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Zechariah 9-10
Contemporary English Version
Zechariah 9-10
Contemporary English Version
Israel's Enemies Will Be Punished
9 (A)(B) This is a message
from the Lord:
His eyes are on everyone,
especially the tribes
of Israel.[a]
So he pronounces judgment
against the cities
of Hadrach and Damascus.[b]
2 Judgment will also fall
on the nearby city
of Hamath,
as well as on Tyre and Sidon,[c]
whose people are clever.
3 Tyre has built a fortress
and piled up silver and gold,
as though they were dust
or mud from the streets.
4 Now the Lord will punish Tyre
with poverty;
he will sink its ships
and send it up in flames.
5 (C) Both Ashkelon and Gaza
will tremble with fear;
Ekron will lose all hope.
Gaza's king will be killed,
and Ashkelon emptied
of its people.
6 A mob of half-breeds
will settle in Ashdod,[d]
and the Lord himself
will rob Philistia of pride.
7 No longer will the Philistines
eat meat with blood in it
or any unclean food.[e]
They will become part
of the people of our God
from the tribe of Judah.
And God will accept
the people of Ekron,
as he did the Jebusites.[f]
8 God says, “I will stand guard
to protect my temple from those
who come to attack.
I know what's happening,
and no one will mistreat
my people ever again.”
The Lord Tells about the Coming King
9 (D) Everyone in Jerusalem,
celebrate and shout!
Your king has won a victory,
and he is coming to you.
He is humble
and rides on a donkey;
he comes on the colt
of a donkey.
10 (E) I, the Lord, will take away
war chariots and horses
from Israel[g] and Jerusalem.
Bows that were made for battle
will be broken.
I will bring peace to nations,
and your king will rule
from sea to sea.
His kingdom will reach
from the Euphrates River
across the earth.
The Lord Promises To Rescue Captives
11 (F) When I made a sacred agreement
with you, my people,
we sealed it with blood.[h]
Now some of you are captives
in waterless pits,
but I will come to your rescue
12 and offer you hope.
Return to your fortress,
because today I will reward you
with twice what you had.
13 I will use Judah as my bow
and Israel[i] as my arrow.
I will take the people of Zion
as my sword
and attack the Greeks.
The Lord Will Protect His People
14 Like a cloud, the Lord God
will appear over his people,
and his arrows will flash
like lightning.
God will sound his trumpet
and attack in a whirlwind
from the south.
15 The Lord All-Powerful
will protect his people,
and they will trample down
the sharpshooters
and their slingshots.
They will drink and get rowdy;
they will be as full as a bowl
at the time of sacrifice.
16 The Lord God will save them
on that day,
because they are his people,
and they will shine on his land
like jewels in a crown.
17 How lovely they will be.
Young people will grow there
like grain in a field
or grapes in a vineyard.
A Bright Future for Judah and Israel
10 I, the Lord, am the one
who sends storm clouds
and showers of rain
to make fields produce.
So when the crops need rain,
you should pray to me.
2 (G) You can't believe idols
and fortunetellers,
or depend on the hope
you receive from witchcraft
and interpreters of dreams.
But you have tried all of these,
and now you are like sheep
without a shepherd.
3 I, the Lord All-Powerful,
am fiercely angry
with you leaders,
and I will punish you.
I care for my people,
the nation of Judah,
and I will change
this flock of sheep
into charging war horses.
4 From this flock will come leaders
who will be strong
like cornerstones and tent pegs
and weapons of war.
5 They will join in the fighting,
and together they will trample
their enemies like mud.
They will fight,
because I, the Lord,
will be on their side.
And they will crush
the enemy cavalry.
6 I will strengthen
the kingdoms of Judah
and Israel.[j]
And I will show mercy
because I am the Lord,
their God.
I will answer their prayers
and bring them home.
Then it will seem as though
I had never rejected them.
7 Israel[k] will be like
a tribe of warriors
celebrating with wine.
When their children see this,
they will also be happy
because of me, the Lord.
8 I will give a signal
for them to come together
because I have rescued them.
And there will be as many
as ever before.
9 (H) Although I scattered my people
in distant countries,
they won't forget me.
Once their children are raised,[l]
they will return—
10 I will bring them home
from Egypt and Assyria,
then let them settle
as far as Gilead and Lebanon,
until the land overflows
with them.
11 My people will go through
an ocean of troubles,
but I will overcome the waves
and dry up the deepest part
of the Nile.
Assyria's great pride
will be put down,
and the power of Egypt
will disappear.
12 I'll strengthen my people
because of who I am,
and they will follow me.
I, the Lord, have spoken!
Footnotes
- 9.1 His … Israel: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- 9.1 Hadrach and Damascus: Hadrach was north of both Damascus (the main city of Syria) and Hamath (verse 2).
- 9.2 Tyre and Sidon: Phoenician cities.
- 9.5,6 Ashkelon and Gaza … Ekron … Ashdod: Philistine cities.
- 9.7 eat … food: The Philistines will become part of Judah and no longer eat meat with blood in it (see Genesis 9.4) or any other forbidden foods (see Leviticus 11.1-23; Deuteronomy 14.3-21).
