Beginning
Yahweh’s Promise to Jerusalem
8 And the word of Yahweh of hosts came, saying, 2 “Thus says Yahweh of hosts: ‘I am exceedingly jealous for Zion;[a] I am jealous for it with great wrath.’ 3 Thus says Yahweh: ‘I have returned to Zion, and I will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem; and Jerusalem will be called the faithful city,[b] and the mountain of Yahweh of hosts will be called the holy mountain.’ 4 Thus says Yahweh of hosts: ‘Old men and old women shall again sit in the public squares of Jerusalem, each with staff in hand[c] because of great age.[d] 5 And the public squares of the city will be filled with boys and girls playing in its public squares.’ 6 Thus says Yahweh of hosts: ‘Even if it seems impossible[e] to the remnant[f] of this people in those days, should it also seem impossible[g] to me?’[h] declares[i] Yahweh of hosts. 7 Thus says Yahweh of hosts: ‘Look! I am going to save my people from the land of the east, and from the land of the west, 8 and I will bring them and they will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. They will be my people and I will be their God in faithfulness[j] and in righteousness.’
9 “Thus says Yahweh of hosts: ‘Let your hands be strong, you[k] who are hearing in these days these words from the mouth of the prophets who were present on the day the foundation was laid for the rebuilding of the temple, the house of Yahweh of hosts.[l] 10 For before those days there was no wage for people or for animals, and there was no safety from the enemy for those who went out or those who came in, and I sent each person against one another.[m] 11 But now I will not deal with the remnant of this people as in the former days,’[n] declares[o] Yahweh of hosts. 12 ‘For there will be a sowing of peace; the vine will give its fruit, and the soil will give its produce, and the heavens will give their dew. And I will cause the remnant of this people to inherit all these things. 13 And then,[p] just as you were a curse among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so will I save you, and you will be a blessing. You must not be afraid; let your hands be strong!’”
14 For thus says Yahweh of hosts: “Just as I planned to bring disaster[q] on you when your ancestors[r] provoked me to anger,” says Yahweh of hosts, “and I did not regret it, 15 so again I have planned[s] in these days to do good to Jerusalem and the house of Judah. Do not be afraid! 16 These are the things that you must do: speak truth, each of you, with his neighbor; practice trustworthy judgment and peace in your gates. 17 Do not devise evil in your hearts against your neighbor, and do not love a false oath,[t] because all these are things I hate,” declares[u] Yahweh.
18 And the word of Yahweh of hosts came to me, saying 19 “Thus says Yahweh of hosts: ‘The fast of the fourth month, the fifth month, the seventh month, and the tenth month will be for the house of Judah jubilation and joy and merry festivals; therefore love truth and peace.’ 20 Thus says Yahweh of hosts: ‘It will happen again that nations and the inhabitants of many cities will come. 21 And the inhabitants of one city will go to another city, saying, “Let us go immediately to entreat the favor of[v] Yahweh, to seek Yahweh of hosts—I also will go!” 22 And many peoples and powerful[w] nations will come to seek Yahweh of hosts in Jerusalem, and to entreat the favor of[x] Yahweh.’ 23 Thus says Yahweh of hosts: ‘In those days ten men from all the nations of every language[y] will take hold of the hem of a Judean man,[z] saying, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you!”’”
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,[aa]
and all the tribes of Israel,
2 and also Hamath, which borders on it;
Tyre and Sidon—yes, they are very wise![ab]
3 Tyre has built a fortification for itself,[ac]
and it heaped up silver like dust,
and gold like the mud of the streets.
4 Look! The Lord will drive it[ad] out
and will hurl its[ae] outer ramparts into the sea,
and it[af] 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.[ag]
And the king from Gaza will perish,
and Ashkelon will not be inhabited.
6 A mongrel people[ah] will dwell in Ashdod,
and I will cut down the pride of the Philistines.
7 I will remove its[ai] blood from its[aj] mouth,
and its[ak] abominations from between its[al] teeth.
And it[am] too will be a remnant for our God;
and it[an] will be like a tribal chief[ao] in Judah,
and Ekron will be like the Jebusite.
8 But I will encamp at my temple[ap] 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.
9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Look! Your king comes to you;
he is righteous and victorious,
humble and riding on a donkey,
and on a male donkey, the foal of[aq] a female donkey!
