Israel Defended Against Enemies

The [a]burden of the word of the Lord
Against the land of Hadrach,
And (A)Damascus its resting place
(For (B)the eyes of men
And all the tribes of Israel
Are on the Lord);
Also against (C)Hamath, which borders on it,
And against (D)Tyre and (E)Sidon, though they are very (F)wise.

For Tyre built herself a tower,
Heaped up silver like the dust,
And gold like the mire of the streets.
Behold, (G)the Lord will cast her out;
He will destroy (H)her power in the sea,
And she will be devoured by fire.

Ashkelon shall see it and fear;
Gaza also shall be very sorrowful;
And (I)Ekron, for He dried up her expectation.
The king shall perish from Gaza,
And Ashkelon shall not be inhabited.

“A[b] mixed race shall settle (J)in Ashdod,
And I will cut off the pride of the (K)Philistines.
I will take away the blood from his mouth,
And the abominations from between his teeth.
But he who remains, even he shall be for our God,
And shall be like a leader in Judah,
And Ekron like a Jebusite.
(L)I will camp around My house
Because of the army,
Because of him who passes by and him who returns.
No more shall an oppressor pass through them,
For now I have seen with My eyes.

The Coming King(M)

“Rejoice (N)greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, (O)your King is coming to you;
He is just and having salvation,
Lowly and riding on a donkey,
A colt, the foal of a donkey.
10 I (P)will cut off the chariot from Ephraim
And the horse from Jerusalem;
The (Q)battle bow shall be cut off.
He shall speak peace to the nations;
His dominion shall be (R)‘from sea to sea,
And from the River to the ends of the earth.’

God Will Save His People

11 “As for you also,
Because of the blood of your covenant,
I will set your (S)prisoners free from the waterless pit.
12 Return to the stronghold,
(T)You prisoners of hope.
Even today I declare
That I will restore (U)double to you.
13 For I have bent Judah, My bow,
Fitted the bow with Ephraim,
And raised up your sons, O Zion,
Against your sons, O Greece,
And made you like the sword of a mighty man.”

14 Then the Lord will be seen over them,
And (V)His arrow will go forth like lightning.
The Lord God will blow the trumpet,
And go (W)with whirlwinds from the south.
15 The Lord of hosts will (X)defend them;
They shall devour and subdue with slingstones.
They shall drink and roar as if with wine;
They shall be filled with blood like [c]basins,
Like the corners of the altar.
16 The Lord their God will (Y)save them in that day,
As the flock of His people.
For (Z)they shall be like the [d]jewels of a crown,
(AA)Lifted like a banner over His land—
17 For (AB)how great is [e]its goodness
And how great its (AC)beauty!
(AD)Grain shall make the young men thrive,
And new wine the young women.

Restoration of Judah and Israel

10 Ask (AE)the Lord for (AF)rain
In (AG)the time of the [f]latter rain.
The Lord will make [g]flashing clouds;
He will give them showers of rain,
Grass in the field for everyone.

For the (AH)idols[h] speak delusion;
The diviners envision (AI)lies,
And tell false dreams;
They (AJ)comfort in vain.
Therefore the people wend their way like (AK)sheep;
They are [i]in trouble (AL)because there is no shepherd.

“My anger is kindled against the (AM)shepherds,
(AN)And I will punish the [j]goatherds.
For the Lord of hosts (AO)will visit His flock,
The house of Judah,
And (AP)will make them as His royal horse in the battle.
From him comes (AQ)the cornerstone,
From him (AR)the tent peg,
From him the battle bow,
From him every [k]ruler together.
They shall be like mighty men,
Who (AS)tread down their enemies
In the mire of the streets in the battle.
They shall fight because the Lord is with them,
And the riders on horses shall be put to shame.

