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:

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 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 about to make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness for all the surrounding peoples. There will be a siege of 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 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, 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, 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 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.

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 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.

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 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.

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, 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.

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 it shall come to pass, in that day, —That I will seek to destroy all the nations, that come against Jerusalem.

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

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, will the wailing, be great, in Jerusalem, as the wailing 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 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;

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 family of the house of Levi, apart, and their wives apart, the family of Shimei, apart, —and their wives 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 remain, family by family, apart, —and their wives, apart.

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