10 And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim,
and the horse from Jerusalem;
the battle bow will be cut down,
and he will announce peace to the nations.
His dominion will be from sea to sea,
and from the River[ar] to the ends of the earth.
11 As for you also, because of the blood of your covenant,
I will release your prisoners from the waterless pit.[as]
12 Return to the fortress,
O prisoners of hope;
today I am declaring that I will repay you double.
13 For I have bent Judah as my bow;
I have set Ephraim as an arrow.
I will set in motion your sons, O Zion,
against your sons, O Javan.[at]
I will wield you like the sword of a warrior.
14 Then Yahweh will appear over them,
and his arrow will go forth like lightning;
and my Lord Yahweh will blow the trumpet,
and he shall go out in the storm winds of the south.
15 Yahweh of hosts will defend them,
and they will devour and subdue the slingstones;[au]
they will drink, they will make noise[av] like wine,
and they will be full like the sacrificial basin,[aw]
drenched like the corners of an altar.
16 And Yahweh their God will save them on that day,
as the flock of his people;
for they are like the stones of a diadem,
glittering on his land.
17 For how great is his goodness, and how great is his beauty!
Grain will make the young men thrive,
and new wine the young women.
Yahweh Gives Rain
10 Ask rain from Yahweh in the season of the spring rain—
Yahweh, who makes storm clouds,
and he gives showers of rain to them,
to everyone vegetation in the field.
2 Because the household gods[ax] speak deceit,
and those who practice divination see a lie,
and the dreamers of vanity speak in vain.
Therefore the people wander like sheep;[ay]
they are afflicted because there is no shepherd.
3 My anger burns[az] against the shepherds,
and I will punish the leaders,[ba]
because Yahweh of hosts watches over his flock,[bb]
the house of Judah;
and he will make them like his majestic horse in war.
4 From them[bc] the cornerstone will go out,
from them[bd] the tent peg,
from them[be] the battle bow,
from them[bf] every ruler,
all together.
5 And they will be like warriors,
trampling in the mud of the streets in the battle.
They will fight, because Yahweh is with them,
and they will put to shame the riders on horses.
6 And I will strengthen the house of Judah,
and the house of Joseph I will save.
And I will bring them back, because I have compassion on them,
and they will be as if I had not rejected them,
for I am Yahweh their God, and I will answer them.
7 And the people of Ephraim will be like a warrior,
and their heart will be glad as with wine.
And their children will see and rejoice;
their heart will shout in exultation in Yahweh.
8 I will whistle to them and gather them,
for I have redeemed them,
and they will become numerous as they have been numerous before.
9 Though I sow[bg] them among the nations,
in the distant places they will remember me,
and they will stay alive with their children, and they will return.
10 And I will bring them back from the land of Egypt,
and from Assyria I will gather them.
To the land of Gilead and Lebanon I will bring them,
until no room will be found for them there.
11 And he[bh] will pass through the sea of distress,
and he will strike the waves of the sea,
and all the depths of the Nile will dry up.
The pride of Assyria will be brought low,
and the scepter of Egypt will depart.
12 I will make them strong in Yahweh,
and in his name they will walk,
declares[bi] Yahweh.
11 Open your doors, O Lebanon,
so that fire will devour your cedars!
2 Wail, O juniper,[bj] for the cedar has fallen,
for the magnificent trees are ruined!
Wail, oaks of Bashan,
for the impenetrable forest has come down!
3 Listen to the wailing of the shepherds,
for their splendor is ruined!
Listen to the roar of the young lions,
for the thickets of the Jordan are ruined!
The Two Shepherds
4 Thus says Yahweh my God: “Shepherd the flock[bk] doomed to slaughter. 5 The ones buying them kill them and go unpunished, and the ones selling them say, ‘Blessed be Yahweh, for I have become rich.’ Their own shepherds have no compassion for them. 6 For I will no longer have compassion on the inhabitants of the land,” declares[bl] Yahweh. “Look, I am going to cause humankind to fall, each into the hand of his neighbor, and into the hand of his king; and they will devastate the land, and I will not deliver anyone from their hand.”
