God Will Bless Judah and Ephraim

10 Ask for (A)rain from the Lord at the time of the spring rain—

The Lord who (B)makes the [a]storm winds;
And He will give them (C)showers of rain, vegetation in the field to each person.
For the [b](D)household idols speak deception,
And the (E)diviners see [c]an illusion
And tell (F)deceitful dreams;
They comfort in vain.
Therefore the people [d]wander like (G)sheep,
They are wretched because there is no shepherd.
“My (H)anger is kindled against the shepherds,
And I will punish the [e]male goats;
For the Lord of armies has (I)visited His flock, the house of Judah,
And will make them like His majestic horse in battle.
From [f]them will come the (J)cornerstone,
From [g]them the tent peg,
From [h]them the bow of (K)battle,
From [i]them every tyrant, all of them together.
And they will be like warriors,
(L)Trampling down the enemy in the mud of the streets in battle;
And they will fight, because the Lord will be with them;
And the (M)riders on horses will be put to shame.
And I will (N)strengthen the house of Judah,
And I will (O)save the house of Joseph,
And I will [j](P)bring them back,
Because I have had (Q)compassion on them;
And they will be as though I had (R)not rejected them,
For I am the Lord their God and I will (S)answer them.
Ephraim will be like a warrior,
And their heart will be joyful as if from wine;
Indeed, their (T)children will see it and be joyful,
[k]Their heart will rejoice in the Lord.
I will (U)whistle for them and gather them together,
For I have redeemed them;
And they will be as (V)numerous as they [l](W)were before.
When I [m]scatter them among the peoples,
They will (X)remember Me in distant countries,
And they with their children will live and come back.
10 I will (Y)bring them back from the land of Egypt
And gather them from Assyria;
And I will bring them into the land of (Z)Gilead and Lebanon
[n]Until (AA)no room can be found for them.
11 And they will pass through the (AB)sea of distress
And He will strike the waves in the sea,
So that all the depths of the (AC)Nile will dry up;
And the pride of (AD)Assyria will be brought down,
And the scepter of (AE)Egypt will depart.
12 And I will (AF)strengthen them in the Lord,
And in His name (AG)they will walk,” declares the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Zechariah 10:1 Or thunderbolts
  2. Zechariah 10:2 Heb teraphim
  3. Zechariah 10:2 Lit a lie
  4. Zechariah 10:2 Lit journey
  5. Zechariah 10:3 I.e., leaders
  6. Zechariah 10:4 Lit him
  7. Zechariah 10:4 Lit him
  8. Zechariah 10:4 Lit him
  9. Zechariah 10:4 Lit him
  10. Zechariah 10:6 Another reading is have them dwell
  11. Zechariah 10:7 Or Let their heart rejoice
  12. Zechariah 10:8 Lit were numerous
  13. Zechariah 10:9 Lit sow
  14. Zechariah 10:10 Lit And

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 men showers of rain,
    to every one the vegetation in the field.
For the teraphim utter nonsense,
    and the diviners see lies;
the dreamers tell false dreams,
    and give empty consolation.
Therefore the people wander like sheep;
    they are afflicted for want of a shepherd.

“My anger is hot against the shepherds,
    and I will punish the leaders;[a]
for the Lord of hosts cares for his flock, the house of Judah,
    and will make them like his proud steed in battle.
Out of them shall come the cornerstone,
    out of them the tent peg,
out of them the battle bow,
    out of them every ruler.
Together they shall be like mighty men in battle,
    trampling the foe in the mud of the streets;
they shall fight because the Lord is with them,
    and they shall confound 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 E′phraim shall become like a mighty warrior,
    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 many as of old.
Though I scattered them among the nations,
    yet in far countries they shall remember me,
    and with their children they shall live and return.
10 I will bring them home from the land of Egypt,
    and gather them from Assyria;
and I will bring them to the land of Gilead and to Lebanon,
    till there is no room for them.
11 They shall pass through the sea of Egypt,[b]
    and the waves of the sea shall be smitten,
    and all the depths of the Nile dried up.
The pride of Assyria shall be laid low,
    and the scepter of Egypt shall depart.
12 I will make them strong in the Lord
    and they shall glory[c] in his name,”
                says the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Zechariah 10:3 Or he-goats
  2. Zechariah 10:11 Cn: Heb distress
  3. Zechariah 10:12 Gk: Heb walk