“I will strengthen the house of Judah,
And I will save the house of Joseph.
(AT)I will bring them back,
Because I (AU)have mercy on them.
They shall be as though I had not cast them aside;
For I am the Lord their God,
And I (AV)will hear them.
Those of Ephraim shall be like a mighty man,
And their (AW)heart shall rejoice as if with wine.
Yes, their children shall see it and be glad;
Their heart shall rejoice in the Lord.
I will (AX)whistle for them and gather them,
For I will redeem them;
(AY)And they shall increase as they once increased.

“I(AZ) will [l]sow them among the peoples,
And they shall (BA)remember Me in far countries;
They shall live, together with their children,
And they shall return.
10 (BB)I will also bring them back from the land of Egypt,
And gather them from Assyria.
I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon,
(BC)Until no more room is found for them.
11 (BD)He shall pass through the sea with affliction,
And strike the waves of the sea:
All the depths of [m]the River shall dry up.
Then (BE)the pride of Assyria shall be brought down,
And (BF)the scepter of Egypt shall depart.

12 “So I will strengthen them in the Lord,
And (BG)they shall walk up and down in His name,”
Says the Lord.

Desolation of Israel

11 Open (BH)your doors, O Lebanon,
That fire may devour your cedars.
Wail, O cypress, for the (BI)cedar has fallen,
Because the mighty trees are ruined.
Wail, O oaks of Bashan,
(BJ)For the thick forest has come down.
There is the sound of wailing (BK)shepherds!
For their glory is in ruins.
There is the sound of roaring lions!
For the [n]pride of the Jordan is in ruins.

Prophecy of the Shepherds

Thus says the Lord my God, “Feed the flock for slaughter, whose owners slaughter them and (BL)feel no guilt; those who sell them (BM)say, ‘Blessed be the Lord, for I am rich’; and their shepherds do (BN)not pity them. For I will no longer pity the inhabitants of the land,” says the Lord. “But indeed I will give everyone into his neighbor’s hand and into the hand of his king. They shall [o]attack the land, and I will not deliver them from their hand.”

So I fed the flock for slaughter, [p]in particular (BO)the poor of the flock. I took for myself two staffs: the one I called [q]Beauty, and the other I called [r]Bonds; and I fed the flock. I [s]dismissed the three shepherds (BP)in one month. My soul loathed them, and their soul also abhorred me. Then I said, “I will not feed you. (BQ)Let what is dying die, and what is perishing perish. Let those that are left eat each other’s flesh.” 10 And I took my staff, [t]Beauty, and cut it in two, that I might break the covenant which I had made with all the peoples. 11 So it was broken on that day. Thus (BR)the[u] poor of the flock, who were watching me, knew that it was the word of the Lord. 12 Then I said to them, “If it is [v]agreeable to you, give me my wages; and if not, refrain.” So they (BS)weighed out for my wages thirty pieces of silver.

13 And the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the (BT)potter”—that princely price they set on me. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the Lord for the potter. 14 Then I cut in two my other staff, [w]Bonds, that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.

15 And the Lord said to me, (BU)“Next, take for yourself the implements of a foolish shepherd. 16 For indeed I will raise up a shepherd in the land who will not care for those who are cut off, nor seek the young, nor heal those that are broken, nor feed those that still stand. But he will eat the flesh of the fat and tear their hooves in (BV)pieces.

17 “Woe(BW) to the worthless shepherd,
Who leaves the flock!
A sword shall be against his arm
And against his right eye;
His arm shall completely wither,
And his right eye shall be totally blinded.”

