Zechariah 9
New American Standard Bible
Prophecies against Neighboring Nations
9 The pronouncement of the word of the Lord is against the land of Hadrach, with (A)Damascus as its resting place (for the eyes of mankind, especially of all the tribes of Israel, are toward the Lord),
2 And (B)Hamath also, which borders on it;
(C)Tyre and (D)Sidon, [a]though [b]they are (E)very wise.
3 For Tyre built herself a (F)fortress,
And (G)piled up silver like dust,
And (H)gold like the mud of the streets.
4 Behold, the Lord will (I)dispossess her
And throw her wealth into the sea;
And she will be (J)consumed with fire.
5 Ashkelon will see it and be afraid.
Gaza too will writhe in great pain;
Also Ekron, because her hope has been ruined.
Moreover, the king will perish from Gaza,
And Ashkelon will not be inhabited.
6 And a people of mixed origins will live in (K)Ashdod,
And I will eliminate the pride of the Philistines.
7 And I will remove their blood from their mouth
And their detestable things from between their teeth.
Then they also will be a remnant for our God,
And be like a [c]clan in Judah,
And Ekron will be like a Jebusite.
8 But I will camp around My house [d]because of an army,
Because of (L)him who passes by and returns;
And (M)no oppressor will pass over them anymore,
For now I have seen with My eyes.
9 (N)Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion!
Shout in triumph, daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your (O)king is coming to you;
He is [e](P)righteous and (Q)endowed with salvation,
(R)Humble, and mounted on a donkey,
Even on a (S)colt, the [f]foal of a donkey.
10 And I will (T)eliminate the chariot from Ephraim
And the (U)horse from Jerusalem;
And the (V)bow of war will be eliminated.
And He will speak (W)peace to the nations;
And His (X)dominion will be from sea to sea,
And from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth.
Restoration of Judah and Ephraim
11 As for you also, because of the (Y)blood of My covenant with you,
I have set your (Z)prisoners free from the [g]waterless pit.
12 Return to the [h](AA)stronghold, you prisoners [i]who have the (AB)hope;
This very day I am declaring that I will restore (AC)double to you.
13 For I will (AD)bend Judah [j]as My bow,
I will fill the bow with Ephraim.
And I will stir up your sons, Zion, against your sons, (AE)Greece;
And I will make you like a (AF)warrior’s sword.
14 Then the Lord will appear (AG)over them,
And His (AH)arrow will go forth like lightning;
And the Lord [k]God will blow the (AI)trumpet,
And march in the (AJ)storm winds of the south.
15 (AK)The Lord of armies will protect them.
And they will (AL)devour and trample on the (AM)slingstones;
And they will drink and be (AN)boisterous as with wine;
And they will be filled like a sacrificial basin,
Drenched like the (AO)corners of the altar.
16 And the Lord their God will (AP)save them on that day
As the flock of His people;
For they are like the precious stones of a (AQ)crown,
Sparkling on His land.
17 For how great will [l]their (AR)loveliness and (AS)beauty be!
Grain will make the young men flourish, and new wine, the virgins.
Footnotes
- Zechariah 9:2 Or because
- Zechariah 9:2 I.e., they think they are
- Zechariah 9:7 Or chief
- Zechariah 9:8 Or as a garrison, so that none will go back and forth
- Zechariah 9:9 Or vindicated and victorious
- Zechariah 9:9 Lit son of a female donkey
- Zechariah 9:11 Lit cistern in which there is no water
- Zechariah 9:12 Or Stronghold
- Zechariah 9:12 Lit of the hope
- Zechariah 9:13 Lit for Me as a bow
- Zechariah 9:14 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Zechariah 9:17 Lit his
Zechariah 9
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Judgment on Israel’s Enemies
9 An Oracle.
The word of the Lord is against the land of Hadrach
and will rest upon Damascus.
For to the Lord belongs the capital[a] of Aram,[b]
as do all the tribes of Israel;
2 Hamath also, which borders on it,
Tyre and Sidon, though they are very wise.(A)
3 Tyre has built itself a rampart
and heaped up silver like dust
and gold like the dirt of the streets.(B)
4 But now, the Lord will strip it of its possessions
and hurl its wealth into the sea,
and it shall be devoured by fire.(C)
5 Ashkelon shall see it and be afraid;
Gaza, too, and shall writhe in anguish;
Ekron also, because its hopes are withered.
The king shall perish from Gaza;
Ashkelon shall be uninhabited;(D)
6 a mongrel people shall settle in Ashdod,
and I will make an end of the pride of Philistia.(E)
7 I will take away its blood from its mouth
and its abominations from between its teeth;
it, too, shall be a remnant for our God;
it shall be like a clan in Judah,
and Ekron shall be like the Jebusites.(F)
8 Then I will encamp at my house as a guard,
so that no one shall march to and fro;
no oppressor shall again overrun them,
for now I have seen with my own eyes.(G)
The Coming Ruler of God’s People
9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion!
Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you;
triumphant and victorious is he,
humble and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.(H)
10 He[c] will cut off the chariot from Ephraim
and the war horse from Jerusalem;
and the battle bow shall be cut off,
and he shall command peace to the nations;
his dominion shall be from sea to sea
and from the River to the ends of the earth.(I)
11 As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you,
I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.(J)
12 Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope;
today I declare that I will restore to you double.(K)
13 For I have bent Judah as my bow;
I have made Ephraim its arrow.[d]
I will arouse your sons, O Zion,
against your sons, O Greece,
and wield you like a warrior’s sword.(L)
14 Then the Lord will appear over them,
and his arrow go forth like lightning;
the Lord God will sound the trumpet
and march forth in the whirlwinds of the south.(M)
15 The Lord of hosts will protect them,
and they shall consume and conquer the slingers;[e]
they shall drink their blood[f] like wine
and be full like a bowl,
drenched like the corners of the altar.(N)
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New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.