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10 Ask of the Lord rain in the time of the latter or spring rain. It is the Lord Who makes lightnings which usher in the rain and give men showers, and grass to everyone in the field.

For the teraphim (household idols) have spoken vanity (emptiness, falsity, and futility) and the diviners have seen a lie and the dreamers have told false dreams; they comfort in vain. Therefore the people go their way like sheep; they are afflicted and hurt because there is no shepherd.

My anger is kindled against the shepherds [who are not true shepherds] and I will punish the goat leaders, for the Lord of hosts has visited His flock, the house of Judah, and will make them as His beautiful and majestic horse in the battle.(A)

Out of him [Judah] shall come forth the [a]Cornerstone, out of him the tent peg, out of him the battle bow; every ruler shall proceed from him.(B)

And they shall be like mighty men treading down their enemies in the mire of the streets in the battle, and they shall fight because the Lord is with them, and the [oppressor’s] riders on horses shall be confounded and put to shame.

And I will strengthen the house of Judah and I will save the house of Joseph [Ephraim]. I will bring them back and cause them to dwell securely, for I have mercy, loving-kindness, and compassion for them. They shall be as though I had not cast them off, for I am the Lord their God, and I will hear them.

Then Ephraim [the ten tribes] shall become like a mighty warrior, and their hearts shall rejoice as through wine; yes, their children shall see it and rejoice; their hearts shall feel great delight and glory triumphantly in the Lord!

I will hiss for them [as the keeper does for his bees] and gather them in, for I have redeemed them, and they shall increase [again] as they have increased [before, in Egypt].(C)

And though I sow them among the nations, yet they shall [earnestly] remember Me in far countries, and with their children they shall live and shall return [to God and the land He gave them].

10 I will bring them [all Israel] home again from the land of Egypt and gather them out of Assyria, and I will bring them into the land [on the east and on the west of the Jordan, into] Gilead and Lebanon, and room enough shall not be found for them.

11 And [the Lord] will pass through the sea of distress and affliction [at the head of His people, as He did at the Red Sea]; and He will smite down the waves of the sea, and all the depths of the [river] Nile shall be dried up and put to shame; and the pride of Assyria shall be brought down and the scepter or rod [of the taskmasters of Egypt] shall pass away.

12 And I will strengthen [Israel] in the Lord, and they shall walk up and down and glory in His name, says the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Zechariah 10:4 This Messianic referent reminds one of the “Cornerstone” imagery of Ps. 118:22-23; Isa. 28:16; Matt. 21:42; Acts 4:11; Eph. 2:19-22; I Pet. 2:6-8.

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(A) to all people,
    and plants of the field(B) to everyone.
The idols(C) speak deceitfully,
    diviners(D) see visions that lie;
they tell dreams(E) that are false,
    they give comfort in vain.(F)
Therefore the people wander like sheep
    oppressed for lack of a shepherd.(G)

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

“I will strengthen(O) Judah
    and save the tribes of Joseph.
I will restore them
    because I have compassion(P) on them.(Q)
They will be as though
    I had not rejected them,
for I am the Lord their God
    and I will answer(R) them.
The Ephraimites will become like warriors,
    and their hearts will be glad as with wine.(S)
Their children will see it and be joyful;
    their hearts will rejoice(T) in the Lord.
I will signal(U) for them
    and gather them in.
Surely I will redeem them;
    they will be as numerous(V) as before.
Though I scatter them among the peoples,
    yet in distant lands they will remember me.(W)
They and their children will survive,
    and they will return.
10 I will bring them back from Egypt
    and gather them from Assyria.(X)
I will bring them to Gilead(Y) and Lebanon,
    and there will not be room(Z) 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.(AA)
Assyria’s pride(AB) will be brought down
    and Egypt’s scepter(AC) will pass away.(AD)
12 I will strengthen(AE) them in the Lord
    and in his name they will live securely,(AF)
declares the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Zechariah 10:5 Or ruler, all of them together. / They

Yahweh Gives Rain

10 Ask rain from Yahweh in the season of the spring rain—

Yahweh, who makes storm clouds,
and he gives showers of rain to them,
    to everyone vegetation in the field.
Because the household gods[a] speak deceit,
    and those who practice divination see a lie,
and the dreamers of vanity speak in vain.
    Therefore the people wander like sheep;[b]
they are afflicted because there is no shepherd.
My anger burns[c] against the shepherds,
    and I will punish the leaders,[d]
because Yahweh of hosts watches over his flock,[e]
    the house of Judah;
        and he will make them like his majestic horse in war.
From them[f] the cornerstone will go out,
    from them[g] the tent peg,
from them[h] the battle bow,
    from them[i] every ruler,
        all together.
And they will be like warriors,
    trampling in the mud of the streets in the battle.
They will fight, because Yahweh is with them,
    and they will put to shame the riders on horses.
And I will strengthen the house of Judah,
    and the house of Joseph I will save.
And I will bring them back, because I have compassion on them,
    and they will be as if I had not rejected them,
    for I am Yahweh their God, and I will answer them.
And the people of Ephraim will be like a warrior,
    and their heart will be glad as with wine.
And their children will see and rejoice;
    their heart will shout in exultation in Yahweh.
I will whistle to them and gather them,
    for I have redeemed them,
    and they will become numerous as they have been numerous before.
Though I sow[j] them among the nations,
    in the distant places they will remember me,
    and they will stay alive with their children, and they will return.
10 And I will bring them back from the land of Egypt,
    and from Assyria I will gather them.
To the land of Gilead and Lebanon I will bring them,
    until no room will be found for them there.
11 And he[k] will pass through the sea of distress,
    and he will strike the waves of the sea,
    and all the depths of the Nile will dry up.
The pride of Assyria will be brought low,
    and the scepter of Egypt will depart.
12 I will make them strong in Yahweh,
    and in his name they will walk,
        declares[l] Yahweh.

Footnotes

  1. Zechariah 10:2 Hebrew teraphim
  2. Zechariah 10:2 Or “flocks”; the Hebrew term refers collectively to both sheep and goats (small livestock animals)
  3. Zechariah 10:3 Literally “My nose becomes hot”
  4. Zechariah 10:3 Or “male goats”
  5. Zechariah 10:3 Or “herd”
  6. Zechariah 10:4 Hebrew “him” (or “it”), referring to the flock in v. 3
  7. Zechariah 10:4 Hebrew “him” (or “it”), referring to the flock in v. 3
  8. Zechariah 10:4 Hebrew “him” (or “it”), referring to the flock in v. 3
  9. Zechariah 10:4 Hebrew “him” (or “it”), referring to the flock in v. 3
  10. Zechariah 10:9 Or “scatter”
  11. Zechariah 10:11 LXX reads “they,” referring to the Israelites (so NIV, NRSV, NASB)
  12. Zechariah 10:12 Literally “declaration of”