foot in our fortresses, ⁸ 

we will send ⁹  against them seven ¹⁰  shepherd-rulers, ¹¹ 

make that eight commanders. ¹² 

5:6 They will rule ¹³  the land of Assyria with the sword,

the land of Nimrod ¹⁴  with a drawn sword. ¹⁵ 

Our king ¹⁶  will rescue us from the Assyrians

should they attempt to invade our land

and try to set foot in our territory.

5:7 Those survivors from ¹⁷  Jacob will live ¹⁸ 

in the midst of many nations. ¹⁹ 

They will be like the dew the Lord sends,

like the rain on the grass,

that does not hope for men to come

or wait around for humans to arrive. ²⁰ 

5:8 Those survivors from Jacob will live among the nations,

in the midst of many peoples.

They will be like a lion among the animals of the forest,

like a young lion among the flocks of sheep,

which attacks when it passes through;

it rips its prey ²¹  and there is no one to stop it. ²² 

5:9 Lift your hand triumphantly against your adversaries; ²³ 

may all your enemies be destroyed! ²⁴ 

The Lord Will Purify His People

5:10 “In that day,” says the Lord,

“I will destroy ²⁵  your horses from your midst,

and smash your chariots.

5:11 I will destroy the cities of your land,

and tear down all your fortresses.

5:12 I will remove the sorcery ²⁶  that you practice, ²⁷ 

and you will no longer have omen readers living among you. ²⁸ 

5:13 I will remove your idols and sacred pillars from your midst;

you will no longer worship what your own hands made.

5:14 I will uproot your images of Asherah ²⁹  from your midst,

and destroy your idols. ³⁰ 

5:15 I will angrily seek vengeance

on the nations that do not obey me.” ³¹ 

[5:4]  ¹ tn Heb “stand up”; NAB “stand firm”; NASB “will arise.”

[5:4]  ² tn The words “the people” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[5:4]  ³ tn Heb “by the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.”

[5:4]  ⁴ tn The words “in peace” are supplied in the translation for clarification. Perhaps וְיָשָׁבוּ (vÿyashavu, “and they will live”) should be emended to וְשָׁבוּ (vÿshavu, “and they will return”).

[5:4]  ⁵ tn Heb “be great.”

[5:4]  ⁶ tn Or “to the ends of.”

[5:5]  ⁷ tn Heb “and this one will be peace”; ASV “and this man shall be our peace” (cf. Eph 2:14).

[5:5]  ⁸ tc Some prefer to read “in our land,” emending the text to בְּאַדְמָתֵנוּ (bÿ’admatenu).

[5:5]  ⁹ tn Heb “raise up.”

[5:5]  ¹⁰ sn The numbers seven and eight here symbolize completeness and emphasize that Israel will have more than enough military leadership and strength to withstand the Assyrian advance.

[5:5]  ¹¹ tn Heb “shepherds.”

[5:5]  ¹² tn Heb “and eight leaders of men.”

[5:6]  ¹³ tn Or perhaps “break”; or “defeat.”

[5:6]  ¹⁴ sn According to Gen 10:8-12, Nimrod, who was famous as a warrior and hunter, founded Assyria.

[5:6]  ¹⁵ tc The MT reads “in her gates,” but the text should be emended to בַּפְּתִיחָה (baptikhah, “with a drawn sword”).

[5:6]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the coming king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[5:7]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “the remnant of” (also in v. 8).

[5:7]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “will be.”

[5:7]  ¹⁹ tn This could mean “(scattered) among the nations” (cf. CEV, NLT) or “surrounded by many nations” (cf. NRSV).

[5:7]  ²⁰ tn Heb “that does not hope for man, and does not wait for the sons of men.”

[5:8]  ²¹ tn The words “its prey” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[5:8]  ²² tn Heb “and there is no deliverer.”

[5:9]  ²³ tn Heb “let your hand be lifted against your adversaries.”

[5:9]  ²⁴ tn Heb “be cut off.”

[5:10]  ²⁵ tn Heb “cut off” (also in the following verse).

[5:12]  ²⁶ tn Heb “magic charms” (so NCV, TEV); NIV, NLT “witchcraft”; NAB “the means of divination.” The precise meaning of this Hebrew word is uncertain, but note its use in Isa 47:9, 12.

[5:12]  ²⁷ tn Heb “from your hands.”

[5:12]  ²⁸ tn Heb “and you will not have omen-readers.”

[5:14]  ²⁹ tn Or “Asherah poles.”

[5:14]  ³⁰ tn The MT reads “your cities,” but many emend the text to צִרֶיךָ (tsirekha, “your images”) or עֲצַבֶּיךָ (’atsbbekha, “your idols”).

[5:15]  ³¹ tn Heb “I will accomplish in anger and in rage, vengeance on the nations who do not listen.”