Restoration of Judah and Israel

10 Ask (A)the Lord for (B)rain
In (C)the time of the [a]latter rain.
The Lord will make [b]flashing clouds;
He will give them showers of rain,
Grass in the field for everyone.

For the (D)idols[c] speak delusion;
The diviners envision (E)lies,
And tell false dreams;
They (F)comfort in vain.
Therefore the people wend their way like (G)sheep;
They are [d]in trouble (H)because there is no shepherd.

“My anger is kindled against the (I)shepherds,
(J)And I will punish the [e]goatherds.
For the Lord of hosts (K)will visit His flock,
The house of Judah,
And (L)will make them as His royal horse in the battle.
From him comes (M)the cornerstone,
From him (N)the tent peg,
From him the battle bow,
From him every [f]ruler together.
They shall be like mighty men,
Who (O)tread down their enemies
In the mire of the streets in the battle.
They shall fight because the Lord is with them,
And the riders on horses shall be put to shame.

“I will strengthen the house of Judah,
And I will save the house of Joseph.
(P)I will bring them back,
Because I (Q)have mercy on them.
They shall be as though I had not cast them aside;
For I am the Lord their God,
And I (R)will hear them.
Those of Ephraim shall be like a mighty man,
And their (S)heart shall rejoice as if with wine.
Yes, their children shall see it and be glad;
Their heart shall rejoice in the Lord.
I will (T)whistle for them and gather them,
For I will redeem them;
(U)And they shall increase as they once increased.

“I(V) will [g]sow them among the peoples,
And they shall (W)remember Me in far countries;
They shall live, together with their children,
And they shall return.
10 (X)I will also bring them back from the land of Egypt,
And gather them from Assyria.
I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon,
(Y)Until no more room is found for them.
11 (Z)He shall pass through the sea with affliction,
And strike the waves of the sea:
All the depths of [h]the River shall dry up.
Then (AA)the pride of Assyria shall be brought down,
And (AB)the scepter of Egypt shall depart.

12 “So I will strengthen them in the Lord,
And (AC)they shall walk up and down in His name,”
Says the Lord.

Desolation of Israel

11 Open (AD)your doors, O Lebanon,
That fire may devour your cedars.
Wail, O cypress, for the (AE)cedar has fallen,
Because the mighty trees are ruined.
Wail, O oaks of Bashan,
(AF)For the thick forest has come down.
There is the sound of wailing (AG)shepherds!
For their glory is in ruins.
There is the sound of roaring lions!
For the [i]pride of the Jordan is in ruins.

Prophecy of the Shepherds

Thus says the Lord my God, “Feed the flock for slaughter, whose owners slaughter them and (AH)feel no guilt; those who sell them (AI)say, ‘Blessed be the Lord, for I am rich’; and their shepherds do (AJ)not pity them. For I will no longer pity the inhabitants of the land,” says the Lord. “But indeed I will give everyone into his neighbor’s hand and into the hand of his king. They shall [j]attack the land, and I will not deliver them from their hand.”

So I fed the flock for slaughter, [k]in particular (AK)the poor of the flock. I took for myself two staffs: the one I called [l]Beauty, and the other I called [m]Bonds; and I fed the flock. I [n]dismissed the three shepherds (AL)in one month. My soul loathed them, and their soul also abhorred me. Then I said, “I will not feed you. (AM)Let what is dying die, and what is perishing perish. Let those that are left eat each other’s flesh.” 10 And I took my staff, [o]Beauty, and cut it in two, that I might break the covenant which I had made with all the peoples. 11 So it was broken on that day. Thus (AN)the[p] poor of the flock, who were watching me, knew that it was the word of the Lord. 12 Then I said to them, “If it is [q]agreeable to you, give me my wages; and if not, refrain.” So they (AO)weighed out for my wages thirty pieces of silver.

13 And the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the (AP)potter”—that princely price they set on me. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the Lord for the potter. 14 Then I cut in two my other staff, [r]Bonds, that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.

15 And the Lord said to me, (AQ)“Next, take for yourself the implements of a foolish shepherd. 16 For indeed I will raise up a shepherd in the land who will not care for those who are cut off, nor seek the young, nor heal those that are broken, nor feed those that still stand. But he will eat the flesh of the fat and tear their hooves in (AR)pieces.

17 “Woe(AS) to the worthless shepherd,
Who leaves the flock!
A sword shall be against his arm
And against his right eye;
His arm shall completely wither,
And his right eye shall be totally blinded.”

Footnotes

  1. Zechariah 10:1 Spring rain
  2. Zechariah 10:1 Or lightning flashes
  3. Zechariah 10:2 Heb. teraphim
  4. Zechariah 10:2 afflicted
  5. Zechariah 10:3 Leaders
  6. Zechariah 10:4 Or despot
  7. Zechariah 10:9 Or scatter
  8. Zechariah 10:11 The Nile
  9. Zechariah 11:3 Or floodplain, thicket
  10. Zechariah 11:6 Lit. strike
  11. Zechariah 11:7 So with MT, Tg., Vg.; LXX for the Canaanites
  12. Zechariah 11:7 Or Grace
  13. Zechariah 11:7 Or Unity
  14. Zechariah 11:8 Or destroyed, lit. cut off
  15. Zechariah 11:10 Or Grace
  16. Zechariah 11:11 So with MT, Tg., Vg.; LXX the Canaanites
  17. Zechariah 11:12 good in your sight
  18. Zechariah 11:14 Or Unity

The Fall of Babylon the Great

18 After(A) these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, (B)and the earth was illuminated with his glory. And he cried [a]mightily with a loud voice, saying, (C)“Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and (D)has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and (E)a cage for every unclean and hated bird! For all the nations (F)have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, (G)and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the [b]abundance of her luxury.”

