Zechariah 9

1 The burden of the word of the Lord in the land of Hadrach, and of Damascus the rest thereof: for the eye of man, and of all the tribes of Israel is the Lord’s.

A prophecy: A message from the Lord to the land of Hadrach, and Damascus its main objective. For the eyes of human beings together with all the tribes of Israel are on the Lord,

2 Emath also in the borders thereof, and Tyre, and Sidon: for they have taken to themselves to be exceeding wise.

and Hamath too since it is close by. Also Tyre and Sidon for they are very wise.

3 And Tyre hath built herself a strong hold, and heaped together silver as earth, and gold as the mire of the streets.

The people of Tyre built a fortress, and piled up silver like dust and gold like the dirt of the street.

4 Behold the Lord shall possess her, and shall strike her strength in the sea, and she shall be devoured with fire.

But look at what will happen. The Lord will take away everything they have, and knock down their strong defenses into the sea. The city will be burned down.

5 Ascalon shall see, and shall fear, and Gaza, and shall be very sorrowful: and Accaron, because her hope is confounded: and the king shall perish from Gaza, and Ascalon shall not be inhabited.

The people of Ashkelon will see this and be terrified; those in Gaza will thrash around in agony like a woman giving birth; and the people of Ekron too, because their hopes are shattered. The king of Gaza will be killed, and Ashkelon will be deserted.

6 And the divider shall sit in Azotus, and I will destroy the pride of the Philistines.

Mixed-race people will live in Ashdod, and I will wipe out the Philistine's pride.

7 And I will take away his blood out of his mouth, and his abominations from between his teeth: and even he shall be left to our God, and he shall be as a governor in Juda, and Accaron as a Jebusite.

I will remove the blood-filled meat from their mouths; the unclean food from their jaws. Those who remain will belong to our God—they shall become like a family of Judah—and those from Ekron will become part of my people, just as the Jebusites did.

8 And I will encompass my house with them that serve me in war, going and returning, and the oppressor shall no more pass through them: for now I have seen with my eyes.

I will make my camp in my Temple to guard it from invaders, and no oppressors will conquer them, for now I myself am keeping watch.

9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Sion, shout for joy, O daughter of Jerusalem: BEHOLD THY KING will come to thee, the just and saviour: he is poor, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.

Be happy and celebrate, people of Zion! Shout loudly, people of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you. He does what is right and has salvation; he is humble, riding on a donkey—on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

10 And I will destroy the chariot out of Ephraim, and the horse out of Jerusalem, and the bow for war shall be broken: and he shall speak peace to the Gentiles, and his power shall be from sea to sea, and from the rivers even to the end of the earth.

(I will remove the chariots from Ephraim and the warhorses from Jerusalem. I will destroy the bows used in battle.) He will proclaim peace to the nations, and he will rule from sea to sea, from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth.

11 Thou also by the blood of thy testament hast sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit, wherein is no water.

And as for you, because my agreement with you, sealed with blood, I will set you free from the waterless pit.

12 Return to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope, I will render thee double at, I declare today.

Return to the stronghold, you prisoners who have hope! Today I promise I will repay you double what you lost.

13 Because I have bent Juda for me as a bow, I have filled Ephraim: and I will raise up thy sons, O Sion, above thy sons, O Greece, and I will make thee as the sword of the mighty.

I will use Judah as my bow, and I will load it with Ephraim my arrow. I will call up you men of Zion to fight against you men of Greece, wielding you like a warrior's sword.

14 And the Lord God shall be seen over them, and his dart shall go forth as lightning: and the Lord God will sound the trumpet, and go in the whirlwind of the south.

Then the Lord will appear over his people and his arrow will flash like lightning! The Lord God will blow the trumpet and march out like a windstorm from the south.

15 The Lord of hosts will protect them: and they shall devour, and subdue with the stones of the sling: and drinking they shall be inebriated as it were with wine, and they shall be filled as bowls, and as the horns of the altar.

The Lord Almighty will protect them. They will destroy their enemies, conquering them with slingshots. They will drink and shout loudly like people who are drunk. They will be filled like a bowl, soaked liked the corners of an altar.

16 And the Lord their God will save them in that day, as the dock of his people: for holy stones shall be lifted up over his land.

On that day the Lord their God will save them—his people that are his flock—for they will glitter as crown jewels in his land.

17 For what is the good thing of him, and what is his beautiful thing, but the corn of the elect, and wine springing forth virgins?

How lovely and beautiful they will be! Young men will grow strong on grain, and young women flourish on the new wine.