Chronological
Zealous for Zion
8 Then the word of Adonai-Tzva’ot came saying: 2 “Thus says Adonai-Tzva’ot, “I am exceedingly zealous for Zion, I am burning with jealousy for her.” 3 Thus says Adonai, “I will return to Zion and dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the City of Truth and the mountain of Adonai-Tzva’ot will be called the Holy Mountain.” 4 Thus says Adonai-Tzva’ot, “Once again old men and old women will sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with his staff in his hand because of his age. 5 The streets of the city will be full of boys and girls playing in its streets.”
6 “Thus says Adonai-Tzva’ot, ‘It may seem difficult in the eyes of the remnant of this people in those days, but will it also be difficult in My eyes?’—it is a declaration of Adonai-Tzva’ot. 7 “Thus says Adonai-Tzva’ot, ‘Behold, I will save My people from the land of the east and from the land of the west. 8 I will bring them back and they will live in the midst of Jerusalem. They will be My people and I will be their God, in truth and righteousness.’ [a] 9 “Thus says Adonai-Tzva’ot, ‘Let your hands be strong—you who hear these words spoken by the prophets who were there the day the foundation of the House of Adonai-Tzva’ot was laid—so that the Temple may be rebuilt. 10 Before those days there were no wages for man or animal, nor was there any shalom from adversity for those who came or went because I set every one against his neighbor. 11 But now I will not treat the remnant of this people as in the former days”—it is a declaration of Adonai-Tzva’ot.
12 “For there will be a sowing of shalom: the vine will yield its fruit, the ground will produce its increase, and the heavens will give their dew. I will cause the remnant of this people to inherit all these things. 13 It will happen that just as you were a curse among the nations, house of Judah and house of Israel, so will I save you and you will be a blessing. Fear not! Let your hands be strong!’
14 For thus says Adonai-Tzva’ot, “Just as I determined to harm you when your fathers provoked Me to anger,” says Adonai-Tzva’ot, ‘and I did not relent, 15 so I have again determined in these days to do good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. Fear not! 16 These are the things that you are to do: speak the truth one to another; administer the judgment of truth and shalom in your gates; [b] 17 do not let any of you devise evil in your hearts against your neighbor; and do not love false oaths, for I hate all these things,”—it is a declaration of Adonai.
18 Again the word of Adonai-Tzva’ot came saying: 19 “Thus says Adonai-Tzva’ot, “The fast of the fourth, the fast of the fifth, the fast of the seventh and the fast of the tenth month will become joy, gladness and cheerful moadim. Therefore, love truth and shalom!’ 20 Thus says Adonai-Tzva’ot, “Peoples and the inhabitants of many cities will again come. 21 The inhabitants of one city will go to another saying ‘Let us go to entreat the favor of Adonai and to seek Adonai-Tzva’ot. I also am going.’ 22 Indeed, many peoples and powerful nations will come to seek Adonai-Tzva’ot in Jerusalem, and to entreat the favor of Adonai.” 23 Thus says Adonai-Tzva’ot, “In those days it will come to pass that ten men from every language of the nations will grasp the corner of the garment of a Jew saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.’”
Judgment on Israel’s Enemies
9 The burden[c] of the word of Adonai is against the land of Hadrach
and will rest upon Damascus.
For the eyes of men and all the tribes of Israel
are toward Adonai—
2 and also upon Hamath bordering it,
and upon Tyre and Sidon, though they are very shrewd.
3 Tyre built herself a fortress
and heaped up silver like dust
and fine gold like dirt in the streets.
4 Behold, the Lord will impoverish her
and destroy her power on the sea,
while she will be devoured by fire.
5 Ashkelon will see it and fear.
Gaza will writhe in pain
as will Ekron because her hope will dry up.
The king will perish from Gaza
and Ashkelon will be uninhabited.
6 A mongrel people will live in Ashdod
and I will cut off the Philistines’ pride.
7 I will remove the blood from his mouth,
forbidden food from between his teeth.
Whoever is left will be a remnant for our God.
He will be like a leader in Judah,
and Ekron will be like a Jebusite.
8 But I will camp around My House
against marauding forces.
No oppressor will overrun them again—
for now I watch with My own eyes.
Zion’s Coming King
9 Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion!
Shout, daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your king is coming to you,
a righteous one bringing salvation.
He is lowly, riding on a donkey—
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.[d]
10 I will banish chariots from Ephraim
and horses from Jerusalem,
and the war bow will be broken.
He will speak shalom to the nations.
His rule will extend from sea to sea,
from the River to the ends of the earth.
11 As for you also, by the blood of your covenant,[e]
I will release your prisoners from the waterless Pit.
12 Return to the stronghold, you prisoners of hope!
Today I declare that I will restore twice as much to you.
13 I will bend Judah as my bow
and fill it with Ephraim.
I will rouse your sons, O Zion
against your sons, O Greece.
I will wield you like a warrior’s sword.
14 Then Adonai will be seen over them
as His arrow flashes like lightning.
Adonai Elohim will blow the shofar
and march in whirlwinds of the south.[f]
15 Adonai-Tzva’ot will defend them.
They will consume and conquer with sling stones.