Footnotes

  1. Zechariah 9:1 oracle, prophecy
  2. Zechariah 9:6 Lit. An illegitimate one
  3. Zechariah 9:15 Sacrificial basins
  4. Zechariah 9:16 Lit. stones
  5. Zechariah 9:17 Lit. His
  6. Zechariah 10:1 Spring rain
  7. Zechariah 10:1 Or lightning flashes
  8. Zechariah 10:2 Heb. teraphim
  9. Zechariah 10:2 afflicted
  10. Zechariah 10:3 Leaders
  11. Zechariah 10:4 Or despot
  12. Zechariah 10:9 Or scatter
  13. Zechariah 10:11 The Nile
  14. Zechariah 11:3 Or floodplain, thicket
  15. Zechariah 11:6 Lit. strike
  16. Zechariah 11:7 So with MT, Tg., Vg.; LXX for the Canaanites
  17. Zechariah 11:7 Or Grace
  18. Zechariah 11:7 Or Unity
  19. Zechariah 11:8 Or destroyed, lit. cut off
  20. Zechariah 11:10 Or Grace
  21. Zechariah 11:11 So with MT, Tg., Vg.; LXX the Canaanites
  22. Zechariah 11:12 good in your sight
  23. Zechariah 11:14 Or Unity

Judgment on Israel’s Enemies

A prophecy:(A)

The word of the Lord is against the land of Hadrak
    and will come to rest on Damascus(B)
for the eyes of all people and all the tribes of Israel
    are on the Lord[a]
and on Hamath(C) too, which borders on it,
    and on Tyre(D) and Sidon,(E) though they are very skillful.
Tyre has built herself a stronghold;
    she has heaped up silver like dust,
    and gold like the dirt of the streets.(F)
But the Lord will take away her possessions
    and destroy(G) her power on the sea,
    and she will be consumed by fire.(H)
Ashkelon(I) will see it and fear;
    Gaza will writhe in agony,
    and Ekron too, for her hope will wither.
Gaza will lose her king
    and Ashkelon will be deserted.
A mongrel people will occupy Ashdod,
    and I will put an end(J) to the pride of the Philistines.
I will take the blood from their mouths,
    the forbidden food from between their teeth.
Those who are left will belong to our God(K)
    and become a clan in Judah,
    and Ekron will be like the Jebusites.(L)
But I will encamp(M) at my temple
    to guard it against marauding forces.(N)
Never again will an oppressor overrun my people,
    for now I am keeping watch.(O)

The Coming of Zion’s King

Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!(P)
    Shout,(Q) Daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you,(R)
    righteous and victorious,(S)
lowly and riding on a donkey,(T)
    on a colt, the foal of a donkey.(U)
10 I will take away the chariots from Ephraim
    and the warhorses from Jerusalem,
    and the battle bow will be broken.(V)
He will proclaim peace(W) to the nations.
    His rule will extend from sea to sea
    and from the River[b] to the ends of the earth.(X)
11 As for you, because of the blood of my covenant(Y) with you,
    I will free your prisoners(Z) from the waterless pit.(AA)
12 Return to your fortress,(AB) you prisoners of hope;
    even now I announce that I will restore twice(AC) as much to you.
13 I will bend Judah as I bend my bow(AD)
    and fill it with Ephraim.(AE)
I will rouse your sons, Zion,
    against your sons, Greece,(AF)
    and make you like a warrior’s sword.(AG)

The Lord Will Appear

14 Then the Lord will appear over them;(AH)
    his arrow will flash like lightning.(AI)
The Sovereign Lord will sound the trumpet;(AJ)
    he will march in the storms(AK) of the south,
15     and the Lord Almighty will shield(AL) them.
They will destroy
    and overcome with slingstones.(AM)
They will drink and roar as with wine;(AN)
    they will be full like a bowl(AO)
    used for sprinkling[c] the corners(AP) of the altar.
16 The Lord their God will save his people on that day(AQ)
    as a shepherd saves his flock.
They will sparkle in his land
    like jewels in a crown.(AR)
17 How attractive and beautiful they will be!
    Grain will make the young men thrive,
    and new wine the young women.

