The Lord Comes and Reigns

14 A day of the Lord(A) is coming, Jerusalem, when your possessions(B) will be plundered and divided up within your very walls.

I will gather all the nations(C) to Jerusalem to fight against it;(D) the city will be captured, the houses ransacked, and the women raped.(E) Half of the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be taken from the city.(F) Then the Lord will go out and fight(G) against those nations, as he fights on a day of battle.(H) On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives,(I) east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split(J) in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south. You will flee by my mountain valley, for it will extend to Azel. You will flee as you fled from the earthquake[a](K) in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come,(L) and all the holy ones with him.(M)

On that day there will be neither sunlight(N) nor cold, frosty darkness. It will be a unique(O) day—a day known only to the Lord—with no distinction between day and night.(P) When evening comes, there will be light.(Q)

On that day living water(R) will flow(S) out from Jerusalem, half of it east(T) to the Dead Sea and half of it west to the Mediterranean Sea, in summer and in winter.(U)

The Lord will be king(V) over the whole earth.(W) On that day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name.(X)

10 The whole land, from Geba(Y) to Rimmon,(Z) south of Jerusalem, will become like the Arabah. But Jerusalem will be raised up(AA) high from the Benjamin Gate(AB) to the site of the First Gate, to the Corner Gate,(AC) and from the Tower of Hananel(AD) to the royal winepresses, and will remain in its place.(AE) 11 It will be inhabited;(AF) never again will it be destroyed. Jerusalem will be secure.(AG)

12 This is the plague with which the Lord will strike(AH) all the nations that fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths.(AI) 13 On that day people will be stricken by the Lord with great panic.(AJ) They will seize each other by the hand and attack one another.(AK) 14 Judah(AL) too will fight at Jerusalem. The wealth of all the surrounding nations will be collected(AM)—great quantities of gold and silver and clothing. 15 A similar plague(AN) will strike the horses and mules, the camels and donkeys, and all the animals in those camps.

16 Then the survivors(AO) from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship(AP) the King,(AQ) the Lord Almighty, and to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles.(AR) 17 If any of the peoples of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship(AS) the King, the Lord Almighty, they will have no rain.(AT) 18 If the Egyptian people do not go up and take part, they will have no rain. The Lord[b] will bring on them the plague(AU) he inflicts on the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles.(AV) 19 This will be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles.(AW)

20 On that day holy to the Lord(AX) will be inscribed on the bells of the horses, and the cooking pots(AY) in the Lord’s house will be like the sacred bowls(AZ) in front of the altar. 21 Every pot in Jerusalem and Judah will be holy(BA) to the Lord Almighty, and all who come to sacrifice will take some of the pots and cook in them. And on that day(BB) there will no longer be a Canaanite[c](BC) in the house(BD) of the Lord Almighty.(BE)

Footnotes

  1. Zechariah 14:5 Or My mountain valley will be blocked and will extend to Azel. It will be blocked as it was blocked because of the earthquake
  2. Zechariah 14:18 Or part, then the Lord
  3. Zechariah 14:21 Or merchant

16 “All this(A) I have told you so that you will not fall away.(B) They will put you out of the synagogue;(C) in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God.(D) They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me.(E) I have told you this, so that when their time comes you will remember(F) that I warned you about them. I did not tell you this from the beginning because I was with you,(G) but now I am going to him who sent me.(H) None of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’(I) Rather, you are filled with grief(J) because I have said these things. But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate(K) will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.(L) When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: about sin,(M) because people do not believe in me; 10 about righteousness,(N) because I am going to the Father,(O) where you can see me no longer; 11 and about judgment, because the prince of this world(P) now stands condemned.

12 “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear.(Q) 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth,(R) comes, he will guide you into all the truth.(S) He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine.(T) That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”

The Disciples’ Grief Will Turn to Joy

16 Jesus went on to say, “In a little while(U) you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me.”(V)

17 At this, some of his disciples said to one another, “What does he mean by saying, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,’(W) and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?”(X) 18 They kept asking, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand what he is saying.”

19 Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, “Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me’? 20 Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn(Y) while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.(Z) 21 A woman giving birth to a child has pain(AA) because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. 22 So with you: Now is your time of grief,(AB) but I will see you again(AC) and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.(AD) 23 In that day(AE) you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.(AF) 24 Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive,(AG) and your joy will be complete.(AH)

25 “Though I have been speaking figuratively,(AI) a time is coming(AJ) when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father. 26 In that day you will ask in my name.(AK) I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. 27 No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me(AL) and have believed that I came from God.(AM) 28 I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.”(AN)

29 Then Jesus’ disciples said, “Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech.(AO) 30 Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe(AP) that you came from God.”(AQ)

31 “Do you now believe?” Jesus replied. 32 “A time is coming(AR) and in fact has come when you will be scattered,(AS) each to your own home. You will leave me all alone.(AT) Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.(AU)

33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.(AV) In this world you will have trouble.(AW) But take heart! I have overcome(AX) the world.”

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