Zechariah 12
1 The oracle of the word of Yahweh, on Israel, —Declareth Yahweh—Stretching out the heavens, and founding the earth, and fashioning the spirit of man within him:
A prophecy: This message came from the Lord concerning Israel, a declaration of the Lord who spread out the heavens, who laid the foundations of the earth, and who placed the breath of life within human beings.
2 Lo! I am making Jerusalem a bowl of reeling to all the peoples, round about, —Moreover also, on Judah, shall it be in the siege against Jerusalem;
Look! I am going to make Jerusalem like a cup containing alcoholic drink that will make all the surrounding nations stagger like drunks when they come to attack Judah and Jerusalem.
3 And it shall come to pass, in that day, that I will make Jerusalem a lifting-stone, to all the peoples, all who seek to lift her, shall, cut themselves in pieces, —though all the nations of the earth, gather themselves together against her.
On that day I will make Jerusalem like a heavy rock to all peoples. Anyone who tries to lift the rock will injure themselves badly. All the nations will join together to attack Jerusalem.
4 In that day, Declareth Yahweh, I will smite every horse with terror, and his rider with madness, —and, over the house of Judah, will I keep opening mine eyes, and, every horse of the peoples, will I smite with blindness.
On that day I will make every horse panic-stricken and every rider go mad, declares the Lord, but I will watch over the people of Judah while I blind all the horses of their enemies.
5 Then will the chiefs of Judah say in their hearts, —A strength unto me, [would be] the inhabitants of Jerusalem, in Yahweh of hosts, their God.
Then the families of Judah will say to themselves, the people of Jerusalem are strong in their God, the Lord Almighty.
6 In that day, will I make the chiefs of Judah like a pan of fire among sticks, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf, so shall they devour, on the right hand and on the left, all the peoples round about; so shall Jerusalem yet, be inhabited, in her own place, as Jerusalem.
On that day I will make the families of Judah like burning coals in a wood, like a flaming torch in a field of straw. They will burn up to the right and to the left all the surrounding peoples, while the people of Jerusalem will live safely in their city.
7 But Yahweh will save the tents of Judah first, —lest the honour of the house of David, and the honour of the inhabitant of Jerusalem, should be magnified over Judah.
The Lord will give the victory to the soldiers of Judah first so that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem shall not be greater than that of Judah.
8 In that day, will Yahweh, throw a covering, around the inhabitant of Jerusalem, so shall the tottering among them, in that day, become like David, —and the house of David—like God, like the messenger of Yahweh, before them.
On that day the Lord will place a shield around the people of Jerusalem so that even the clumsiest of them will be as skilled a warrior as David, and the house of David will be like God, like the angel of the Lord who leads them.
9 And it shall come to pass, in that day, —That I will seek to destroy all the nations, that come against Jerusalem.
On that day I will start destroying all those nations that attack Jerusalem.
10 But I will pour out upon the house of David and upon the inhabitant of Jerusalem, the spirit of favour, and of supplications, and they will look unto me, whom they have pierced, —and will wail over him, as one waileth over an only son, and will make bitter outcry over him, as one maketh bitter outcry over a firstborn.
I will pour out a spirit of grace and prayer on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. They will look at me whom they pierced, and they will wail in grief over him, mourning as for an only child, weeping bitterly as for a firstborn.
11 In that day, will the wailing, be great, in Jerusalem, as the wailing of Hadadrimmon, in the valley of Megiddon;
On that day the mourning in Jerusalem will be as great as the mourning in Hadad-Rimmon in the valley of Megiddo.
12 So shall the land, wail, family by family, apart, —the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart, the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart;
The land will mourn, every family alone: the family house of David alone and their women by themselves, the families of Nathan,
13 The family of the house of Levi, apart, and their wives apart, the family of Shimei, apart, —and their wives apart:
Levi, and Shimei—
14 All the families that remain, family by family, apart, —and their wives, apart.
and all the surviving families and their women, each group mourning alone by themselves.
