Now, strong city, {\cf2\super [59]} gather your soldiers.\par They are surrounding us for the attack!\par They will hit the Judge of Israel\par on the cheek with their stick.\par
But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,\par are the smallest town in Judah.\par Your family is almost too small to count.\par But the “Ruler of Israel”\par will come from you for me.\par His beginnings {\cf2\super [60]} are from ancient times,\par from long, long ago.\par
Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem in Judea. He was born during the time when Herod {\cf2\super [17]} was king. After Jesus was born, some wise men from the east came to Jerusalem.
Inside this border were the cities of Kattath, Nahalal, Shimron, Idalah, and Bethlehem. In all, there were twelve towns and all the fields around them.
The men of Gilead captured the places where people cross the Jordan River. Those places led to the country of Ephraim. Any time a survivor from Ephraim came to the river and said, “Let me cross,” the men of Gilead would ask him, “Are you from Ephraim?” If he said, “No,”