Jerusalem to Be Attacked

12 The pronouncement of the word of the Lord concerning Israel:

The Lord who (A)stretches out the heavens, (B)lays the foundation of the earth, and (C)forms the spirit of a person within him, declares: “Behold, I am going to make Jerusalem a (D)cup [a]that causes staggering to all the peoples around; and when the siege is against Jerusalem, it will also be against (E)Judah. It will come about on that day that I will make Jerusalem a heavy (F)stone for all the peoples; all who lift it will (G)injure themselves severely. And all the (H)nations of the earth will be gathered against it. On that day,” declares the Lord, “I will strike every horse with confusion and its rider with insanity. But I will [b]watch over the house of Judah, while I strike every horse of the peoples with blindness. Then the [c]clans of Judah will say in their hearts, ‘The inhabitants of Jerusalem are a [d]strong support for us through the Lord of armies, their God.’

“On that day I will make the [e]clans of Judah like a (I)firepot among pieces of wood and a flaming torch among sheaves, so they will consume on the right and on the left all the surrounding peoples, while [f]the (J)inhabitants of Jerusalem again live on their own sites in Jerusalem. The Lord also will (K)save the tents of Judah first, so that the glory of the house of (L)David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem will not be greater than Judah. On that day the Lord will (M)protect the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the one who [g](N)is feeble among them on that day will be like David, and the house of David will be like (O)God, like the (P)angel of the Lord before them. And on that day I will (Q)seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.

10 “And I will (R)pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem [h]the Spirit of grace and of pleading, so that they will look at Me whom they (S)pierced; and they will mourn for Him, like one (T)mourning for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn. 11 On that day the (U)mourning in Jerusalem will be great, like the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the [i]plain of [j]Megiddo. 12 The land will mourn, every family by itself; the family of the house of David by itself and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan by itself and their wives by themselves; 13 the family of the house of Levi by itself and their wives by themselves; the family of the Shimeites by itself and their wives by themselves; 14 all the families that are left, every family by itself, and their wives by themselves.

Footnotes

  1. Zechariah 12:2 Lit of reeling
  2. Zechariah 12:4 Lit open My eyes
  3. Zechariah 12:5 Or chiefs
  4. Zechariah 12:5 Lit strength for me
  5. Zechariah 12:6 Or chiefs
  6. Zechariah 12:6 Lit Jerusalem...is again inhabited on its
  7. Zechariah 12:8 Lit stumbles
  8. Zechariah 12:10 Or a spirit
  9. Zechariah 12:11 I.e., broad valley
  10. Zechariah 12:11 Heb Megiddon

The Day of Yahweh

12 An oracle. The word of Yahweh concerning Israel. “Thus declares[a] Yahweh, who stretches out the heavens, founds the earth, and forms the spirit of humankind in its midst:[b] ‘Look, I am going to make Jerusalem a cup of reeling for all the surrounding nations; it will also be against Judah in the siege against Jerusalem. And then[c] on that day I will make Jerusalem a stone weight[d] for all the peoples. All those lifting it up will grievously hurt themselves, and all the nations of the earth will assemble against it. On that day,’ declares[e] Yahweh, ‘I will strike every horse with confusion, and the one riding it with madness; but over the house of Judah I will keep my eyes open,[f] and I will strike every horse of the peoples with blindness. And the clans of Judah will say to themselves,[g] “The inhabitants of Jerusalem are a strength to us,[h] through Yahweh of hosts, their God.”

“‘On that day I will make the clans of Judah like a pan of fire among sticks of wood, and like a torch of fire among stalks[i] of grain, and they will devour to the right and to the left all the surrounding peoples, and Jerusalem will be inhabited again in its place, in Jerusalem. And Yahweh will save the tents of Judah first, so that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants[j] of Jerusalem may not be exalted over Judah. On that day Yahweh will put a shield around the inhabitants[k] of Jerusalem, and the one who stumbles among them on that day will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the angel of Yahweh, before them.[l] And then[m] on that day I will seek to destroy all the nations coming against Jerusalem.

10 “‘I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants[n] of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication, and they will look to me whom they pierced, and they shall mourn over him, as one wails over an only child, and they will grieve bitterly over him as one grieves bitterly over a firstborn. 11 On that day the wailing will be great in Jerusalem, like the wailing for Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. 12 And the land shall mourn, each clan by itself;[o] the clan of the house of David by itself, and their wives by themselves; the clan of the house of Nathan by itself, and their wives by themselves; 13 the clan of the house of Levi by itself, and their wives by themselves; the clan of the Shimeites by itself, and their wives by themselves; 14 and all those clans remaining, each clan by itself,[p] and their wives by themselves.’”

Footnotes

  1. Zechariah 12:1 Literally “Declaration of”
  2. Zechariah 12:1 Or “forms the spirit of a man within him”
  3. Zechariah 12:3 Literally “And it will happen”
  4. Zechariah 12:3 Or “a heavy stone”
  5. Zechariah 12:4 Literally “declaration of”
  6. Zechariah 12:4 Literally “I will open my eyes,” that is, “I will be responsive” or “I will pay attention”
  7. Zechariah 12:5 Literally “in their heart”
  8. Zechariah 12:5 Hebrew “me”
  9. Zechariah 12:6 Hebrew “stalk”
  10. Zechariah 12:7 Hebrew “inhabitant”
  11. Zechariah 12:8 Hebrew “inhabitant”
  12. Zechariah 12:8 Literally “to the face of them”
  13. Zechariah 12:9 Literally “And it will happen”
  14. Zechariah 12:10 Hebrew “inhabitant”
  15. Zechariah 12:12 Literally “clans, clans alone”
  16. Zechariah 12:14 Literally “clans, clans alone”