Zechariah 9

1 The burden of a word of Jehovah against the land of Hadrach, and Demmeseh — his place of rest: (When to Jehovah [is] the eye of man, And of all the tribes of Israel.)

An oracle: The message of the Lord concerns the land of Hadrach, it rests upon Damascus. For the capital of Aram belongs to the Lord, as the tribes of Israel do,

2 And also Hamath doth border thereon, Tyre and Zidon, for — very wise!

and also Hamath which borders on it. Tyre and Sidon, for all their wisdom.

3 And Tyre doth build a bulwark to herself, And doth heap silver as dust, And gold as mire of out-places.

Tyre built for herself a fortress. Heaped up silver as dust, and gold like the dirt of the streets.

4 Lo, the Lord doth dispossess her, And He hath smitten in the sea her force, And she with fire is consumed.

But now the Lord will dispossess her, cast down her rampart into the sea. She will be consumed in fire.

5 See doth Ashkelon and fear, Also Gaza, and she is exceedingly pained, Also Ekron — for her expectation dried up, And perished hath a king from Gaza, And Ashkelon doth not remain,

Ashkelon will see and fear, and Gaza writhe in anguish, Ekron, also for her hope will be put to shame. The king will perish from Gaza, Ashkelon will remain uninhabited.

6 And dwelt hath a foreigner in Ashdod, And I have cut off the excellency of the Philistines.

A foreign people will settle in Ashdod, and I will humble the pride of the Philistines.

7 And turned aside his blood from his mouth, His abominations from between his teeth, And he hath remained, even he, to our God, And he hath been as a leader in Judah, And Ekron as a Jebusite.

I will take their blood from their mouth, and their abominations from between their teeth. They also will be a remnant for our God, like a clan in Judah, and Ekron will be like the Jebusites.

8 And I have pitched for My house a camp, Because of the passer through, and of the returner, And pass not through against them again doth an exactor, For, now, I have seen with My eyes.

But I will encamp as a guard about my house, so that none will pass through or return, and no oppressor will pass through them again, for now I have seen with my own eyes.

9 Rejoice exceedingly, O daughter of Zion, Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem, Lo, thy King doth come to thee, Righteous — and saved is He, Afflicted — and riding on an ass, And on a colt — a son of she-asses.

Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, daughter of Jerusalem! Look, your king comes to you. Vindicated and victorious is he, humble, and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

10 And I have cut off the chariot from Ephraim, And the horse from Jerusalem, Yea, cut off hath been the bow of battle, And he hath spoken peace to nations, And his rule [is] from sea unto sea, And from the river unto the ends of earth.

He will cut off chariots from Ephraim, and war horses from Jerusalem. The battle bow will be cut off, and he will speak peace to the nations. His rule will be from sea to sea, from the river to the ends of the earth.

11 Also thou — by the blood of thy covenant, I have sent thy prisoners out of the pit, There is no water in it.

And you, too – because of your blood covenant, I have set free your prisoners from the waterless pit.

12 Turn back to a fenced place, Ye prisoners of the hope, Even to-day a second announcer I restore to thee.

To the stronghold will the prisoners of hope return. This day I declare, I will restore double to you.

13 For I have trodden for Me Judah, A bow I have filled [with] Ephraim, And I have stirred up thy sons, O Zion, Against thy sons, O Javan, And I have set thee as the sword of a hero.

For I have bent Judah to me, like a bow which I have filled with Ephraim like an arrow. I will urge your sons, Zion, against the sons of Greece, I will make you like the sword of a hero.

14 And Jehovah doth appear for them, And gone forth as lightning hath His arrow, And the Lord Jehovah with a trumpet bloweth, And He hath gone with whirlwinds of the south.

Then the Lord will be seen above them and his arrow will go forth like lightning. The Lord will blow a blast upon a trumpet, and travel on the whirlwinds of the south.

15 Jehovah of Hosts doth cover them over, And they consumed, and subdued sling-stones, Yea, they have drunk, They have made a noise as wine, And they have been full as a bowl, As corners of an altar.

The Lord of hosts will defend them. They will devour and tread down the slingstones, they will drink their blood like wine, they will be full like a bowl, like the crevices of the altar.

16 And saved them hath Jehovah their God In that day, as a flock of His people, For stones of a crown are displaying themselves over His ground.

And the Lord their God will save them on that day, as the flock of his people, as the jewel of a crown shining in his land.

17 For what His goodness! and what His beauty! Corn the young men, And new wine the virgins — make fruitful!

How good and how beautiful will it be! Corn will make the young men flourish and new wine the young women!