Font Size
Zechariah 7-10
Darby Translation
Zechariah 7-10
Darby Translation
7 And it came to pass in the fourth year of king Darius, that the word of Jehovah came unto Zechariah on the fourth [day] of the ninth month, [even] in Chislev,
2 when Bethel had sent Sherezer and Regem-melech, and his men, to supplicate Jehovah,
3 [and] to speak unto the priests that were in the house of Jehovah of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done now so many years?
4 And the word of Jehovah of hosts came unto me, saying,
5 Speak unto all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and in the seventh [month], even those seventy years, did ye really fast unto me, [even] unto me?
6 And when ye ate, and when ye drank, was it not you that were eating and drinking?
7 Are not these the words that Jehovah cried by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and at peace, and her cities round about her, when the south and the lowland were inhabited?
8 And the word of Jehovah came unto Zechariah, saying,
9 Thus speaketh Jehovah of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and shew loving-kindness and mercies one to another,
10 and oppress not the widow and the fatherless, the stranger and the afflicted; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart.
11 But they refused to hearken, and turned a rebellious shoulder, and made their ears heavy, that they should not hear.
12 And they made their heart [as] an adamant, that they should not hear the law, and the words that Jehovah of hosts sent by his Spirit by the hand of the former prophets: therefore was there great wrath from Jehovah of hosts.
13 And it came to pass, like as he called, and they would not hear, so they called, and I would not hear, saith Jehovah of hosts;
14 and I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations whom they knew not, and the land was desolate after them, so that no one passed through nor returned; and they laid the pleasant land desolate.
8 And the word of Jehovah of hosts came [unto me], saying,
2 Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: I am jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I am jealous for her with great fury.
3 Thus saith Jehovah: I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem; and Jerusalem shall be called, The city of truth; and the mountain of Jehovah of hosts, The holy mountain.
4 Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: There shall yet old men and old women sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each one with his staff in his hand for multitude of days.
5 And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof.
6 Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: If it be wonderful in the eyes of the remnant of this people in those days, should it also be wonderful in mine eyes? saith Jehovah of hosts.
7 Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Behold, I will save my people from the east country and from the west country;
8 and I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem; and they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in truth and in righteousness.
9 Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Let your hands be strong, ye that hear in these days these words by the mouth of the prophets, that were in the day that the foundation of the house of Jehovah of hosts was laid, that the temple might be built.
10 For before those days there was no hire for man, nor any hire for beast; and there was no peace for him that went out or that came in, because of the distress: for I let loose all men, every one against his neighbour.
11 But now I will not be unto the remnant of this people as in the former days, saith Jehovah of hosts;
12 for the seed shall be prosperous, the vine shall give its fruit, and the ground shall give its produce, and the heavens shall give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these [things].
13 And it shall come to pass, like as ye were a curse among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so will I save you, and ye shall be a blessing: fear ye not, let your hands be strong.
14 For thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Like as I thought to do you evil when your fathers provoked me to wrath, saith Jehovah of hosts, and I repented not;
15 so again have I thought in these days to do good unto Jerusalem and to the house of Judah: fear ye not.
16 These are the things that ye shall do: Speak truth every one with his neighbour; execute truth and the judgment of peace in your gates;
17 and let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbour; and love no false oath: for all these are [things] that I hate, saith Jehovah.
18 And the word of Jehovah of hosts came unto me, saying,
19 Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: The fast of the fourth [month] and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall be to the house of Judah joy and gladness, and cheerful gatherings. Love ye then truth and peace.
20 Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Yet again shall there come peoples, and the inhabitants of many cities;
21 and the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, Let us go speedily to supplicate Jehovah, and to seek Jehovah of hosts: I will go also.
22 And many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek Jehovah of hosts in Jerusalem, and to supplicate Jehovah.
23 Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: In those days shall ten men take hold, out of all languages of the nations, shall even take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you; for we have heard [that] God is with you.
9 The burden of the word of Jehovah, in the land of Hadrach, and [on] Damascus shall it rest; (for Jehovah hath an eye upon men, and upon all the tribes of Israel;)
2 and also [on] Hamath [which] bordereth thereon; on Tyre and Zidon, though she be very wise.
3 And Tyre hath built herself a stronghold, and hath heaped up silver as the dust, and fine gold as the mire of the streets.
4 Behold, the Lord will take possession of her, and he will smite her power in the sea; and she shall be devoured with fire.
5 Ashkelon shall see [it], and fear; Gazah also, and she shall be greatly pained; Ekron also, for her expectation shall be put to shame: and the king shall perish from Gazah, and Ashkelon shall not be inhabited.
