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Yahweh’s Oracle Against Israel’s Enemies

The [a]oracle of the word of Yahweh is against the land of Hadrach, with (A)Damascus as its resting place (for the eyes of men, especially of all the tribes of Israel, are toward Yahweh),

And (B)Hamath also, which borders on it;
(C)And Tyre and (D)Sidon, [b]because [c]they are (E)very wise.
So Tyre built herself a (F)tight fortification
And (G)tied up silver like dust
And (H)fine gold like the mire of the streets.
Behold, the Lord will (I)dispossess her
And strike her wealth down into the sea;
And she will be (J)consumed with fire.
Ashkelon will see it and be afraid.
Gaza too will writhe in great pain;
Also Ekron, for her hope has been put to shame.
Moreover, the king will perish from Gaza,
And Ashkelon will not be inhabited.
And those of illegitimate birth will inhabit (K)Ashdod,
And I will cut off the pride of the Philistines.
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 [d]clan in Judah,
And Ekron like a Jebusite.
But I will camp around My house [e]because of an army,
Because of (L)him who passes by and returns;
And (M)no taskmaster will pass over them anymore,
For now I have seen with My eyes.

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Footnotes

  1. Zechariah 9:1 Or burden
  2. Zechariah 9:2 Or though
  3. Zechariah 9:2 They think they are
  4. Zechariah 9:7 Or chief
  5. Zechariah 9:8 Or as a guard, so that none will go back and forth

An oracle. The word of Yahweh is against the land of Hadrach,

and Damascus is its resting place.
    For to Yahweh belongs the eye of humankind,[a]
        and all the tribes of Israel,
and also Hamath, which borders on it;
    Tyre and Sidon—yes, they are very wise![b]
Tyre has built a fortification for itself,[c]
    and it heaped up silver like dust,
    and gold like the mud of the streets.
Look! The Lord will drive it[d] out
    and will hurl its[e] outer ramparts into the sea,
        and it[f] will be consumed by fire.
Ashkelon will see and will be afraid,
    and Gaza will writhe exceedingly,
    and Ekron also, because its hope is ruined.[g]
And the king from Gaza will perish,
    and Ashkelon will not be inhabited.
A mongrel people[h] will dwell in Ashdod,
    and I will cut down the pride of the Philistines.
I will remove its[i] blood from its[j] mouth,
    and its[k] abominations from between its[l] teeth.
And it[m] too will be a remnant for our God;
    and it[n] will be like a tribal chief[o] in Judah,
    and Ekron will be like the Jebusite.
But I will encamp at my temple[p] like a guard,
    against those crossing through and returning;
no oppressor will cross through them again,
    for now I have seen with my own eyes.

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Footnotes

  1. Zechariah 9:1 “Eye of humankind” is difficult to understand in this context; some scholars emend the phrase to “cities of Aram” or “capital of Aram”
  2. Zechariah 9:2 That is, wise in their own eyes (ironic)
  3. Zechariah 9:3 Hebrew “her”
  4. Zechariah 9:4 Hebrew “her”
  5. Zechariah 9:4 Hebrew “her”
  6. Zechariah 9:4 Hebrew “she”
  7. Zechariah 9:5 Traditionally “ashamed”; some presuppose a different Hebrew form and translate “withered”
  8. Zechariah 9:6 That is, a people of mixed marriage; “half-breeds”
  9. Zechariah 9:7 Hebrew “his”
  10. Zechariah 9:7 Hebrew “his”
  11. Zechariah 9:7 Hebrew “his”
  12. Zechariah 9:7 Hebrew “his”
  13. Zechariah 9:7 Hebrew “he”
  14. Zechariah 9:7 Hebrew “he”
  15. Zechariah 9:7 This word is sometimes interpreted as “clan”
  16. Zechariah 9:8 Or “house”