7 And I shepherded the flock[bm] doomed to slaughter, even[bn] the afflicted[bo] of the flock.[bp] I took two staffs, one I called Kindness, and the other I called Unity, and I shepherded the flock.[bq] 8 And I got rid of three shepherds in one month, for I grew impatient[br] with them, and they also became tired of me.[bs] 9 So I said, “I will not shepherd you! The one dying will die, and the one to be destroyed will be destroyed. And the ones remaining, let them devour the flesh of each other.”[bt] 10 And I took my staff Kindness and broke it, to break my covenant that I had made[bu] with all the peoples. 11 And it was broken on that day. Then the afflicted[bv] of the flock,[bw] the ones who were watching me, knew that it was the word of Yahweh. 12 And I said to them, “If it seems right to you,[bx] give me my wages, but if not, keep them.”[by] And they weighed out my wages, thirty silver shekels. 13 And Yahweh said to me, “Throw it to the potter,”[bz] this noble price[ca] at which I was valued by them!” So I took the thirty silver shekels and I threw them to the potter[cb] in the house of Yahweh. 14 Then I broke my second staff Unity to break the family ties between Judah and Israel.
15 And Yahweh said to me, “Take again the implements[cc] of a foolish shepherd. 16 For look, I am raising up a shepherd in the land who will not attend to the ones that are perishing; he will not seek the young man,[cd] he will not heal the ones that are crushed and he will not sustain the healthy ones; he will devour the flesh of the fattened ones[ce] and tear apart even their hoofs.
17 “Woe, my worthless shepherd
who deserts the flock![cf]
May a sword fall on his arm
and on his right eye![cg]
May his arm wither completely
and his right eye[ch] be utterly blinded!”
The Day of Yahweh
12 An oracle. The word of Yahweh concerning Israel. “Thus declares[ci] Yahweh, who stretches out the heavens, founds the earth, and forms the spirit of humankind in its midst:[cj] 2 ‘Look, I am going to make Jerusalem a cup of reeling for all the surrounding nations; it will also be against Judah in the siege against Jerusalem. 3 And then[ck] on that day I will make Jerusalem a stone weight[cl] for all the peoples. All those lifting it up will grievously hurt themselves, and all the nations of the earth will assemble against it. 4 On that day,’ declares[cm] Yahweh, ‘I will strike every horse with confusion, and the one riding it with madness; but over the house of Judah I will keep my eyes open,[cn] and I will strike every horse of the peoples with blindness. 5 And the clans of Judah will say to themselves,[co] “The inhabitants of Jerusalem are a strength to us,[cp] through Yahweh of hosts, their God.”
6 “‘On that day I will make the clans of Judah like a pan of fire among sticks of wood, and like a torch of fire among stalks[cq] of grain, and they will devour to the right and to the left all the surrounding peoples, and Jerusalem will be inhabited again in its place, in Jerusalem. 7 And Yahweh will save the tents of Judah first, so that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants[cr] of Jerusalem may not be exalted over Judah. 8 On that day Yahweh will put a shield around the inhabitants[cs] of Jerusalem, and the one who stumbles among them on that day will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the angel of Yahweh, before them.[ct] 9 And then[cu] on that day I will seek to destroy all the nations coming against Jerusalem.
10 “‘I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants[cv] of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication, and they will look to me whom they pierced, and they shall mourn over him, as one wails over an only child, and they will grieve bitterly over him as one grieves bitterly over a firstborn. 11 On that day the wailing will be great in Jerusalem, like the wailing for Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. 12 And the land shall mourn, each clan by itself;[cw] the clan of the house of David by itself, and their wives by themselves; the clan of the house of Nathan by itself, and their wives by themselves; 13 the clan of the house of Levi by itself, and their wives by themselves; the clan of the Shimeites by itself, and their wives by themselves; 14 and all those clans remaining, each clan by itself,[cx] and their wives by themselves.’”
13 “‘On that day a well will be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and from impurity.[cy] 2 And then,[cz] on that day,’ declares[da] Yahweh of hosts, ‘I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, and they will no longer be remembered; and also the prophets and the spirit of uncleanness I will banish from the land. 3 And then,[db] if anyone prophesies again, his father and his mother who bore him will say to him, “You shall not live, because you have spoken a lie in the name of Yahweh!” And his father and his mother who bore him will pierce him through when he prophesies. 4 And then[dc] on that day, each of the prophets will be ashamed because of his vision when he was prophesying, and they will not put on a cloak of hair in order to deceive, 5 but he will say, “I am not a prophet; I am a tiller of the soil, for a man has acquired me since my youth.”[dd] 6 And someone[de] shall say to him, “What are these wounds between your arms?”[df] and he will say, “Those I have received[dg] in the house of the ones who love me.”’”
