Online Bible

Birth of the King in Bethlehem

“Now gather yourself in troops, O daughter of troops;A state of siege has been placed against us.They shall ^astrike the ruler of Israel on the cheek with a rod (scepter) .2 “But as for ^ayou, Bethlehem Ephrathah,Too little to be among the clans of Judah;From ^byou One shall come forth for Me who is to be ^cRuler in Israel,His goings forth (appearances) are ^dfrom long ago,From ¹ancient days.” Gen 49:10; Matt 2:5-12; John 7:423 Therefore, He will ^agive them up until the timeWhen she ^bwho is in labor has given birth to a child.Then what is ^cleft of His kinsmenShall return to the children of Israel.4 And He shall ^astand and shepherd and guide His flockIn the strength of the LORD,In the majesty of the name of the LORD His God;And they shall dwell secure in undisturbed peace,Because at that time He shall be great extending His authorityEven to the ^bends of the earth. Ps 72:8; Is 40:11; Zech 9:10; Luke 1:32, 335 This One the Messiah ^ashall be our peace.

When the ^bAssyrian invades our landAnd tramples on our citadels and in our palaces,Then shall we raise against himSeven shepherds and eight princes an overpowering force among men. Is 9:6; Eph 2:146 They shall ^adevastate the land of Assyria with the sword andThe land of ^bNimrod within her own gates.And He (the Messiah) shall ^crescue us from the Assyrian (all enemy nations)When he attacks our landAnd when he tramples our territory.

7 Then the ^aremnant of JacobShall be among many peoplesLike ^bdew from the LORD,Like ^cshowers on the grass a source of blessingWhich come suddenly and do not wait for manNor delay for the sons of men. Ps 72:6; 110:38 The remnant of JacobShall be among the nations,In the midst of many peoples^aLike a lion among the beasts of the forest,Like a young lion suddenly appearing among the flocks of sheepWhich, if he passes through,^bTramples down and ^ctears into pieces the nations in judgment,And there is ^dno one to rescue.9 Your hand will be ^alifted up against your adversaries,And all your enemies shall be cut off and destroyed.

10 “And in that day,” says the LORD,“^aI will cut off your ^bhorses from among youAnd destroy your chariots on which you depend. Ps 20:7, 8; Zech 9:1011 “I will cut off the ^acities of your landAnd tear down all your ^bfortifications.12 “I will cut off ^awitchcrafts and sorceries from your hand,And you shall have no more fortune-tellers.13 “^aI will also cut off your carved imagesAnd your sacred pillars from among you,So that you will no longer worship and bow downTo the work of your hands.14 “I will root out your ^aAsherim (symbols of the goddess Asherah) from among youAnd destroy your cities which are the centers of pagan worship. Deut 16:2115 “And in anger and wrath I shall ^aexecute vengeanceOn the nations which have not obeyed such vengeance as they have not known before.”

Birth of the King in Bethlehem

“¹Now muster yourselves in troops, daughter of troops;²They have laid siege against us;With a rod they will ^asmite the judge of Israel on the cheek.2 “¹But as for ^ayou, Bethlehem Ephrathah,Too little to be among the clans of Judah,From ^byou One will go forth for Me to be ^cruler in Israel.²His goings forth are ^dfrom long ago,From the days of eternity.”3 Therefore He will ^agive them up until the timeWhen she ^bwho is in labor has borne a child.Then the ^cremainder of His brethrenWill return to the sons of Israel.4 And He will arise and ^ashepherd His flockIn the strength of the LORD,In the majesty of the name of the LORD His God.And they will ¹remain,Because ²at that time He will be greatTo the ^bends of the earth.5 This One ^awill be our peace.

When the ^bAssyrian invades our land,When he tramples on our ¹citadels,Then we will raise against himSeven shepherds and eight leaders of men.6 They will ^ashepherd the land of Assyria with the sword,The land of ^bNimrod at its entrances;And He will ^cdeliver us from the AssyrianWhen he attacks our landAnd when he tramples our territory.

7 Then the ^aremnant of JacobWill be among many peoplesLike ^bdew from the LORD,Like ^cshowers on vegetationWhich do not wait for manOr delay for the sons of men.8 The remnant of JacobWill be among the nations,Among many peoples^aLike a lion among the beasts of the forest,Like a young lion among flocks of sheep,Which, if he passes through,^bTramples down and ^ctears,And there is ^dnone to rescue.9 Your hand will be ^alifted up against your adversaries,And all your enemies will be cut off.

10 “It will be in that day,” declares the LORD,“^aThat I will cut off your ^bhorses from among youAnd destroy your chariots.11 “I will also cut off the ^acities of your landAnd tear down all your ^bfortifications.12 “I will cut off ^asorceries from your hand,And you will have fortune-tellers no more.13 “^aI will cut off your carved imagesAnd your sacred pillars from among you,So that you will no longer bow downTo the work of your hands.14 “I will root out your ¹^aAsherim from among youAnd destroy your cities.15 “And I will ^aexecute vengeance in anger and wrathOn the nations which have not obeyed.”