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.

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

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