Zechariah 9

Judgment on Israel's Enemies

An Oracle

1 The word of the Lord is against the land of Hadrach
and will rest upon Damascus—
for the eyes of men and all the tribes of Israel
are on the Lord—

2 and upon Hamath too, which borders on it,
and upon Tyre and Sidon, 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.

4 But the Lord will take away her possessions
and destroy her power on the sea,
and she will be consumed by fire.

5 Ashkelon 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 Foreigners will occupy Ashdod,
and I will cut off 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
and become leaders in Judah,
and Ekron will be like the Jebusites.

8 But I will defend my house
against marauding forces.
Never again will an oppressor overrun my people,
for now I am keeping watch.

The Coming of Zion's King

9 Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion!
Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you,
righteous and having salvation,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

10 I will take away the chariots from Ephraim
and the war-horses from Jerusalem,
and the battle bow will be broken.
He will proclaim peace to the nations.
His rule will extend from sea to sea
and from the River to the ends of the earth.

11 As for you, because of the blood of my covenant with you,
I will free your prisoners from the waterless pit.

12 Return to your fortress, O prisoners of hope;
even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you.

13 I will bend Judah as I bend my bow
and fill it with Ephraim.
I will rouse your sons, O Zion,
against your sons, O Greece,
and make you like a warrior's sword.

The Lord Will Appear

14 Then the Lord will appear over them;
his arrow will flash like lightning.
The Sovereign Lord will sound the trumpet;
he will march in the storms of the south,

15 and the Lord Almighty will shield them.
They will destroy
and overcome with slingstones.
They will drink and roar as with wine;
they will be full like a bowl
used for sprinkling the corners of the altar.

16 The Lord their God will save them on that day
as the flock of his people.
They will sparkle in his land
like jewels in a crown.

17 How attractive and beautiful they will be!
Grain will make the young men thrive,
and new wine the young women.

ZECHARIAH 9

Israel's Enemies //Will Be Punished

1  t t This is a message
from the [Lord]:
His eyes are on everyone,
especially the tribes
of Israel.t
So he pronounces judgment
against the cities
of Hadrach and Damascus.t

2 Judgment will also fall
on the nearby city
of Hamath,
as well as on Tyre and Sidon, t
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  t 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, t
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.t
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.t

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  t 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  t I, the [Lord], will take away
war chariots and horses
from Israelt 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  t When I made a sacred agreement
with you, my people,
we sealed it with blood.t
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 Israelt 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.