- 9.7 Jebusites: The original people of Canaan, who lived in Jerusalem before it was captured by David (see 2 Samuel 5.6-10) and were later accepted as part of Israel.
- 9.10 Israel: The Hebrew text has “Ephraim,” the leading tribe of the northern kingdom of Israel, which sometimes stands for the whole kingdom.
- 9.11 agreement … blood: The agreement at Mount Sinai (see Exodus 24.7,8).
- 9.13 Israel: Hebrew “Ephraim” (see the note at 9.10).
- 10.6 Israel: The Hebrew text has “family of Joseph,” the ancestor of Ephraim and Manasseh, the leading tribes of the northern kingdom (Israel).
- 10.7 Israel: Hebrew “Ephraim” (see the note at 9.10).
- 10.9 Once … raised: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
Zechariah 9-10
New International Version
Zechariah 9-10
New International Version
Judgment on Israel’s Enemies
9 A prophecy:(A)
The word of the Lord is against the land of Hadrak
and will come to rest on Damascus(B)—
for the eyes of all people and all the tribes of Israel
are on the Lord—[a]
2 and on Hamath(C) too, which borders on it,
and on Tyre(D) and Sidon,(E) 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.(F)
4 But the Lord will take away her possessions
and destroy(G) her power on the sea,
and she will be consumed by fire.(H)
5 Ashkelon(I) 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(J) 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(K)
and become a clan in Judah,
and Ekron will be like the Jebusites.(L)
8 But I will encamp(M) at my temple
to guard it against marauding forces.(N)
Never again will an oppressor overrun my people,
for now I am keeping watch.(O)
The Coming of Zion’s King
9 Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!(P)
Shout,(Q) Daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you,(R)
righteous and victorious,(S)
lowly and riding on a donkey,(T)
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.(U)
10 I will take away the chariots from Ephraim
and the warhorses from Jerusalem,
and the battle bow will be broken.(V)
He will proclaim peace(W) to the nations.
His rule will extend from sea to sea
and from the River[b] to the ends of the earth.(X)
11 As for you, because of the blood of my covenant(Y) with you,
I will free your prisoners(Z) from the waterless pit.(AA)
12 Return to your fortress,(AB) you prisoners of hope;
even now I announce that I will restore twice(AC) as much to you.
13 I will bend Judah as I bend my bow(AD)
and fill it with Ephraim.(AE)
I will rouse your sons, Zion,
against your sons, Greece,(AF)
and make you like a warrior’s sword.(AG)
The Lord Will Appear
14 Then the Lord will appear over them;(AH)
his arrow will flash like lightning.(AI)
The Sovereign Lord will sound the trumpet;(AJ)
he will march in the storms(AK) of the south,
15 and the Lord Almighty will shield(AL) them.
They will destroy
and overcome with slingstones.(AM)
They will drink and roar as with wine;(AN)
they will be full like a bowl(AO)
used for sprinkling[c] the corners(AP) of the altar.
16 The Lord their God will save his people on that day(AQ)
as a shepherd saves his flock.
They will sparkle in his land
like jewels in a crown.(AR)
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(AS) to all people,
and plants of the field(AT) to everyone.
2 The idols(AU) speak deceitfully,
diviners(AV) see visions that lie;
they tell dreams(AW) that are false,
they give comfort in vain.(AX)
Therefore the people wander like sheep
oppressed for lack of a shepherd.(AY)
3 “My anger burns against the shepherds,
and I will punish the leaders;(AZ)
for the Lord Almighty will care
for his flock, the people of Judah,
and make them like a proud horse in battle.(BA)
4 From Judah will come the cornerstone,(BB)
from him the tent peg,(BC)
from him the battle bow,(BD)
from him every ruler.
5 Together they[d] will be like warriors in battle
trampling their enemy into the mud of the streets.(BE)
They will fight because the Lord is with them,
and they will put the enemy horsemen to shame.(BF)
6 “I will strengthen(BG) Judah
and save the tribes of Joseph.
I will restore them
because I have compassion(BH) on them.(BI)
They will be as though
I had not rejected them,
for I am the Lord their God
and I will answer(BJ) them.
7 The Ephraimites will become like warriors,
and their hearts will be glad as with wine.(BK)
Their children will see it and be joyful;
their hearts will rejoice(BL) in the Lord.
8 I will signal(BM) for them
and gather them in.
Surely I will redeem them;
they will be as numerous(BN) as before.
9 Though I scatter them among the peoples,
yet in distant lands they will remember me.(BO)
They and their children will survive,
and they will return.
10 I will bring them back from Egypt
and gather them from Assyria.(BP)
I will bring them to Gilead(BQ) and Lebanon,
and there will not be room(BR) 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.(BS)
Assyria’s pride(BT) will be brought down
and Egypt’s scepter(BU) will pass away.(BV)
12 I will strengthen(BW) them in the Lord
and in his name they will live securely,(BX)”
declares the Lord.
Footnotes
- 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
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