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A Promised Ruler

Jerusalem, enemy troops
    have surrounded you;[a]
they have struck Israel's ruler
    in the face with a stick.

(A) Bethlehem Ephrath,
you are one of the smallest towns
    in the nation of Judah.
But the Lord will choose
one of your people
    to rule the nation—
someone whose family
    goes back to ancient times.[b]

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Footnotes

  1. 5.1 Jerusalem … you: Or “Jerusalem, you are slashing yourself in sorrow, because of the enemy troops.”
  2. 5.2 family … times: Or “kingdom is eternal.”

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