Zechariah 12

1 The burden of the worde of the Lord vpon Israel, sayth the Lord, which spred the heauens, and layed the foundation of the earth, and formed the spirite of man within him.

An oracle. This is the message of the Lord about Israel. The Lord who stretches out the heavens, and lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the human spirit within people says:

2 Beholde, I will make Ierusalem a cuppe of poyson vnto all the people round about: and also with Iudah will he be, in ye siege against Ierusalem.

Look! I am about to make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness for all the surrounding peoples. There will be a siege of Jerusalem.

3 And in that day will I make Ierusalem an heauie stone for all people: all that lift it vp, shall be torne, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.

On that day that I will make Jerusalem a stone to be lifted up by all the peoples. All who lift it up will surely hurt themselves! And all the nations of the earth will be gathered together against it.

4 In that day, sayeth the Lord, I will smite euery horse with astonishment, and his rider with madnesse, and I will open mine eyes vpon the house of Iudah, and will smite euery horse of the people with blindnesse.

On that day, says the Lord, I will strike every horse with panic and its rider with madness. But over the house of Judah I will keep watch, though I strike every horse belonging to the peoples with blindness.

5 And the princes of Iudah shall say in their hearts, The inhabitants of Ierusalem shall be my strength in the Lord of hostes their God.

And the chieftains of Judah will say to themselves, “The strength of the inhabitants is in the Lord of hosts their God.”

6 In that day will I make the princes of Iudah like coles of fire among the wood, and like a fire brand in the sheafe, and they shall deuoure all the people round about on the right hand, and on the left: and Ierusalem shall be inhabited againe in her owne place, euen in Ierusalem.

In that day I will make the chieftains of Judah like a pan of fire in the woods, like a torch among sheaves, they will devour right and left all the surrounding peoples. But Jerusalem will abide on its own site.

7 The Lord also shall preserue the tents of Iudah, as afore time: therefore the glorie of the house of Dauid shall not boast, nor the glorie of the inhabitants of Ierusalem against Iudah.

And the Lord will first give victory to the tents of Judah, so that the glory of the house of David, and of the inhabitants of Jerusalem be not exalted above Judah.

8 In that day shall the Lord defende the inhabitants of Ierusalem, and he that is feeble among them, in that day shall be as Dauid: and the house of Dauid shall be as Gods house, and as the Angel of the Lord before them.

In that day the Lord will protect the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the feeblest among them will in that day be like David, and the house of David like God, like the messenger of the Lord before them.

9 And in that day will I seeke to destroy all the nations that come against Ierusalem.

And in that day I will seek to destroy all the nations who have come up against Jerusalem.

10 And I will powre vpon the house of Dauid, and vpon the inhabitants of Ierusalem the Spirite of grace and of compassion, and they shall looke vpon me, whom they haue pearced, and they shall lament for him, as one mourneth for his onely sonne, and be sorie for him as one is sorie for his first borne.

And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of pity and compassion. They will look on him whom they have pierced and they will lament for him as one laments for an only son. They will bitterly grieve for him as one grieves for the firstborn.

11 In that day shall there be a great mourning in Ierusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon.

In that day mourning will be as great in Jerusalem as the mourning for Hadad-rimmon in the plain of Megiddo.

12 And the land shall bewayle euery familie apart, the familie of the house of Dauid apart, and their wiues apart: the familie of the house of Nathan apart, and their wiues apart:

And the land will mourn, each family by itself: the family of the house of David by itself, and their wives by themselves, and the family of the house of Nathan by itself, and their wives by themselves,

13 The familie of the house of Leui apart, and their wiues apart: the familie of Shemei apart, and their wiues apart:

and the family of the house of Levi by itself, and their wives by themselves, the family of the Shimeites by itself, and their wives by themselves,

14 All the families that remaine, euery familie apart, and their wiues apart.

and all the families who are left, each by itself, and their wives by themselves.