God Will Battle Jerusalem’s Enemies

14 Behold, a (A)day is coming for the Lord when (B)the spoils taken from you will be divided among you. For I will (C)gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city will be taken, the (D)houses plundered, the women raped, and half of the city exiled, but the rest of the people will not be eliminated from the city. Then the Lord will go forth and (E)fight against those nations, as [a]when He fights on a day of battle. On that day His feet will (F)stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be (G)split [b]in its middle from east to west forming a very large valley. Half of the mountain will move toward the north, and the other half toward the south. And you will flee by the valley of My mountains, for the valley of the mountains will reach to Azel; yes, you will flee just as you fled from the (H)earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. (I)Then the Lord, my God, will come, and all the holy ones with [c]Him!

On that day there will be (J)no light; the [d]luminaries will die out. For it will be (K)a unique day which is (L)known to the Lord, neither day nor night, but it will come about that at the (M)time of evening there will be light.

And on that day (N)living waters will flow out of Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea and the other half toward the western sea; it will be in summer as well as in winter.

God Will Be King over All

And the Lord will be (O)King over all the earth; on that day the Lord will be the only (P)one, and His name the only one.

10 All the land will change into a plain from (Q)Geba to (R)Rimmon south of Jerusalem; but [e]Jerusalem will (S)rise and (T)remain on its site from (U)Benjamin’s Gate as far as the place of the First Gate to the (V)Corner Gate, and from the (W)Tower of Hananel to the king’s wine presses. 11 People will live in it, and there will (X)no longer be a curse, for Jerusalem will (Y)live in security.

12 Now this will be the plague with which the Lord will strike all the peoples who have gone to war against Jerusalem; their flesh will (Z)rot while they stand on their feet, and their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongue will rot in their mouth. 13 And it will come about on that day that a great panic from the Lord will [f]fall on them; and they will (AA)seize one another’s hand, and the hand of one will [g]be raised against the hand of another. 14 (AB)Judah also will fight at Jerusalem; and the (AC)wealth of all the surrounding nations will be gathered, gold, silver, and garments in great abundance. 15 And just like this (AD)plague, there will be a plague on the horse, the mule, the camel, the donkey, and all the cattle that will be in those camps.

16 Then it will come about that any who are left of all the nations that came against Jerusalem will (AE)go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of armies, and to celebrate the (AF)Feast of Booths. 17 And it will be that whichever of the families of the earth does not go up to Jerusalem to worship the (AG)King, the Lord of armies, there will be (AH)no rain on them. 18 And if the family of Egypt does not go up or enter, then no rain will fall on them; it will be the (AI)plague with which the Lord strikes the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Booths. 19 This will be the [h]punishment of Egypt, and the [i]punishment of all the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Booths.

20 On that day there will be inscribed on the bells of the horses, “(AJ)Holy to the Lord.” And the (AK)cooking pots in the Lords house will be like the bowls before the altar. 21 Every cooking pot in Jerusalem and in Judah will be (AL)holy to the Lord of armies; and all who sacrifice will come and take of them and boil in them. And there will no longer be a [j](AM)Canaanite in the house of the Lord of armies on that day.

Footnotes

  1. Zechariah 14:3 Lit a day of His fighting
  2. Zechariah 14:4 Lit from
  3. Zechariah 14:5 As in many mss and ancient versions; MT You
  4. Zechariah 14:6 Lit glorious ones will congeal
  5. Zechariah 14:10 Lit it
  6. Zechariah 14:13 Lit be among
  7. Zechariah 14:13 Lit rise
  8. Zechariah 14:19 Lit sin
  9. Zechariah 14:19 Lit sin
  10. Zechariah 14:21 Or merchant

Future Warfare and Final Victory

14 See, a day is coming for the Lord, when the plunder taken from you will be divided in your midst.(A) For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city shall be taken and the houses plundered and the women raped; half the city shall go into exile, but the rest of the people shall not be cut off from the city.(B) Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle.(C) On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives, which lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the mount shall withdraw northward and the other half southward.(D) And you shall flee by the valley of the Lord’s mountain,[a] for the valley between the mountains shall reach to Azal,[b] and you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of King Uzziah of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come and all the holy ones with him.(E)