6 And a bastard shall dwell in Ashdod, and I will cut off the pride of the Philistines;
7 and I will take away his blood out of his mouth, and his abominations from between his teeth; but he that remaineth, he also shall belong to our God, and shall be as a leader in Judah, and Ekron as a Jebusite.
8 And I will encamp about my house because of the army, because of those that pass by and that return; and the exactor shall not pass through them any more: for now have I seen [it] with mine eyes.
9 Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion; shout, daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, thy King cometh to thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly and rIding upon an ass, even upon a colt the foal of an ass.
10 And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem; and the battle-bow shall be cut off. And he shall speak peace unto the nations; and his dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth.
11 As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant, I will send forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water.
12 Turn again to the stronghold, prisoners of hope! even to-day do I declare I will render double unto thee.
13 For I have bent Judah for me, I have filled the bow with Ephraim; and I will raise up thy sons, O Zion, against thy sons, O Greece, and make thee like the sword of a mighty man.
14 And Jehovah shall be seen over them, and his arrow shall go forth as the lightning; and the Lord Jehovah will blow the trumpet, and will march with whirlwinds of the south.
15 Jehovah of hosts will defend them; and they shall devour, and shall tread down the sling-stones; and they shall drink, [and] make a noise as from wine; and they shall be filled like a bowl, like the corners of the altar.
16 And Jehovah their God shall save them in that day as the flock of his people; for [they shall be as] the stones of a crown, lifted up upon his land.
17 For how great is his goodness, and how great is his beauty! Corn shall make the young men flourish, and new wine the maidens.
10 Ask of Jehovah rain in the time of the latter rain; Jehovah will make lightnings, and he will give them showers of rain, to every one grass in the field.
2 For the teraphim have spoken vanity, and the diviners have seen a lie, and have told false dreams: they comfort in vain. Therefore they have gone away as a flock, they are in distress, because there is no shepherd.
3 Mine anger is kindled against the shepherds, and I will punish the he-goats; for Jehovah of hosts visiteth his flock, the house of Judah, and maketh them as his majestic horse in the battle.
4 From him shall come forth the corner-stone, from him the nail, from him the battle bow, from him every exactor together.
5 And they shall be as mighty men, treading down the mire of the streets in the battle; and they shall fight, for Jehovah is with them, and the riders on horses shall be put to shame.
6 And I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph, and I will bring them back again; for I will have mercy upon them; and they shall be as though I had not cast them off: for I am Jehovah their God, and I will answer them.
7 And [they of] Ephraim shall be like a mighty man, and their hearts shall rejoice as through wine; and their children shall see [it], and rejoice; their heart shall be joyful in Jehovah.
8 I will hiss for them, and gather them; for I have redeemed them: and they shall multiply as they used to multiply.
9 And I will sow them among the peoples, and they shall remember me in far countries; and they shall live with their children and return.
10 And I will bring them again out of the land of Egypt, and gather them out of Assyria; and I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon; and [place] shall not be found for them.
11 And he shall pass through the sea of affliction, and shall smite the billows in the sea, and all the depths of the Nile shall dry up; and the pride of Assyria shall be brought down, and the sceptre of Egypt shall depart away.
12 And I will strengthen them in Jehovah; and they shall walk in his name, saith Jehovah.
Zechariah 7-10
New International Version
Zechariah 7-10
New International Version
Justice and Mercy, Not Fasting
7 In the fourth year of King Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah(A) on the fourth day of the ninth month, the month of Kislev.(B) 2 The people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regem-Melek, together with their men, to entreat(C) the Lord(D) 3 by asking the priests of the house of the Lord Almighty and the prophets, “Should I mourn(E) and fast in the fifth(F) month, as I have done for so many years?”
4 Then the word of the Lord Almighty came to me: 5 “Ask all the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you fasted(G) and mourned in the fifth and seventh(H) months for the past seventy years,(I) was it really for me that you fasted? 6 And when you were eating and drinking, were you not just feasting for yourselves?(J) 7 Are these not the words the Lord proclaimed through the earlier prophets(K) when Jerusalem and its surrounding towns were at rest(L) and prosperous, and the Negev and the western foothills(M) were settled?’”(N)
8 And the word of the Lord came again to Zechariah: 9 “This is what the Lord Almighty said: ‘Administer true justice;(O) show mercy and compassion to one another.(P) 10 Do not oppress the widow(Q) or the fatherless, the foreigner(R) or the poor.(S) Do not plot evil against each other.’(T)
11 “But they refused to pay attention; stubbornly(U) they turned their backs(V) and covered their ears.(W) 12 They made their hearts as hard as flint(X) and would not listen to the law or to the words that the Lord Almighty had sent by his Spirit through the earlier prophets.(Y) So the Lord Almighty was very angry.(Z)
13 “‘When I called, they did not listen;(AA) so when they called, I would not listen,’(AB) says the Lord Almighty.(AC) 14 ‘I scattered(AD) them with a whirlwind(AE) among all the nations, where they were strangers. The land they left behind them was so desolate that no one traveled through it.(AF) This is how they made the pleasant land desolate.(AG)’”