The Lord Will Care for Judah

10 Ask the Lord for rain in the springtime;
    it is the Lord who sends the thunderstorms.
He gives showers of rain(AS) to all people,
    and plants of the field(AT) to everyone.
The idols(AU) speak deceitfully,
    diviners(AV) see visions that lie;
they tell dreams(AW) that are false,
    they give comfort in vain.(AX)
Therefore the people wander like sheep
    oppressed for lack of a shepherd.(AY)

“My anger burns against the shepherds,
    and I will punish the leaders;(AZ)
for the Lord Almighty will care
    for his flock, the people of Judah,
    and make them like a proud horse in battle.(BA)
From Judah will come the cornerstone,(BB)
    from him the tent peg,(BC)
from him the battle bow,(BD)
    from him every ruler.
Together they[d] will be like warriors in battle
    trampling their enemy into the mud of the streets.(BE)
They will fight because the Lord is with them,
    and they will put the enemy horsemen to shame.(BF)

“I will strengthen(BG) Judah
    and save the tribes of Joseph.
I will restore them
    because I have compassion(BH) on them.(BI)
They will be as though
    I had not rejected them,
for I am the Lord their God
    and I will answer(BJ) them.
The Ephraimites will become like warriors,
    and their hearts will be glad as with wine.(BK)
Their children will see it and be joyful;
    their hearts will rejoice(BL) in the Lord.
I will signal(BM) for them
    and gather them in.
Surely I will redeem them;
    they will be as numerous(BN) as before.
Though I scatter them among the peoples,
    yet in distant lands they will remember me.(BO)
They and their children will survive,
    and they will return.
10 I will bring them back from Egypt
    and gather them from Assyria.(BP)
I will bring them to Gilead(BQ) and Lebanon,
    and there will not be room(BR) enough for them.
11 They will pass through the sea of trouble;
    the surging sea will be subdued
    and all the depths of the Nile will dry up.(BS)
Assyria’s pride(BT) will be brought down
    and Egypt’s scepter(BU) will pass away.(BV)
12 I will strengthen(BW) them in the Lord
    and in his name they will live securely,(BX)
declares the Lord.

11 Open your doors, Lebanon,(BY)
    so that fire(BZ) may devour your cedars!
Wail, you juniper, for the cedar has fallen;
    the stately trees are ruined!
Wail, oaks(CA) of Bashan;
    the dense forest(CB) has been cut down!(CC)
Listen to the wail of the shepherds;
    their rich pastures are destroyed!
Listen to the roar of the lions;(CD)
    the lush thicket of the Jordan is ruined!(CE)

Two Shepherds

This is what the Lord my God says: “Shepherd the flock marked for slaughter.(CF) Their buyers slaughter them and go unpunished. Those who sell them say, ‘Praise the Lord, I am rich!’ Their own shepherds do not spare them.(CG) For I will no longer have pity on the people of the land,” declares the Lord. “I will give everyone into the hands of their neighbors(CH) and their king. They will devastate the land, and I will not rescue anyone from their hands.”(CI)

So I shepherded the flock marked for slaughter,(CJ) particularly the oppressed of the flock. Then I took two staffs and called one Favor and the other Union, and I shepherded the flock. In one month I got rid of the three shepherds.

The flock detested(CK) me, and I grew weary of them and said, “I will not be your shepherd. Let the dying die, and the perishing perish.(CL) Let those who are left eat(CM) one another’s flesh.”

10 Then I took my staff called Favor(CN) and broke it, revoking(CO) the covenant I had made with all the nations. 11 It was revoked on that day, and so the oppressed of the flock who were watching me knew it was the word of the Lord.

12 I told them, “If you think it best, give me my pay; but if not, keep it.” So they paid me thirty pieces of silver.(CP)

13 And the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—the handsome price at which they valued me! So I took the thirty pieces of silver(CQ) and threw them to the potter at the house of the Lord.(CR)

14 Then I broke my second staff called Union, breaking the family bond between Judah and Israel.

15 Then the Lord said to me, “Take again the equipment of a foolish shepherd. 16 For I am going to raise up a shepherd over the land who will not care for the lost, or seek the young, or heal the injured, or feed the healthy, but will eat the meat of the choice sheep, tearing off their hooves.