On that day there shall not be[c] either cold or frost.[d] And there shall be continuous day (it is known to the Lord), not day and not night, for at evening time there shall be light.(F)

On that day living water shall flow out from Jerusalem, half of it to the eastern sea and half of it to the western sea; it shall continue in summer as in winter.(G)

And the Lord will become king over all the earth; on that day the Lord will be one and his name one.(H)

10 The whole land shall be turned into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem. But Jerusalem[e] shall remain aloft on its site from the Gate of Benjamin to the place of the former gate, to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the king’s winepresses.(I) 11 And it shall be inhabited, for never again shall it be doomed to destruction; Jerusalem shall abide in security.(J)

12 This shall be the plague with which the Lord will strike all the peoples who wage war against Jerusalem: their flesh shall rot while they are still on their feet, their eyes shall rot in their sockets, and their tongues shall rot in their mouths.(K) 13 On that day a great panic from the Lord shall fall on them, so that each will seize the hand of a neighbor, and the hand of the one will be raised against the hand of the other;(L) 14 even Judah will fight at Jerusalem. And the wealth of all the surrounding nations shall be collected: gold, silver, and garments in great abundance.(M) 15 And a plague like this plague shall fall on the horses, the mules, the camels, the donkeys, and whatever animals may be in those camps.(N)

16 Then all who survive of the nations that have come against Jerusalem shall go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Festival of Booths.[f](O) 17 If any of the families of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, there will be no rain upon them.(P) 18 And if the family of Egypt do not go up and present themselves, there will be no rain for them; there will be the plague that the Lord inflicts on the nations that do not go up to keep the Festival of Booths.[g](Q) 19 Such shall be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not go up to keep the Festival of Booths.[h](R)

20 On that day there shall be inscribed on the bells of the horses, “Holy to the Lord.” And the cooking pots in the house of the Lord shall be as holy as[i] the bowls in front of the altar,(S) 21 and every cooking pot in Jerusalem and Judah shall be holy to the Lord of hosts, so that all who sacrifice may come and use them to boil the flesh of the sacrifice. And there shall no longer be traders[j] in the house of the Lord of hosts on that day.(T)

Footnotes

  1. 14.5 Heb my mountains
  2. 14.5 Meaning of Heb uncertain
  3. 14.6 Cn: Heb there shall not be light
  4. 14.6 Compare Gk Syr Vg Tg: Meaning of Heb uncertain
  5. 14.10 Heb it
  6. 14.16 Or Tabernacles
  7. 14.18 Or Tabernacles
  8. 14.19 Or Tabernacles
  9. 14.20 Heb shall be like
  10. 14.21 Or Canaanites

14 Behold the days of the Lord shall come, and thy spoils shall be divided in the midst of thee.

And I will gather all nations to Jerusalem to battle, and the city shall be taken, and the houses shall be rifled, and the women shall be defiled: and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the rest of the people shall not be taken away out of the city.

Then the Lord shall go forth, and shall fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.

And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is over against Jerusalem toward the east: and the mount of Olives shall be divided in the midst thereof to the east, and to the west with a very great opening, and half of the mountain shall be separated to the north, and half thereof to the south.

And you shall flee to the valley of those mountains, for the valley of the mountains shall be joined even to the next, and you shall flee as you fled from the face of the earthquake in the days of Ozias king of Juda: and the Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with him.

And it shall come to pass in that day, that there shall be no light, but cold and frost.

And there shall be one day, which is known to the Lord, not day nor night: and in the time of the evening there shall be light.

And it shall come to pass in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem: half of them to the east sea, and half of them to the last sea: they shall be in summer and in winter.

And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day there shall be one Lord, and his name shall be one.

10 And all the land shall return even to the desert, from the hill to Remmon to the south of Jerusalem: and she shall be exalted, and shall dwell in her own place, from the gate of Benjamin even to the place of the former gate, and even to the gate of the corners: and from the tower of Hananeel even to the king's winepresses.

11 And people shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more an anathema: but Jerusalem shall sit secure.

12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the Lord shall strike all nations that have fought against Jerusalem: the flesh of every one shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.

13 In that day there shall be a great tumult from the Lord among them: and a man shall take the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall be clasped upon his neighbour's hand.

