Judgment of Zion’s Enemies

An Oracle

The word of the Lord
is against the land of Hadrach,
and Damascus(A) is its resting place—
for the eyes of men
and all the tribes of Israel
are on the Lord[a]
and also against Hamath,(B) which borders it,
as well as Tyre(C) and Sidon,(D)
though they are very shrewd.
Tyre has built herself a fortress;
she has heaped up silver like dust
and gold like the dirt of the streets.
Listen! The Lord will impoverish her
and cast her wealth into the sea;
she herself will be consumed by fire.(E)
Ashkelon will see it and be afraid;
Gaza too, and will writhe in great pain,
as will Ekron, for her hope will fail.
There will cease to be a king in Gaza,
and Ashkelon will become uninhabited.
A mongrel people will live in Ashdod,
and I will destroy the pride of the Philistines.(F)
I will remove the blood from their mouths
and the detestable things(G)
from between their teeth.
Then they too will become a remnant for our God;
they will become like a clan in Judah
and Ekron like the Jebusites.(H)
I will set up camp at My house against an army,[b]
against those who march back and forth,
and no oppressor will march against them again,
for now I have seen with My own eyes.

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Footnotes

  1. Zechariah 9:1 Or eyes of the Lord are on mankind
  2. Zechariah 9:8 Or house as a guard

Judgment against Israel’s Enemies

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.

Doom is certain for Hamath,
    near Damascus,
and for the cities of Tyre and Sidon,
    though they are so clever.
Tyre has built a strong fortress
    and has made silver and gold
    as plentiful as dust in the streets!
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.
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.
Foreigners will occupy the city of Ashdod.
    I will destroy the pride of the Philistines.
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.
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.

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Footnotes

  1. 9:1a Hebrew An Oracle: The message.
  2. 9:1b Hebrew land of Hadrach.
  3. 9:7 Hebrew like a leader in Judah.