Zechariah 10
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
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.(A)
2 For the teraphim[b] utter nonsense,
and the diviners see lies;
the dreamers tell false dreams
and give empty consolation.
Therefore the people[c] wander like sheep;
they suffer for lack of a shepherd.(B)
3 My anger is hot against the shepherds,
and I will punish the leaders,[d]
for the Lord of hosts cares for his flock, the house of Judah,
and will make them like his proud war horse.(C)
4 Out of them shall come the cornerstone,
out of them the tent peg,
out of them the battle bow,
out of them every commander.(D)
5 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.(E)
6 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.(F)
7 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.(G)
8 I will signal for them and gather them in,
for I have redeemed them,
and they shall be as numerous as they were before.(H)
9 Though I scattered them among the nations,
yet in far countries they shall remember me,
and they shall rear their children and return.(I)
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.(J)
11 They[e] 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 scepter of Egypt shall depart.(K)
12 I will make them strong in the Lord,
and they shall walk in his name,
says the Lord.(L)
Zechariah 10
International Standard Version
The Lord’s Care for Judah
10 “Ask the Lord for rain in the spring[a]—
the Lord who fashions lightning thunderstorms,
giving rain showers to mankind[b]
along with grain in the fields.[c]
2 Truly the family idols[d] talk nonsense
and the diviners discern lies,
describing delusional dreams.
Since their comfort is vacuous,
they wander off on their own like sheep,
because there is no shepherd.
3 “Against the shepherds my anger rises—
I am punishing the leaders[e] also,
because the Lord of the Heavenly Armies has visited his flock, the house of Judah,
appointing them as his royal war horse for battle.
4 From them arises[f] the cornerstone and tent peg,
from them the battle bow,
from them arise all sorts of oppressive rulers.
5 They will be like mighty soldiers
who trample mud in the streets during battle.
They will fight because the Lord is with them,
and the opposing[g] horsemen will be confused.
6 “I will fortify the house of Judah,
and the house of Joseph I will save.
I will surely bring them back,
because I care about them.
They will be as if I had never cast them away.
Since I am the Lord their God,
I will answer them.
7 “The people of Ephraim will become like mighty soldiers;
they will be glad, like those who have wine.
Their children will see this and rejoice;
their hearts will find joy in the Lord.
8 I will whistle for them, gathering them together,
because I have redeemed them,
and they will multiply as they were before.[h]
9 I will scatter them among the nations,
and so they will remember me in distant countries.
They will rear their children,
and they will return.
10 I will bring them once again out of the land of Egypt,
gathering them from Assyria.
I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon,
but there will not be enough space for them.
11 They[i] will pass through the sea of affliction,
and they[j] will strike the waves[k] in that sea.
All of the depths of the Nile will evaporate,
Assyria’s arrogance will be brought down low,
and the ruling power[l] of Egypt will disappear.
12 “I will strengthen them in the Lord,
and they will march here and there in his name,”
declares the Lord.
Footnotes
- Zechariah 10:1 Lit. the season of the latter rain; i.e. the March and April rains
- Zechariah 10:1 Lit. them
- Zechariah 10:1 Lit. fields to a man
- Zechariah 10:2 Lit. the teraphim; i.e. household images apparently used for divination
- Zechariah 10:3 Lit. rams
- Zechariah 10:4 The Heb. lacks arises
- Zechariah 10:5 The Heb. lacks opposing
- Zechariah 10:8 Lit. will increase as they increased
- Zechariah 10:11 So LXX. MT reads He will
- Zechariah 10:11 So LXX. MT reads He will
- Zechariah 10:11 I.e. perhaps reminiscent of Elijah striking the Jordan River; cf. 2Kings 2:8
- Zechariah 10:11 Lit. the scepter
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