14 And even Juda shall fight against Jerusalem: and the riches of all nations round about shall be gathered together, gold, and silver, and garments in great abundance.

15 And the destruction of the horse, and of the mule, and of the camel, and of the ass, and of all the beasts, that shall be in those tents, shall be like this destruction.

16 And all they that shall be left of all nations that came against Jerusalem, shall go up from year to year, to adore the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.

17 And it shall come to pass, that he that shall not go up of the families of the land to Jerusalem, to adore the King, the Lord of hosts, there shall be no rain upon them.

18 And if the family of Egypt go not up nor come: neither shall it be upon them, but there shall be destruction wherewith the Lord will strike all nations that will not go up to keep the feast of tabernacles.

19 This shall be the sin of Egypt, and this the sin of all nations, that will not go up to keep the feast of tabernacles.

20 In that day that which is upon the bridle of the horse shall be holy to the Lord: and the caldrons in the house of the Lord shall be as the phials before the altar.

21 And every caldron in Jerusalem and Juda shall be sanctified to the Lord of hosts: and all that sacrifice shall come, and take of them, and shall seethe in them: and the merchant shall be no more in the house of the Lord of hosts in that day.

The Day Is Coming

14 1-2 Note well: God’s Judgment Day is on the way:
    “Plunder will be piled high and handed out.
I’m bringing all the godless nations
    to war against Jerusalem—
Houses plundered,
    women raped,
Half the city taken into exile,
    the other half left behind.”

3-5 But then God will march out against the godless nations and fight—a great war! That’s the Day he’ll take his stand on the Mount of Olives, facing Jerusalem from the east. The Mount of Olives will be split right down the middle, from east to west, leaving a wide valley. Half the mountain will shift north, the other half south. Then you will run for your lives down the valley, your escape route that will take you all the way to Azal. You’ll run for your lives, just as you ran on the day of the great earthquake in the days of Uzziah, king of Judah. Then my God will arrive and all the holy angels with him.

6-7 What a Day that will be! No more cold nights—in fact, no more nights! The Day is coming—the timing is God’s—when it will be continuous day. Every evening will be a fresh morning.

What a Day that will be! Fresh flowing rivers out of Jerusalem, half to the eastern sea, half to the western sea, flowing year-round, summer and winter!

God will be king over all the earth, one God and only one. What a Day that will be!

* * *

10-11 The land will stretch out spaciously around Jerusalem—to Geba in the north and Rimmon in the south, with Jerusalem towering at the center, and the commanding city gates—Gate of Benjamin to First Gate to Corner Gate to Hananel Tower to the Royal Winery—ringing the city full of people. Never again will Jerusalem be totally destroyed. From now on it will be a safe city.

12-14 But this is what will happen to all who fought against Jerusalem: God will visit them with a terrible plague. People’s flesh will rot off their bones while they are walking around; their eyes will rot in their sockets and their tongues in their mouths; people will be dying on their feet! Mass hysteria when that happens—total panic! Fellow soldiers fighting and killing each other—holy terror! And then Judah will jump into the fray!

14-15 Treasures from all the nations will be piled high—gold, silver, the latest fashions. The plague will also hit the animals—horses, mules, camels, donkeys. Everything alive in the military camps will be hit by the plague.

* * *

16-19 All the survivors from the godless nations that fought against Jerusalem will travel to Jerusalem every year to worship the King, God-of-the-Angel-Armies, and celebrate the Feast of Booths. If any of these survivors fail to make the annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem to worship the King, God-of-the-Angel-Armies, there will be no rain. If the Egyptians don’t make the pilgrimage and worship, there will be no rain for them. Every nation that does not go up to celebrate the Feast of Booths will be hit with the plague. Egypt and any other nation that does not make pilgrimage to celebrate the Feast of Booths gets punished.

20-21 On that Day, the Big Day, all the horses’ harness bells will be inscribed “Holy to God.” The cooking pots in the Temple of God will be as sacred as chalices and plates on the altar. In fact, all the pots and pans in all the kitchens of Jerusalem and Judah will be holy to God-of-the-Angel-Armies. People who come to worship, preparing meals and sacrifices, will use them. On that Big Day there will be no buying or selling in the Temple of God-of-the-Angel-Armies.