They will drink and roar as with wine
and be filled like a bowl,
like the corners of the altar.
16 Adonai their God will save them on that day
as the flock of His people.
They will be like gems of a crown
sparkling over His land.
17 How good and beautiful it will be!
Grain will make the young men thrive
and new wine the virgin women.”
Good Shepherd Cares for Judah
10 Ask Adonai for rain in spring!
Adonai makes the storm clouds
and will give rain showers
and plants of the field to everyone.
2 The idols utter deceit
and diviners see lies.
They relate false dreams
and comfort in vain.
Therefore the people wander like sheep,
afflicted because there is no shepherd.[g]
3 My anger burns against the shepherds
and I will punish the leaders.[h]
Adonai-Tzva’ot cares for His flock,
the house of Judah.
He will make them His valiant steed in battle.
4 From Judah will come the cornerstone,[i]
from him the tent peg,
from him the battle bow
and from him every leader together.
5 They will be like mighty men
treading down muddy streets in war.
They will fight, because Adonai is with them
and will put horsemen to shame.
6 I will strengthen the house of Judah
and save the house of Joseph.
I will bring them back,
for I have compassion on them.
They will be as though
I had never spurned them,
for I am Adonai their God
and I will answer them!
7 The Ephraimites will be like a warrior.
Their hearts will be glad as with wine.
Their children will see and be glad.
Their hearts will rejoice in Adonai.
8 I will signal for them and gather them.
Surely I will redeem them
and they will be as numerous as before.
9 Though I scatter them among the peoples,
they will remember Me in distant places.
They and their children will survive and return.
10 I will restore from the land of Egypt
and gather them from Assyria.
I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon
till there is no room for them.
11 He will cross the turbulent sea
and calm its raging waves.
All the depths of the Nile will dry up,
the pride of Assyria brought down,
the scepter of Egypt removed.
12 So I will strengthen them in Adonai
and they will walk in His Name.
It is a declaration of Adonai.
Devastation of Surrounding Lands
11 Open your gates, Lebanon—
fire will devour your cedars!
2 Wail, cypress tree! For the cedar has fallen.
Those majestic ones are devastated.
Wail, oaks of Bashan!
For the thick forest is cut down!
3 Listen to the wailing of the shepherds,
for their glory is destroyed!
Listen to the roaring of young lions,
for Jordan’s thickets are ruined!
Two Staffs
4 Thus said Adonai my God: “Shepherd the flock marked for slaughter! 5 Their buyers slay them and go unpunished. Those who sell them say, ‘Blessed be Adonai, for I am rich!’ Their own shepherds do not spare them. 6 I will no longer have compassion on the inhabitants of the land”—it is a declaration of Adonai. “Behold, I will hand everyone over to his neighbor and his king. They will devastate the land, and I will not deliver them from their hand.”
7 So I pastured the flock for the slaughter, especially the afflicted of the flock. Then I took two staffs—one I called Favor and the other I called Union—and I pastured the flock. 8 Next I disposed of the three shepherds in one month—for my soul was impatient with them and their soul also detested me. 9 Then I said, “I will not shepherd you! Let the dying die, let the perishing perish, and let those who are left eat one another’s flesh!” 10 So I took my staff called Favor and broke it to pieces, in order to break my covenant that I made with all people. 11 It was broken on that day. The afflicted of the flock that were watching me knew that this was the word of Adonai.”
12 Then I said to them, “If it seems good to you, pay me my wages, but if not, don’t bother!” So they weighed out my wages—30 pieces of silver.[j]
13 Then Adonai said to me, “Throw it to the potter—that exorbitant price at which they valued Me!” So I took the 30 pieces of silver and threw them into the House of Adonai, to the potter.[k]
14 Then I broke my second staff called Union, in order to break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel. 15 Again Adonai said to me, “Once more take up the equipment of a foolish shepherd! 16 For behold, I am going to raise up a shepherd in the land who will not care for the dying, seek out the young or heal the injured or nourish the healthy. Instead he will eat the meat of the choice sheep, even tearing off their hoofs.”
17 Woe to the worthless shepherd
who deserts the flock![l]
May a sword fell his arm and his right eye!
May his arm be all withered
and his right eye totally blinded!”
Jerusalem, a Cup of Reeling
12 The burden of the word of Adonai concerning Israel.
A declaration of Adonai, who stretched out the heavens, laid the foundation of the earth and formed the spirit of man within him: 2 “Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of reeling to all the surrounding peoples when they besiege Jerusalem as well as Judah. 3 Moreover, in that day I will make Jerusalem a massive stone for all the people. All who try to lift it will be cut to pieces. Nevertheless, all the nations of the earth will be gathered together against her. 4 In that day”—it is a declaration of Adonai—“I will strike every horse with confusion and its rider with madness. I will keep My eyes on the house of Judah but will blind every horse of the peoples. 5 Then the leaders of Judah will say in their heart, ‘The inhabitants of Jerusalem are my strength through Adonai-Tzva’ot their God.”
