Micah 5:2-5
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
2 Therefore the Lord will give them up, until the time
when she who is to give birth has borne,[a]
Then the rest of his kindred shall return
to the children of Israel.(A)
3 He shall take his place as shepherd
by the strength of the Lord,
by the majestic name of the Lord, his God;
And they shall dwell securely, for now his greatness
shall reach to the ends of the earth:
4 he shall be peace.[b]
If Assyria invades our country
and treads upon our land,
We shall raise against it seven shepherds,
eight of royal standing;
5 They shall tend the land of Assyria with the sword,
and the land of Nimrod[c] with the drawn sword;
They will deliver us from Assyria,
when it invades our land,
when it treads upon our borders.
Footnotes
- 5:2 These words are sometimes understood as a reference to Isaiah’s Emmanuel oracle, given some thirty years earlier (Is 7:14). The Gospel of Matthew reports that the chief priests and scribes cite this passage as the ancient promise of a messiah in the line of David to be born in Bethlehem (Mt 2:5–6).
- 5:4 Peace: he will not only symbolize but also bring about harmony and wholeness.
- 5:5 Nimrod: the legendary ancestor of the Mesopotamians; cf. Gn 10:10–12.
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.