Zechariah 9:1-8
New Living Translation
Judgment against Israel’s Enemies
9 This is the message[a] from the Lord against the land of Aram[b] and the city of Damascus, for the eyes of humanity, including all the tribes of Israel, are on the Lord.
2 Doom is certain for Hamath,
near Damascus,
and for the cities of Tyre and Sidon,
though they are so clever.
3 Tyre has built a strong fortress
and has made silver and gold
as plentiful as dust in the streets!
4 But now the Lord will strip away Tyre’s possessions
and hurl its fortifications into the sea,
and it will be burned to the ground.
5 The city of Ashkelon will see Tyre fall
and will be filled with fear.
Gaza will shake with terror,
as will Ekron, for their hopes will be dashed.
Gaza’s king will be killed,
and Ashkelon will be deserted.
6 Foreigners will occupy the city of Ashdod.
I will destroy the pride of the Philistines.
7 I will grab the bloody meat from their mouths
and snatch the detestable sacrifices from their teeth.
Then the surviving Philistines will worship our God
and become like a clan in Judah.[c]
The Philistines of Ekron will join my people,
as the ancient Jebusites once did.
8 I will guard my Temple
and protect it from invading armies.
I am watching closely to ensure
that no more foreign oppressors overrun my people’s land.
Zechariah 9:1-8
Lexham English Bible
9 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,
2 and also Hamath, which borders on it;
Tyre and Sidon—yes, they are very wise![b]
3 Tyre has built a fortification for itself,[c]
and it heaped up silver like dust,
and gold like the mud of the streets.
4 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.
5 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.
6 A mongrel people[h] will dwell in Ashdod,
and I will cut down the pride of the Philistines.
7 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.
8 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.
Footnotes
- 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”
- Zechariah 9:2 That is, wise in their own eyes (ironic)
- Zechariah 9:3 Hebrew “her”
- Zechariah 9:4 Hebrew “her”
- Zechariah 9:4 Hebrew “her”
- Zechariah 9:4 Hebrew “she”
- Zechariah 9:5 Traditionally “ashamed”; some presuppose a different Hebrew form and translate “withered”
- Zechariah 9:6 That is, a people of mixed marriage; “half-breeds”
- Zechariah 9:7 Hebrew “his”
- Zechariah 9:7 Hebrew “his”
- Zechariah 9:7 Hebrew “his”
- Zechariah 9:7 Hebrew “his”
- Zechariah 9:7 Hebrew “he”
- Zechariah 9:7 Hebrew “he”
- Zechariah 9:7 This word is sometimes interpreted as “clan”
- Zechariah 9:8 Or “house”
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