The Lord Promises to Bless Jerusalem
8 The word of the Lord Almighty came to me.
2 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “I am very jealous(AH) for Zion; I am burning with jealousy for her.”
3 This is what the Lord says: “I will return(AI) to Zion(AJ) and dwell in Jerusalem.(AK) Then Jerusalem will be called the Faithful City,(AL) and the mountain(AM) of the Lord Almighty will be called the Holy Mountain.(AN)”
4 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Once again men and women of ripe old age will sit in the streets of Jerusalem,(AO) each of them with cane in hand because of their age. 5 The city streets will be filled with boys and girls playing there.(AP)”
6 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “It may seem marvelous to the remnant of this people at that time,(AQ) but will it seem marvelous to me?(AR)” declares the Lord Almighty.
7 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “I will save my people from the countries of the east and the west.(AS) 8 I will bring them back(AT) to live(AU) in Jerusalem; they will be my people,(AV) and I will be faithful and righteous to them as their God.(AW)”
9 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Now hear these words, ‘Let your hands be strong(AX) so that the temple may be built.’ This is also what the prophets(AY) said who were present when the foundation(AZ) was laid for the house of the Lord Almighty. 10 Before that time there were no wages(BA) for people or hire for animals. No one could go about their business safely(BB) because of their enemies, since I had turned everyone against their neighbor. 11 But now I will not deal with the remnant of this people as I did in the past,”(BC) declares the Lord Almighty.
12 “The seed will grow well, the vine will yield its fruit,(BD) the ground will produce its crops,(BE) and the heavens will drop their dew.(BF) I will give all these things as an inheritance(BG) to the remnant of this people.(BH) 13 Just as you, Judah and Israel, have been a curse[a](BI) among the nations, so I will save(BJ) you, and you will be a blessing.[b](BK) Do not be afraid,(BL) but let your hands be strong.(BM)”
14 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Just as I had determined to bring disaster(BN) on you and showed no pity when your ancestors angered me,” says the Lord Almighty, 15 “so now I have determined to do good(BO) again to Jerusalem and Judah.(BP) Do not be afraid. 16 These are the things you are to do: Speak the truth(BQ) to each other, and render true and sound judgment(BR) in your courts;(BS) 17 do not plot evil(BT) against each other, and do not love to swear falsely.(BU) I hate all this,” declares the Lord.
18 The word of the Lord Almighty came to me.
19 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “The fasts of the fourth,(BV) fifth,(BW) seventh(BX) and tenth(BY) months will become joyful(BZ) and glad occasions and happy festivals for Judah. Therefore love truth(CA) and peace.”
20 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Many peoples and the inhabitants of many cities will yet come, 21 and the inhabitants of one city will go to another and say, ‘Let us go at once to entreat(CB) the Lord and seek(CC) the Lord Almighty. I myself am going.’ 22 And many peoples and powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to seek the Lord Almighty and to entreat him.”(CD)
23 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “In those days ten people from all languages and nations will take firm hold of one Jew by the hem of his robe and say, ‘Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you.’”(CE)
Judgment on Israel’s Enemies
9 A prophecy:(CF)
The word of the Lord is against the land of Hadrak
and will come to rest on Damascus(CG)—
for the eyes of all people and all the tribes of Israel
are on the Lord—[c]
2 and on Hamath(CH) too, which borders on it,
and on Tyre(CI) and Sidon,(CJ) though they are very skillful.
3 Tyre has built herself a stronghold;
she has heaped up silver like dust,
and gold like the dirt of the streets.(CK)
4 But the Lord will take away her possessions
and destroy(CL) her power on the sea,
and she will be consumed by fire.(CM)
5 Ashkelon(CN) will see it and fear;
Gaza will writhe in agony,
and Ekron too, for her hope will wither.
Gaza will lose her king
and Ashkelon will be deserted.
6 A mongrel people will occupy Ashdod,
and I will put an end(CO) to the pride of the Philistines.
7 I will take the blood from their mouths,
the forbidden food from between their teeth.