The Sword Shall Strike the Shepherd
7 “O sword, awake against my shepherd,
against the man who is my associate,”
declares[dh] Yahweh of hosts.
“Strike the shepherd,
so that the sheep[di] may be scattered,
and I will turn my hand against the small ones.
8 And then[dj] in all the land,” declares[dk] Yahweh,
“two thirds[dl] will be cut off and perish,
and one third will be left alive[dm] in it.
9 And I will bring the remaining third into the fire,
and I will refine them like one refines silver,
and I will test them like one tests gold.
They[dn] will call my name,
and I will answer them.[do]
I will say, ‘They[dp] are my people,’
and they[dq] will say, ‘Yahweh is my God.’”
Zechariah’s Apocalyptic Vision
14 Look! A day is coming for Yahweh, when your plunder will be divided in your midst. 2 I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city will be captured, and they will loot the houses, and the women will be raped; half of the city will go into exile, but the remainder of the people will not be cut off from the city. 3 Then Yahweh will go forth and fight against those nations, like when he fights[dr] on a day of battle. 4 On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives,[ds] which faces Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives[dt] will be split in half,[du] from east to west, by a very great valley; and half of the mountain will withdraw toward the north, and the other half toward the south. 5 And you will flee by the valley of my mountains, because the valley of the mountains will reach to Azal, and you will flee like you fled from the earthquake in the days of King Uzziah of Judah. And Yahweh my God will come, and all the holy ones with him.[dv]
6 And then[dw] on that day there will not be light,[dx] the precious things will congeal.[dy] 7 There shall be continuous day—it is known to Yahweh—not day and not night; and at evening time there will be light.
8 And then[dz] on that day, living waters will flow out from Jerusalem, half of them to the eastern sea,[ea] and the other half to the western sea;[eb] it will happen both in the summer and in the winter. 9 And Yahweh will be king over all the earth; on that day Yahweh will be one and his name one. 10 All the land will be transformed into a desert plateau[ec] from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem. But it[ed] will rise up high and it will stay[ee] in its place from the Gate of Benjamin to the place of the former gate, up to the Corner Gate and from the Tower of Hananel to the king’s winepresses. 11 And they[ef] will dwell in it, and there will be no more ban imposed,[eg] and Jerusalem will dwell in security.
12 And this will be the plague with which Yahweh will strike all the peoples that fight against Jerusalem: their[eh] flesh will rot while they[ei] are standing on their[ej] feet; their[ek] eyes will rot in their sockets, and their[el] tongues[em] will rot in their mouths.[en] 13 And then[eo] on that day a great panic from Yahweh will fall[ep] on them, and they will seize one another’s hand,[eq] and the hand of the one will be raised against the hand of another.[er] 14 And Judah also will fight at[es] Jerusalem. And the wealth of all the surrounding nations will be collected—gold and silver, and garments in great abundance.[et] 15 Like this plague[eu] will be the plague on the horse, the mule, the camel, and the donkey, and every kind of animal in those camps.
16 And then[ev] every survivor from all those nations coming against Jerusalem will go up year after year[ew] to worship the king, Yahweh of hosts, and celebrate the Feast of Booths.[ex] 17 And then[ey] whoever of the clans of the earth does not go up to Jerusalem to worship the king, Yahweh of hosts, it will not rain on them. 18 And if the clan of Egypt will not go up and come in, on them will be that plague Yahweh inflicts on the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Booths. 19 This will be the punishment of Egypt and the 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, “Holy to Yahweh.” And the cooking pots in the house[ez] of Yahweh will be holy like the sacrificial basins[fa] before the altar. 21 And every cooking pot in Jerusalem and in Judah will be holy to Yahweh of hosts, and all those who sacrifice will come and will take from them, and will cook in them, and there will be no longer a trader[fb] in the house[fc] of Yahweh of hosts on that day.
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