Zechariah 8:18-9:8

English Standard Version

¹⁸And the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying, ¹⁹“Thus says the Lord of hosts: The fast of the ^(A)fourth month and the fast of the ^(B)fifth and the fast of the ^(C)seventh and the fast of the ^(D)tenth shall be to the house of Judah ^(E)seasons of joy and gladness and cheerful feasts. Therefore love ^(F)truth and peace.

²⁰“Thus says the Lord of hosts: Peoples shall yet come, even the inhabitants of many cities. ²¹The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, ^(G)‘Let us go at once ^(H)to entreat the favor of the Lord and to seek the Lord of hosts; I myself am going.’ ²²^(I)Many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem and ^(J)to entreat the favor of the Lord. ²³Thus says the Lord of hosts: In those days ^(K)ten men ^(L)from the nations of every tongue shall take hold of the robe of a Jew, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for ^(M)we have heard that God is with you.’”

Judgment on Israel's Enemies

9 The oracle of the word of the Lord is against the land of Hadrach
    and ^(N)Damascus is its resting place.
For the Lord has an eye on mankind
    and on all the tribes of Israel,^[a]
²^(O)and on Hamath also, which borders on it,
    ^(P)Tyre and ^(Q)Sidon, though ^(R)they are very wise.
³Tyre has built herself ^(S)a rampart
    and ^(T)heaped up silver like dust,
    and fine gold like the mud of the streets.
⁴But behold, the Lord will strip her of her possessions
    and strike down ^(U)her power on the sea,
    and ^(V)she shall be devoured by fire.

⁵^(W)Ashkelon shall see it, and be afraid;
    Gaza too, and shall writhe in anguish;
    Ekron also, because its hopes are confounded.
The king shall perish from Gaza;
    Ashkelon shall be uninhabited;
⁶^(X)a mixed people^[b] shall dwell in Ashdod,
    and I will cut off the pride of Philistia.
⁷I will take away ^(Y)its blood from its mouth,
    and ^(Z)its abominations from between its teeth;
^(AA)it too shall be a remnant for our God;
    it shall be like ^(AB)a clan in Judah,
    and Ekron shall be like the Jebusites.
⁸Then ^(AC)I will encamp at my house as a guard,
    ^(AD)so that none shall march to and fro;
^(AE)no oppressor shall again march over them,
    ^(AF)for now I see with my own eyes.

Footnotes

Zechariah 9:1 Or For the eye of mankind, especially of all the tribes of Israel, is toward the Lord
Zechariah 9:6 Or a foreign people; Hebrew a bastard