Those who are left will belong to our God(CP)
and become a clan in Judah,
and Ekron will be like the Jebusites.(CQ)
8 But I will encamp(CR) at my temple
to guard it against marauding forces.(CS)
Never again will an oppressor overrun my people,
for now I am keeping watch.(CT)
The Coming of Zion’s King
9 Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!(CU)
Shout,(CV) Daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you,(CW)
righteous and victorious,(CX)
lowly and riding on a donkey,(CY)
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.(CZ)
10 I will take away the chariots from Ephraim
and the warhorses from Jerusalem,
and the battle bow will be broken.(DA)
He will proclaim peace(DB) to the nations.
His rule will extend from sea to sea
and from the River[d] to the ends of the earth.(DC)
11 As for you, because of the blood of my covenant(DD) with you,
I will free your prisoners(DE) from the waterless pit.(DF)
12 Return to your fortress,(DG) you prisoners of hope;
even now I announce that I will restore twice(DH) as much to you.
13 I will bend Judah as I bend my bow(DI)
and fill it with Ephraim.(DJ)
I will rouse your sons, Zion,
against your sons, Greece,(DK)
and make you like a warrior’s sword.(DL)
The Lord Will Appear
14 Then the Lord will appear over them;(DM)
his arrow will flash like lightning.(DN)
The Sovereign Lord will sound the trumpet;(DO)
he will march in the storms(DP) of the south,
15 and the Lord Almighty will shield(DQ) them.
They will destroy
and overcome with slingstones.(DR)
They will drink and roar as with wine;(DS)
they will be full like a bowl(DT)
used for sprinkling[e] the corners(DU) of the altar.
16 The Lord their God will save his people on that day(DV)
as a shepherd saves his flock.
They will sparkle in his land
like jewels in a crown.(DW)
17 How attractive and beautiful they will be!
Grain will make the young men thrive,
and new wine the young women.
The Lord Will Care for Judah
10 Ask the Lord for rain in the springtime;
it is the Lord who sends the thunderstorms.
He gives showers of rain(DX) to all people,
and plants of the field(DY) to everyone.
2 The idols(DZ) speak deceitfully,
diviners(EA) see visions that lie;
they tell dreams(EB) that are false,
they give comfort in vain.(EC)
Therefore the people wander like sheep
oppressed for lack of a shepherd.(ED)
3 “My anger burns against the shepherds,
and I will punish the leaders;(EE)
for the Lord Almighty will care
for his flock, the people of Judah,
and make them like a proud horse in battle.(EF)
4 From Judah will come the cornerstone,(EG)
from him the tent peg,(EH)
from him the battle bow,(EI)
from him every ruler.
5 Together they[f] will be like warriors in battle
trampling their enemy into the mud of the streets.(EJ)
They will fight because the Lord is with them,
and they will put the enemy horsemen to shame.(EK)
6 “I will strengthen(EL) Judah
and save the tribes of Joseph.
I will restore them
because I have compassion(EM) on them.(EN)
They will be as though
I had not rejected them,
for I am the Lord their God
and I will answer(EO) them.
7 The Ephraimites will become like warriors,
and their hearts will be glad as with wine.(EP)
Their children will see it and be joyful;
their hearts will rejoice(EQ) in the Lord.
8 I will signal(ER) for them
and gather them in.
Surely I will redeem them;
they will be as numerous(ES) as before.
9 Though I scatter them among the peoples,
yet in distant lands they will remember me.(ET)
They and their children will survive,
and they will return.
10 I will bring them back from Egypt
and gather them from Assyria.(EU)
I will bring them to Gilead(EV) and Lebanon,
and there will not be room(EW) enough for them.
11 They will pass through the sea of trouble;
the surging sea will be subdued
and all the depths of the Nile will dry up.(EX)
Assyria’s pride(EY) will be brought down
and Egypt’s scepter(EZ) will pass away.(FA)
12 I will strengthen(FB) them in the Lord
and in his name they will live securely,(FC)”
declares the Lord.
Footnotes
- Zechariah 8:13 That is, your name has been used in cursing (see Jer. 29:22); or, you have been regarded as under a curse.
- Zechariah 8:13 Or and your name will be used in blessings (see Gen. 48:20); or and you will be seen as blessed
- Zechariah 9:1 Or Damascus. / For the eye of the Lord is on all people, / as well as on the tribes of Israel,
- Zechariah 9:10 That is, the Euphrates
- Zechariah 9:15 Or bowl, / like
- Zechariah 10:5 Or ruler, all of them together. / 5 They
Darby Translation (DARBY)
Public Domain (Why are modern Bible translations copyrighted?)
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.