Micah 5:1-6

The ruler that God chooses will be born in Bethlehem

1 Soldiers in Jerusalem, come together!

Get ready, because your enemies are attacking you.

They are all round the city, ready to fight.

They will hit Israel's ruler on his face with a stick.

5:1This verse tells us again about the enemies who were coming to fight against Jerusalem. They will hit the king on his face, because they will almost win the war. This will show that they have authority over him. (An army from Assyria attacked Jerusalem in 701 BC but they did not completely beat Judah's soldiers. An army from Babylon came years later and beat them.)

2 But God tells us this:

‘Bethlehem Ephrathah is only a little town,

among all the many towns in Judah,’ God says.

‘But I will choose someone who is born there.

5:2This verse tells people that the birth of the ruler will be in Bethlehem, a very small town. Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem.

He will rule Israel for me.

Long, long ago, I prepared for him to come.’

3 So God will turn away from his people,

until the time that the woman gives birth to this baby in Bethlehem.

Then this ruler's own people who are still alive will return to Israel.

4 And this ruler will stay strong because the Lord will make him strong.

He will supply what his people need.

He will be like a man who supplies everything for his sheep.

He will rule with authority from the Lord his God,

and his people will be safe.

So then, all over the world, people will know that he is great.

5 And he will cause the people to rest,

so that they have no trouble.

Assyria's soldiers will come to attack our country.

They will march through our large, strong buildings.

Then we will choose seven or eight leaders to fight against them.

5:5‘Seven or eight leaders’ means ‘as many leaders as we need’. The idea is that Israel will have more than enough leaders to beat their enemy at that time.

6 These leaders will use their swords to destroy Assyria.

They will beat the people in the country called Nimrod with swords in their hands.

5:6Nimrod is another name for Assyria. (Genesis 10:8-11 says that Nimrod was a strong hunter. He lived in the same place as Assyria, but many years earlier.)

Assyria's soldiers will come into our country.

They will march across our borders,

but our ruler will save us from them.