And I heard another voice from heaven saying, (H)“Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. (I)For her sins [c]have reached to heaven, and (J)God has remembered her iniquities. (K)Render to her just as she rendered [d]to you, and repay her double according to her works; (L)in the cup which she has mixed, (M)mix double for her. (N)In the measure that she glorified herself and lived [e]luxuriously, in the same measure give her torment and sorrow; for she says in her heart, ‘I sit as (O)queen, and am no widow, and will not see sorrow.’ Therefore her plagues will come (P)in one day—death and mourning and famine. And (Q)she will be utterly burned with fire, (R)for strong is the Lord God who [f]judges her.

The World Mourns Babylon’s Fall

(S)“The kings of the earth who committed fornication and lived luxuriously with her (T)will weep and lament for her, (U)when they see the smoke of her burning, 10 standing at a distance for fear of her torment, saying, (V)‘Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! (W)For in one hour your judgment has come.’

11 “And (X)the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise anymore: 12 (Y)merchandise of gold and silver, precious stones and pearls, fine linen and purple, silk and scarlet, every kind of citron wood, every kind of object of ivory, every kind of object of most precious wood, bronze, iron, and marble; 13 and cinnamon and incense, fragrant oil and frankincense, wine and oil, fine flour and wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and bodies and (Z)souls of men. 14 The fruit that your soul longed for has gone from you, and all the things which are rich and splendid have [g]gone from you, and you shall find them no more at all. 15 The merchants of these things, who became rich by her, will stand at a distance for fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, 16 and saying, ‘Alas, alas, (AA)that great city (AB)that was clothed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls! 17 (AC)For in one hour such great riches [h]came to nothing.’ (AD)Every shipmaster, all who travel by ship, sailors, and as many as trade on the sea, stood at a distance 18 (AE)and cried out when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, (AF)‘What is like this great city?’

19 (AG)“They threw dust on their heads and cried out, weeping and wailing, and saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city, in which all who had ships on the sea became rich by her wealth! (AH)For in one hour she [i]is made desolate.’

20 (AI)“Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you [j]holy apostles and prophets, for (AJ)God has avenged you on her!”

Finality of Babylon’s Fall

21 Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, (AK)“Thus with violence the great city Babylon shall be thrown down, and (AL)shall not be found anymore. 22 (AM)The sound of harpists, musicians, flutists, and trumpeters shall not be heard in you anymore. No craftsman of any craft shall be found in you anymore, and the sound of a millstone shall not be heard in you anymore. 23 (AN)The light of a lamp shall not shine in you anymore, (AO)and the voice of bridegroom and bride shall not be heard in you anymore. For (AP)your merchants were the great men of the earth, (AQ)for by your sorcery all the nations were deceived. 24 And (AR)in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who (AS)were slain on the earth.”

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Footnotes

  1. Revelation 18:2 NU, M omit mightily
  2. Revelation 18:3 Lit. strengths
  3. Revelation 18:5 NU, M have been heaped up
  4. Revelation 18:6 NU, M omit to you
  5. Revelation 18:7 sensually
  6. Revelation 18:8 NU, M has judged
  7. Revelation 18:14 NU, M been lost to you
  8. Revelation 18:17 have been laid waste
  9. Revelation 18:19 have been laid waste
  10. Revelation 18:20 NU, M saints and apostles

The Happiness of Those Whose Help Is the Lord

146 Praise[a] the Lord!

(A)Praise the Lord, O my soul!
(B)While I live I will praise the Lord;
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

(C)Do not put your trust in princes,
Nor in [b]a son of man, in whom there is no [c]help.
(D)His spirit departs, he returns to his earth;
In that very day (E)his plans perish.

(F)Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help,
Whose hope is in the Lord his God,
(G)Who made heaven and earth,
The sea, and all that is in them;
Who keeps truth forever,
(H)Who executes justice for the oppressed,
(I)Who gives food to the hungry.
(J)The Lord gives freedom to the prisoners.

(K)The Lord opens the eyes of the blind;
(L)The Lord raises those who are bowed down;
The Lord loves the righteous.
(M)The Lord watches over the strangers;
He relieves the fatherless and widow;
(N)But the way of the wicked He [d]turns upside down.

10 (O)The Lord shall reign forever—
Your God, O Zion, to all generations.

Praise the Lord!

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 146:1 Heb. Hallelujah
  2. Psalm 146:3 A human being
  3. Psalm 146:3 salvation
  4. Psalm 146:9 Lit. makes crooked

33 For as the churning of milk produces butter,
And wringing the nose produces blood,
So the forcing of wrath produces strife.

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