Zechariah 12

1 The prophecy of the word of the Lord concerning Israel, Saith the Lord, who stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him:

The word of the Lord about Israel. The Lord by whom the heavens are stretched out and the bases of the earth put in place, and the spirit of man formed inside him, has said:

2 Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of confusion unto all the people round about; and also against Judah, who will have to be at the siege against Jerusalem.

See, I will make Jerusalem a cup of shaking fear to all the peoples round about, when Jerusalem is shut in.

3 And it shall come to pass on that day that I will make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all the people; all that burden themselves with it shall be severely cut: yet then will be gathered together against it all the nations of the earth.

And it will come about in that day that I will make Jerusalem a stone of great weight for all the peoples; all those who take it up will be badly wounded; and all the nations of the earth will come together against it.

4 On that day, saith the Lord, will I smite every horse with dizziness, and his rider with madness; but over the house of Judah will I open my eyes, while I will smite every horse of the people with blindness.

In that day, says the Lord, I will put fear into every horse and make every horseman go off his head: and my eyes will be open on the people of Judah, and I will make every horse of the peoples blind.

5 And the chiefs of Judah will say in their heart, A strong support for me are the inhabitants of Jerusalem through the Lord of hosts their God.

And the families of Judah will say in their hearts, The people of Jerusalem have their strength in the Lord of armies, their God.

6 On that day will I make the chiefs of Judah like a fire-hearth among the wood, and like a torch of fire among sheaves; and they shall devour on the right hand and on the left all the people round about; and Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place, even in Jerusalem.

In that day I will make the families of Judah like a pot with fire in it among trees, and like a flaming stick among cut grain; they will send destruction on all the peoples round about, on the right hand and on the left: and Jerusalem will be living again in the place which is hers, that is, in Jerusalem.

7 The Lord also will save the tents of Judah first: in order that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem shall not become boastful over Judah.

And the Lord will give salvation to the tents of Judah first, so that the glory of the family of David and the glory of the people of Jerusalem may not be greater than that of Judah.

8 On that day will the Lord be a shield around the inhabitants of Jerusalem: and the feeblest among them shall be on that day like David; and the house of David shall be like divine beings, like an angel of the Lord before them.

In that day the Lord will be a cover over the people of Jerusalem; and he who is feeble among them in that day will be as strong as David, and the family of David will be as God, as the angel of the Lord before them.

9 And it shall come to pass on that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that are come against Jerusalem.

And it will come about on that day that I will take in hand the destruction of all the nations who come against Jerusalem.

10 But I will pour out over the house of David, and over the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they will look up toward me [for every one] whom they have thrust through, and they will lament for him, as one lamenteth for an only son, and weep bitterly for him, as one weepeth bitterly for the first-born.

And I will send down on the family of David and on the people of Jerusalem the spirit of grace and of prayer; and their eyes will be turned to the one who was wounded by their hands: and they will be weeping for him as for an only son, and their grief for him will be bitter, like the grief of one sorrowing for his oldest son.

11 On that day will the lamentation be great in Jerusalem, like the lamentation at Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon.

In that day there will be a great weeping in Jerusalem, like the weeping of Hadad-rimmon in the valley of Megiddon.

12 And the land will mourn, every family apart by itself: the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart;

And the land will give itself to weeping, every family separately; the family of David by themselves, and their wives by themselves; the family of Nathan by themselves, and their wives by themselves;

13 The family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart; the family of Shim'i apart, and their wives apart;

The family of Levi by themselves, and their wives by themselves; the family of Shimei by themselves, and their wives by themselves;

14 All the families that remain, every family apart by itself, and their wives apart.

And all the other families by themselves, and their wives by themselves.