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But in the latter days,
    it will happen that the mountain of Yahweh’s temple will be established on the top of the mountains,
    and it will be exalted above the hills;
    and peoples will stream to it.
Many nations will go and say,
    “Come! Let’s go up to the mountain of Yahweh,
    and to the house of the God of Jacob;
    and he will teach us of his ways,
    and we will walk in his paths.”
For the law will go out of Zion,
    and Yahweh’s word from Jerusalem;
and he will judge between many peoples,
    and will decide concerning strong nations afar off.
    They will beat their swords into plowshares,
    and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not lift up sword against nation,
    neither will they learn war any more.
But they will sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree;
    and no one will make them afraid:
For the mouth of Yahweh of Armies has spoken.     Indeed all the nations may walk in the name of their gods;
    but we will walk in the name of Yahweh our God forever and ever.
“In that day,” says Yahweh,
    “I will assemble that which is lame,
    and I will gather that which is driven away,
    and that which I have afflicted;
    and I will make that which was lame a remnant,
    and that which was cast far off a strong nation:
    and Yahweh will reign over them on Mount Zion from then on, even forever.”
You, tower of the flock, the hill of the daughter of Zion,
    to you it will come,
    yes, the former dominion will come,
    the kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem.
Now why do you cry out aloud?
    Is there no king in you?
    Has your counselor perished,
    that pains have taken hold of you as of a woman in travail?
10 Be in pain, and labor to give birth, daughter of Zion,
    like a woman in travail;
    for now you will go out of the city,
    and will dwell in the field,
    and will come even to Babylon.
There you will be rescued.
    There Yahweh will redeem you from the hand of your enemies.
11 Now many nations have assembled against you, that say,
    “Let her be defiled,
    and let our eye gloat over Zion.”
12 But they don’t know the thoughts of Yahweh,
    neither do they understand his counsel;
    for he has gathered them like the sheaves to the threshing floor.
13 Arise and thresh, daughter of Zion;
    for I will make your horn iron,
    and I will make your hoofs bronze;
and you will beat in pieces many peoples:
and I will devote their gain to Yahweh,
    and their substance to the Lord of the whole earth.

Peace and Security through Obedience

In days to come
    the mountain of the Lord’s temple
shall be established as the highest of the mountains
    and shall be raised up above the hills.
Peoples shall stream to it,(A)
    and many nations shall come and say:
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
    to the house of the God of Jacob,
that he may teach us his ways
    and that we may walk in his paths.”
For out of Zion shall go forth instruction,
    and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.(B)
He shall judge between many peoples
    and shall arbitrate between strong nations far away;
they shall beat their swords into plowshares
    and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation;
    neither shall they learn war any more;(C)
but they shall all sit under their own vines and under their own fig trees,
    and no one shall make them afraid,
    for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken.(D)

For all the peoples walk,
    each in the name of its god,
but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God
    forever and ever.(E)

Restoration Promised after Exile

On that day, says the Lord,
    I will assemble the lame
and gather those who have been driven away
    and those whom I have afflicted.(F)
The lame I will make the remnant,
    and those who were cast off, a strong nation,
and the Lord will reign over them in Mount Zion
    now and forevermore.(G)

And you, O tower of the flock,
    hill of daughter Zion,
to you it shall come,
    the former dominion shall come,
    the sovereignty of daughter Jerusalem.(H)

Now why do you cry aloud?
    Is there no king in you?
Has your counselor perished,
    that pangs have seized you like a woman in labor?(I)
10 Writhe and groan,[a] O daughter Zion,
    like a woman in labor,
for now you shall go forth from the city
    and camp in the open country;
    you shall go to Babylon.
There you shall be rescued;
    there the Lord will redeem you
    from the hands of your enemies.(J)

11 Now many nations
    are assembled against you,
saying, “Let her be profaned,
    and let our eyes gaze upon Zion.”(K)
12 But they do not know
    the thoughts of the Lord;
they do not understand his plan,
    that he has gathered them as sheaves to the threshing floor.(L)
13 Arise and thresh,
    O daughter Zion,
for I will make your horn iron
    and your hoofs bronze;
you shall beat in pieces many peoples
    and shall[b] devote their gain to the Lord,
    their wealth to the Lord of the whole earth.(M)

Footnotes

  1. 4.10 Meaning of Heb uncertain
  2. 4.13 Gk Syr Tg: Heb and I will