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.

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

Restoration of Judah and Israel

10 Ask rain from the Lord
    in the season of the spring rain,
from the Lord who makes the storm-clouds,
    who gives showers of rain to you,[a]
    the vegetation in the field to everyone.
For the teraphim[b] utter nonsense,
    and the diviners see lies;
the dreamers tell false dreams,
    and give empty consolation.
Therefore the people wander like sheep;
    they suffer for lack of a shepherd.

My anger is hot against the shepherds,
    and I will punish the leaders;[c]
for the Lord of hosts cares for his flock, the house of Judah,
    and will make them like his proud warhorse.
Out of them shall come the cornerstone,
    out of them the tent-peg,
out of them the battle-bow,
    out of them every commander.
Together they shall be like warriors in battle,
    trampling the foe in the mud of the streets;
they shall fight, for the Lord is with them,
    and they shall put to shame the riders on horses.

I will strengthen the house of Judah,
    and I will save the house of Joseph.
I will bring them back because I have compassion on them,
    and they shall be as though I had not rejected them;
    for I am the Lord their God and I will answer them.
Then the people of Ephraim shall become like warriors,
    and their hearts shall be glad as with wine.
Their children shall see it and rejoice,
    their hearts shall exult in the Lord.

I will signal for them and gather them in,
    for I have redeemed them,
    and they shall be as numerous as they were before.
Though I scattered them among the nations,
    yet in far countries they shall remember me,
    and they shall rear their children and return.
10 I will bring them home from the land of Egypt,
    and gather them from Assyria;
I will bring them to the land of Gilead and to Lebanon,
    until there is no room for them.
11 They[d] shall pass through the sea of distress,
    and the waves of the sea shall be struck down,
    and all the depths of the Nile dried up.
The pride of Assyria shall be laid low,
    and the sceptre of Egypt shall depart.
12 I will make them strong in the Lord,
    and they shall walk in his name,
says the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Zechariah 10:1 Heb them
  2. Zechariah 10:2 Or household gods
  3. Zechariah 10:3 Or male goats
  4. Zechariah 10:11 Gk: Heb He