1Now gather thyself in troops, O daughter of troops: he hath laid siege against us: they shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek. 2But thou, Beth-lehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.5.2 everlasting: Heb. the days of eternity 3Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel.
4¶ And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.5.4 feed: or, rule 5And this man shall be the peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land: and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men.5.5 principal: Heb. princes of 6And they shall waste the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in the entrances thereof: thus shall he deliver us from the Assyrian, when he cometh into our land, and when he treadeth within our borders.5.6 waste: Heb. eat up5.6 in the…: or, with her own naked swords
7And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many people as a dew from the LORD, as the showers upon the grass, that tarrieth not for man, nor waiteth for the sons of men.
8¶ And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles in the midst of many people as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep: who, if he go through, both treadeth down, and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver.5.8 sheep: or, goats 9Thine hand shall be lifted up upon thine adversaries, and all thine enemies shall be cut off. 10And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD, that I will cut off thy horses out of the midst of thee, and I will destroy thy chariots: 11And I will cut off the cities of thy land, and throw down all thy strong holds: 12And I will cut off witchcrafts out of thine hand; and thou shalt have no more soothsayers: 13Thy graven images also will I cut off, and thy standing images out of the midst of thee; and thou shalt no more worship the work of thine hands.5.13 standing…: or, statues 14And I will pluck up thy groves out of the midst of thee: so will I destroy thy cities.5.14 cities: or, enemies 15And I will execute vengeance in anger and fury upon the heathen, such as they have not heard.
Wolamulira Wochokera ku Betelehemu
1Iwe mzinda wa anthu ankhondo, sonkhanitsa anthu ako ankhondo,
pakuti anthu atizungulira kuti alimbane nafe.
Adzakantha ndi ndodo pa chibwano
cha wolamulira wa Israeli.
2“Koma iwe Betelehemu Efurata,
ngakhale uli wonyozeka pakati pa mafuko a Yuda,
mwa iwe mudzatuluka
munthu amene adzalamulira Israeli,
amene chiyambi chake nʼchakalekale,
nʼchamasiku amakedzana.”
3Nʼchifukwa chake Israeli adzasiyidwa
mpaka pa nthawi imene mayi amene ali woyembekezera adzachire.
Ndipo abale ake onse otsalira adzabwerera
kudzakhala pamodzi ndi Aisraeli.
4Iye adzalimbika, ndipo adzaweta nkhosa zake
mwa mphamvu ya Yehova,
mu ulemerero wa dzina la Yehova Mulungu wake.
Ndipo iwo adzakhala mu mtendere,
pakuti ukulu wake udzakhala ponseponse pa dziko lapansi.
5Ndipo Iye adzakhala mtendere wawo.
Chipulumutso ndi Chiwonongeko
Asiriya akadzalowa mʼdziko lathu
ndi kuyamba kuthira nkhondo malo athu otetezedwa,
tidzawadzutsira abusa asanu ndi awiri,
ngakhalenso atsogoleri asanu ndi atatu.
6Iwo adzagonjetsa dziko la Asiriya ndi lupanga,
dziko la Nimurodi adzalilamulira mwankhondo.
Adzatipulumutsa kwa Asiriya
akadzafika mʼmalire a mʼdziko lathu
kudzatithira nkhondo.
7Otsalira a Yakobo adzakhala
pakati pa mitundu yambiri ya anthu
ngati mame ochokera kwa Yehova,
ngati mvumbi pa udzu,
omwe sulamulidwa ndi munthu
kapena kudikira lamulo la anthu.
8Otsala a Yakobo adzakhala pakati pa mitundu ya anthu,
mʼgulu la anthu a mitundu yambiri,
ngati mkango pakati pa nyama za mʼnkhalango.
Ngati mwana wa mkango pakati pa gulu la nkhosa,
amene pozidutsa amazidya ndi kuzikhadzula,
ndipo palibe angathe kuzilanditsa.
9Mudzagonjetsa adani anu,
ndipo adani anu onse adzawonongeka.
10Yehova akuti,
“Tsiku limenelo ndidzawononga akavalo anu onse
ndi kuphwasula magaleta anu.
11Ndidzawononga mizinda ya mʼdziko mwanu
ndi kugwetsa malinga anu onse.
12Ndidzawononga ufiti wanu
ndipo sikudzakhalanso anthu owombeza mawula.
13Ndidzawononga mafano anu osema
pamodzi ndi miyala yanu yopatulika imene ili pakati panu;
simudzagwadiranso zinthu zopanga
ndi manja anu.
14Ndidzazula mitengo ya mafano a Asera imene ili pakati panu,
ndipo ndidzawononga mizinda yanu.
15Ndidzayilanga mwaukali ndi mokwiya
mitundu imene sinandimvere Ine.”
