Micah 5

Micah 5:1

Now 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.

Now, O ye troops of Assyrians and Babylonians, gather yourselves together, to lay your siege against Jerusalem: they shall offer scornful usages to Hezekiah, king of Judah.

Micah 5:2

But 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.

And thou, Beth-lehem Ephratah, though thou be but one of the smallest cities, both for extent and for number of inhabitants, amongst all those of Judah; and therefore art easily taken and overrun by the great Assyrian invader; yet thou hast wherein thou mayest exceedingly comfort thyself, and rejoice above all other cities upon earth: for in thee shall the great Saviour of the World be born; even that glorious King of his Church, who, after his eternal generation of his Father, hath, from the first beginnings of the world, manifested and revealed himself to men.

Micah 5:3

Therefore 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.

But, in the mean time, he shall suffer his Israel to be grievously afflicted: his Church shall be in travail of great sorrow, till she have received a deliverance thereof, by the birth of the Blessed Messiah, who shall be born into the world; and then, the elect amongst the Gentiles shall join themselves with the believing Israelites, and both shall make up the Church and Kingdom of Christ.

Micah 5:4

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.

And that great Redeemer of the World shall continue and grow mighty, in and through the strength of the Lord, and the majesty and power of the Lord his God, wherewith his human nature is inseparably united for ever; and shall be received and adored to the very ends of the earth.

Micah 5:5

And 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.

And this Saviour shall be our peace and deliverance from all our enemies; even from the Assyrians, when they shall invade our land: and when they and the Babylonians shall have taken our palaces and possessed them, then shall the power of Christ raise up unto us many gracious kings and princes of the Medes and Persians, which shall procure our restoration.

Micah 5:6

And they shall waste the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in the entrances thereof.

And those Persian kings shall make waste the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Babylon in the entrances thereof.

Micah 5:7

And 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.

And those Jews, which shall be called into the Church, shall be dispersed amongst many people, for their conversion; even as the dew or showers, that God sends down upon earth to fruiten it, without the aid or labour of man: so shall they be a means from God, to diffuse the Gospel all over the world, to the great behoof and comfort of mankind.

Micah 5:8

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.

And those, that are converted to the Church, shall be so MICAII, CHAP. V. VI. strong and powerful amongst the Gentiles, in the greatest part of the world, as that they shall be able to prevail against their opposers, and shall be awful unto them, even as a lion amongst the beasts of the forest.

Micah 5:9

Thine hand shall be lifted up upon thine adversaries.

Thine hand, O my Church, shall prevail against thine adversaries. V. 10, 11, 12. And 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: And I will cut off the cities of thy land, and throw down all thy strong holds: And I will cut off witchcrafts out of thine hand; and thou shalt have no more soothsayers. And in those days of the Gospel, I will give a happy peace unto thee, O my Church, so as thou shalt have no use of horses or chariots for thy defence: and I will take from thee all use of thy walled cities and strong holds; since my protection and thy peace shall be guard enough for thee: (or, I will take from thee all confidence in thy horses and chariots, and defenced cities; and thy trust shall be wholly set upon me:) as for those wicked practices of sorcerers and soothsayers, whereof thou hadst wont to make use in thy doubts and extremities, thou shalt have no more recourse unto them; but thou shalt consult with me in all occasions.

Micah 5:14

So will I destroy thy cities.

When all this shall be performed on thy part, I will not be wanting unto thee; but will then destroy those cities of thine enemies, which shall rise up against thee.