17 “Woe to the worthless shepherd,(CS)
    who deserts the flock!
May the sword strike his arm(CT) and his right eye!
    May his arm be completely withered,
    his right eye totally blinded!”(CU)

Footnotes

  1. Zechariah 9:1 Or Damascus. / For the eye of the Lord is on all people, / as well as on the tribes of Israel,
  2. Zechariah 9:10 That is, the Euphrates
  3. Zechariah 9:15 Or bowl, / like
  4. Zechariah 10:5 Or ruler, all of them together. / They

The Command to Love

Behold (A)what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that (B)we should be called children of [a]God! Therefore the world does not know [b]us, (C)because it did not know Him. Beloved, (D)now we are children of God; and (E)it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, (F)we shall be like Him, for (G)we shall see Him as He is. (H)And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

Sin and the Child of God

Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and (I)sin is lawlessness. And you know (J)that He was manifested (K)to take away our sins, and (L)in Him there is no sin. Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.

Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. (M)He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, (N)that He might destroy the works of the devil. Whoever has been (O)born of God does not sin, for (P)His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.

The Imperative of Love(Q)

10 In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother. 11 For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, (R)that we should love one another, 12 not as (S)Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous.

13 Do not marvel, my brethren, if (T)the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love [c]his brother abides in death. 15 (U)Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that (V)no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

The Outworking of Love

16 (W)By this we know love, (X)because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17 But (Y)whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?

18 My little children, (Z)let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. 19 And by this we [d]know (AA)that we are of the truth, and shall [e]assure our hearts before Him. 20 (AB)For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. 21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, (AC)we have confidence toward God. 22 And (AD)whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments (AE)and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. 23 And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ (AF)and love one another, as He gave [f]us commandment.

The Spirit of Truth and the Spirit of Error

24 Now (AG)he who keeps His commandments (AH)abides in Him, and He in him. And (AI)by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.

Footnotes

  1. 1 John 3:1 NU adds And we are.
  2. 1 John 3:1 M you
  3. 1 John 3:14 NU omits his brother
  4. 1 John 3:19 NU shall know
  5. 1 John 3:19 persuade, set at rest
  6. 1 John 3:23 M omits us

See what great love(A) the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!(B) And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.(C) Dear friends,(D) now we are children of God,(E) and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears,[a](F) we shall be like him,(G) for we shall see him as he is.(H) All who have this hope in him purify themselves,(I) just as he is pure.(J)

Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness.(K) But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins.(L) And in him is no sin.(M) No one who lives in him keeps on sinning.(N) No one who continues to sin has either seen him(O) or known him.(P)

Dear children,(Q) do not let anyone lead you astray.(R) The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.(S) The one who does what is sinful is of the devil,(T) because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God(U) appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.(V) No one who is born of God(W) will continue to sin,(X) because God’s seed(Y) remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. 10 This is how we know who the children of God(Z) are and who the children of the devil(AA) are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love(AB) their brother and sister.(AC)

More on Love and Hatred

11 For this is the message you heard(AD) from the beginning:(AE) We should love one another.(AF) 12 Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one(AG) and murdered his brother.(AH) And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous.(AI) 13 Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters,[b] if the world hates you.(AJ) 14 We know that we have passed from death to life,(AK) because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death.(AL) 15 Anyone who hates a brother or sister(AM) is a murderer,(AN) and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.(AO)

16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.(AP) And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.(AQ) 17 If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them,(AR) how can the love of God be in that person?(AS) 18 Dear children,(AT) let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.(AU)

19 This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence: 20 If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. 21 Dear friends,(AV) if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God(AW) 22 and receive from him anything we ask,(AX) because we keep his commands(AY) and do what pleases him.(AZ) 23 And this is his command: to believe(BA) in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ,(BB) and to love one another as he commanded us.(BC) 24 The one who keeps God’s commands(BD) lives in him,(BE) and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.(BF)

Footnotes

  1. 1 John 3:2 Or when it is made known
  2. 1 John 3:13 The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God’s family; also in verse 16.