6 “In that day I will make the leaders of Judah like a firepot in a woodpile, like a burning torch among sheaves. They will devour on the right and on the left all the surrounding peoples, yet Jerusalem will remain in her place, in Jerusalem. 7 Adonai also will save the tents of Judah first, so that the honor of the house of David and the honor of the inhabitants of Jerusalem will not exceed that of Judah. 8 In that day Adonai will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem so that the weakest among them that day will be like David and the house of David will be like God—like the angel of Adonai before them. 9 It will happen in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
Mourning the Pierced One
10 “Then I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication, when they will look toward Me whom they pierced.[m] They will mourn for him as one mourns for an only son and grieve bitterly for him, as one grieves for a firstborn. 11 In that day there will be a great mourning in Jerusalem, mourning like Hadad-rimmon in the valley of Megiddo. 12 The land will mourn clan by clan. 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 Each of the remaining clans will mourn by itself and their wives by themselves.”
Final Cleansing from Sin
13 “In that day a spring will be opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem to cleanse them from sin and impurity. [n] 2 It will happen in that day”—it is a declaration of Adonai-Tzva’ot—“that I will erase the names of the idols from the land and they will no longer be remembered. Furthermore, I will remove the prophets and the unclean spirit from the land. 3 If anyone still prophesies his father and his mother to whom he was born will say to him, ‘You cannot live because you tell lies in the Name of Adonai.’ When he prophesies, his own father and mother, the ones who bore him, will pierce him through. 4 Therefore in that day each ‘prophet’ will be ashamed of his vision when he prophesies. He will no longer wear a hairy mantle in order to deceive 5 but will say, ‘I am not a prophet. I am a farmer—I have been a bondservant from my youth.’ 6 Then someone will ask him, “What are these wounds between your hands?”—and he will answer, “Those that I received in the house of my friends.”
7 Awake, O sword, against My shepherd,
against the man who is My companion!
It is a declaration of Adonai-Tzva’ot.
Strike the shepherd
and the sheep will be scattered![o]
I will turn My hand against the little ones.
8 Then it will happen
—it is a declaration of Adonai—
that in the entire land
two-thirds will be cut off and die,
but a third will be left in it.
9 This third I will bring through the fire.
I will refine them as silver is refined,
and will test them as gold is tested.
They will call on My Name
and I will answer them.
I will say, ‘They are My people,’
and they will answer, ‘Adonai is my God.’[p]
Coming to the Mount of Olives
14 Behold, a day of Adonai is coming when your plunder will be divided in your midst. 2 I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to wage war. The city shall be captured, the houses ransacked and the women ravished. Half of the city will be exiled but the remainder of the people will not be cut off from the city. 3 Then Adonai will go forth and fight against those nations as He fights in a day of battle. 4 In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives which lies to the east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a huge valley. Half of the mountain will move toward the north and half of it toward the south. 5 Then you will flee through My mountain valley because the mountain valley will reach to Azel. Yes, you will flee like you fled from the earthquake in the days of King Uzziah of Judah. Then Adonai my God will come and all the kedoshim with Him.[q]
6 In that day there will be no light, cold or frost. 7 It will be a day known only to Adonai, neither day nor night—even in the evening time there will be light. [r] 8 Moreover, in that day living waters will flow from Jerusalem, half toward the eastern sea and half toward the western sea, both in the summer and in the winter. [s] 9 Adonai will then be King over all the earth. In that day Adonai will be Echad and His Name Echad.[t]
10 The whole land, from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem, will become like the Arabah. Jerusalem will be raised up and occupy her place, from the Benjamin Gate to the place of the First Gate, to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the king’s winepresses. 11 People will dwell in her, and no longer will there be a ban of destruction—Jerusalem will live in security.
12 Now this is the plague with which Adonai will strike all the peoples that wage war against Jerusalem: their flesh will rot while they are standing on their feet; their eyes will rot in their sockets; and their tongues will rot in their mouths. 13 It will happen in that day that a great panic from Adonai will be among them. Each person will seize the hand of his neighbor and they will attack each other. 14 Even Judah will fight at Jerusalem. The wealth of all the surrounding peoples will be gathered together—an abundance of gold, silver and apparel. 15 A similar plague will strike the horse, the mule, the camel, the donkey and all the animals in that camp.
16 Then all the survivors from all the nations that attacked Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, Adonai-Tzva’ot, and to celebrate Sukkot. 17 Furthermore, if any of the nations on earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, Adonai-Tzva’ot, they will have no rain. 18 If the Egyptians do not go up and celebrate, they will have no rain. Instead, there will be the plague that Adonai will inflict on the nations that do not go up to celebrate Sukkot. 19 This will be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not go up to celebrate Sukkot. 20 In that day “Holy to Adonai” will be inscribed on the bells of the horses and the pots in House of Adonai will be like the sacred bowls in front of the altar. 21 In fact every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah will be Holy to Adonai-Tzva’ot, so that everyone who comes to sacrifice will take them, and cook in them. In that day there will no longer be a Canaanite[u] in the House of Adonai-Tzva’ot.[v]
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.