Zechariah 9
English Standard Version
Judgment on Israel's Enemies
9 The oracle of the word of the Lord is against the land of Hadrach
and (A)Damascus is its resting place.
For the Lord has an eye on mankind
and on all the tribes of Israel,[a]
2 (B)and on Hamath also, which borders on it,
(C)Tyre and (D)Sidon, though (E)they are very wise.
3 Tyre has built herself (F)a rampart
and (G)heaped up silver like dust,
and fine gold like the mud of the streets.
4 But behold, the Lord will strip her of her possessions
and strike down (H)her power on the sea,
and (I)she shall be devoured by fire.
5 (J)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 (K)a mixed people[b] shall dwell in Ashdod,
and I will cut off the pride of Philistia.
7 I will take away (L)its blood from its mouth,
and (M)its abominations from between its teeth;
(N)it too shall be a remnant for our God;
it shall be like (O)a clan in Judah,
and Ekron shall be like the Jebusites.
8 Then (P)I will encamp at my house as a guard,
(Q)so that none shall march to and fro;
(R)no oppressor shall again march over them,
(S)for now I see with my own eyes.
The Coming King of Zion
9 (T)Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!
(U)Behold, (V)your king is coming to you;
righteous and having salvation is he,
(W)humble and mounted on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
10 (X)I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim
and (Y)the war horse from Jerusalem;
and the battle bow shall be cut off,
and (Z)he shall speak peace to the nations;
(AA)his rule shall be from sea to sea,
and from (AB)the River[c] to the ends of the earth.
11 As for you also, because of (AC)the blood of my covenant with you,
(AD)I will set your prisoners free from (AE)the waterless pit.
12 Return to your stronghold, O (AF)prisoners of hope;
today I declare that (AG)I will restore to you double.
13 For (AH)I have bent Judah as my bow;
I have made Ephraim its arrow.
I will stir up your sons, O Zion,
against your sons, (AI)O Greece,
and wield you like a warrior's sword.
The Lord Will Save His People
14 Then the Lord will appear over them,
and (AJ)his arrow will go forth like lightning;
(AK)the Lord God will sound the trumpet
and will march forth in (AL)the whirlwinds (AM)of the south.
15 The Lord of hosts (AN)will protect them,
and (AO)they shall devour, (AP)and tread down the sling stones,
and (AQ)they shall drink and roar as if drunk with wine,
and be full like a bowl,
drenched (AR)like the corners of the altar.
16 On that day the Lord their God will save them,
as (AS)the flock of his people;
for (AT)like the jewels of a crown
they shall shine on his land.
17 (AU)For how great is his goodness, and how great his beauty!
(AV)Grain shall make the young men flourish,
and new wine the young women.
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
- Zechariah 9:10 That is, the Euphrates
Zechariah 9
Common English Bible
Fate of the nations
9 A pronouncement. The Lord’s word is against the land of Hadrach,
and Damascus is its resting place,
for the city of Aram[a] and all the tribes of Israel belong to the Lord.
2 Hamath also borders on it.
Tyre and Sidon, indeed, each is exceedingly wise.
3 Tyre built a fortress for herself.
She piled up silver like dust
and gold like mud in the streets,
4 but the Lord will take her possessions away
and knock her wealth into the sea.
She will be devoured with fire.
5 Ashkelon will look and be afraid.
Gaza will writhe in agony,
and also Ekron, because her hope has dried up.
The king will perish from Gaza;
Ashkelon won’t be inhabited.
6 An illegitimate child will dwell in Ashdod;
I will eliminate the pride of the Philistines.
7 I will remove bloody food from his mouth
and pieces of unclean food from between his teeth.
He will be a survivor who belongs to our God.
He will be like a chieftain in Judah;
Ekron will be like a Jebusite.
8 I will encamp before my house as a guard
against anyone departing or returning.
A slave driver will no longer pass through against them,
for I have seen you[b] with my eyes.
Joy and protection for Judah and Ephraim
9 Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion.
Sing aloud, Daughter Jerusalem.
Look, your king will come to you.
He is righteous and victorious.
He is humble and riding on an ass,
on a colt, the offspring of a donkey.
10 He[c] will cut off the chariot from Ephraim
and the warhorse from Jerusalem.
The bow used in battle will be cut off;
he will speak peace to the nations.
His rule will stretch from sea to sea,
and from the river to the ends of the earth.
11 Moreover,[d] by the blood of your covenant,
I will release your prisoners from the waterless pit.
12 Return to the stronghold, prisoners of hope.
Moreover, declare today that I will return double to you.
13 Indeed, I myself will bend Judah as a bow;
I will fill it with Ephraim.
Zion, I will rouse your sons against your sons. Greece, I will make you
like a warrior’s sword.
14 The Lord will appear above them;
his arrow will go forth like lightning.
The Lord God will blow the horn;
he will march forth on the stormy winds of the south.
15 The Lord of heavenly forces will protect them.
They will devour and subdue like sling stones.[e]
They will drink, mumbling like one having wine.
They will be filled like a bowl, like the corners of the altar.
16 The Lord their God will deliver them on that day as the flock of his people;
they will be the jewels in a crown dotting his land.
17 What is his goodness,
and what is his beauty?
Grain will make his young men flourish;
so too wine his young women.
Footnotes
- Zechariah 9:1 Or eyes of humanity
- Zechariah 9:8 Heb lacks you.
- Zechariah 9:10 LXX; MT I
- Zechariah 9:11 Heb uncertain
- Zechariah 9:15 Heb uncertain
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible