Zechariah 9

1 The burden of the worde of the Lord in the land of Hadrach: and Damascus shalbe his rest: when the eyes of man, euen of all the tribes of Israel shalbe toward the Lord.

A word of the Lord: The Lord has come to the land of Hadrach, and Damascus is his resting-place: for the towns of Aram are the Lord's,

2 And Hamath also shall border thereby: Tyrus also and Zidon, though they be very wise.

As well as Hamath, which is by its limit, and Tyre and Zidon, because they are very wise.

3 For Tyrus did build her selfe a strong holde, and heaped vp siluer as the dust, and golde as the myre of the streetes.

And Tyre made for herself a strong place, and got together silver like dust and the best gold like the earth of the streets.

4 Beholde, the Lord wil spoyle her, and he wil smite her power in the Sea, and she shalbe deuoured with fire.

See, the Lord will take away her heritage, overturning her power in the sea; and she will be burned up with fire.

5 Ashkelon shall see it, and feare, and Azzah also shalbe very sorowfull, and Ekron: for her countenance shalbe ashamed, and the King shall perish from Azzah, and Ashkelon shall not be inhabited.

Ashkelon will see it with fear, and Gaza, bent with pain; and Ekron, for her hope will be shamed: and the king will be cut off from Gaza, and Ashkelon will be unpeopled.

6 And the stranger shall dwell in Ashdod, and I wil cut off the pride of the Philistims.

And a mixed people will be living in Ashdod, and I will have the pride of the Philistines cut off.

7 And I wil take away his blood out of his mouth, and his abominations from betweene his teeth: but he that remaineth, euen he shalbe for our God, and he shalbe as a prince in Iudah, but Ekron shalbe as a Iebusite.

And I will take away his blood from his mouth, and his disgusting things from between his teeth; and some of his people will be kept for our God: and he will be as a family in Judah, and Ekron as one living in Jerusalem.

8 And I will campe about mine House against the armie, against him that passeth by, and against him that returneth, and no oppressour shall come vpon them any more: for now haue I seene with mine eyes.

And I will put my forces in position round my house, so that there may be no coming and going: and no cruel master will again go through them: for now I have seen his trouble.

9 Reioyce greatly, O daughter Zion: shoute for ioy, O daughter Ierusalem: beholde, thy King commeth vnto thee: he is iust and saued himselfe, poore and riding vpon an asse, and vpon a colt the foale of an asse.

Be full of joy, O daughter of Zion; give a glad cry, O daughter of Jerusalem: see, your king comes to you: he is upright and has overcome; gentle and seated on an ass, on a young ass.

10 And I wil cut off the charets from Ephraim, and the horse from Ierusalem: the bowe of the battel shalbe broken, and he shall speake peace vnto the heathen, and his dominion shalbe from sea vnto sea, and from the Riuer to the end of the land.

And he will have the war-carriage cut off from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the bow of war will be cut off: and he will say words of peace to the nations: and his rule will be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.

11 Thou also shalt be saued through the blood of thy couenant. I haue loosed thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water.

And as for you, because of the blood of your agreement, I have sent out your prisoners from the deep hole in which there is no water.

12 Turne you to the strong holde, ye prisoners of hope: euen to day doe I declare, that I will render the double vnto thee.

And they will come back to you, O daughter of Zion, as prisoners of hope: today I say to you that I will give you back twice as much;

13 For Iudah haue I bent as a bowe for me: Ephraims hand haue I filled, and I haue raised vp thy sonnes, O Zion, against thy sonnes, O Grecia, and haue made thee as a gyants sword.

For I have made Judah a bow bent for my use, I have made Ephraim the arrows of the bow; I will make your sons, O Zion, take up arms against your sons, O Greece, and will make you like the sword of a man of war.

14 And the Lord shalbe seene ouer them, and his arrowe shall go forth as the lightning: and the Lord God shall blowe the trumpet, and shall come forth with the whirlewindes of the South.

And the Lord will be seen over them, and his arrow will go out like the thunder-flame: and the Lord God, sounding the war-horn, will go in the storm-winds of the South.

15 The Lord of hostes shall defend them, and they shall deuoure them, and subdue them with sling stones, and they shall drinke, and make a noyse as thorowe wine, and they shalbe filled like bowles, and as the hornes of the altar.

The Lord of armies will be a cover for them; and they will overcome, crushing under foot the armed men; they will take their blood for drink like wine: they will be full like the sides of the altar.

16 And the Lord their God shall deliuer them in that day as the flocke of his people: for they shall be as the stones of the crowne lifted up upon his land.

And the Lord their God will be their saviour in that day, giving them food like the flock of his people: for they will be like the jewels of a crown shining over his land.

17 For howe great is his goodnesse! and howe great is his beautie! corne shall make the yong men cherefull, and newe wine the maides.

For how good it is and how beautiful! grain will make the young men strong and new wine the virgins.