Zechariah 9
God will punish Israel's enemies
1 This is a message from the Lord against the land of Hadrach. It speaks about the city of Damascus.
9:1Damascus was the capital city of Syria.
Everyone looks to see what the Lord will do, including all the tribes of Israel. 2 The people of Hamath, which is near Damascus, also wait to see what the Lord will do. The people in the cities of Tyre and Sidon also do this, even though they are very wise.
3 Tyre's people have built strong walls around their city to keep it safe. They have stored a lot of silver and gold, as much as the dirt and mud in their streets! 4 But now the Lord God will take away all Tyre's valuable things. He will throw all its power into the sea! Fire will destroy the whole city.
5 The people in Ashkelon will see what has happened to Tyre. They will be afraid. The people in Gaza will shake with fear. The people in Ekron will also be afraid. They will no longer hope for good things. The people of Gaza will no longer have a king. Ashkelon will become an empty place.
6 Foreign people will make Ashdod their home. I, the Lord, will cause the proud Philistine people to be ashamed. 7 I will remove from their mouths the meat of sacrifices that they have offered to their idols. Those Philistines who remain will become a group of people who belong to me. They will be like a clan in the tribe of Judah. The Philistines of Ekron will join the people of Judah, as the Jebusites did long ago.
9:6The Philistines were a nation of people who were powerful enemies of Israel. They lived beside the sea on the west side of Israel.
8 Then I will keep my temple safe. I will protect it like a guard. I will not allow an enemy to attack my people any more. Now I am watching carefully and I will take care of them.
The king of Zion comes to rule his people
9 Be happy and sing, people of Zion!
Shout with joy, people of Jerusalem!
Look! Your king is coming to you.
He is righteous and he has won against his enemies.
He is humble and he is riding on a donkey.
Yes, he is riding on a young donkey.
10 I will remove the chariots from Ephraim.
9:10Ephraim was a name for the northern kingdom of Israel.
I will remove the soldiers' horses from Jerusalem,
and I will destroy their bows and their arrows.
The king will tell the nations that they will live in peace.
He will rule as king from the sea in the west to the sea in the east.
9:10This means from the Mediterranean Sea to the Salt Sea (Dead Sea).
He will rule everywhere, from the Euphrates River to the furthest places on the earth.
11 I made a covenant with you, my people. The blood of sacrifices showed that you agreed with that covenant. Now some of you are prisoners. I will rescue those prisoners from dark places where there is no water. 12 Yes, you prisoners who now hope for better things, return home where you will be safe. I tell you this today: I will give back to you twice as much as you have lost.
13 I will use Judah as my bow and Ephraim as my arrow to attack my enemies! I will use you, young men of Zion, to attack the soldiers of Greece. I will cause Zion to be like a soldier's sword in my hand.
14 Then the Lord will appear above his people.
He will shoot his arrows like lightning in the sky.
The Almighty Lord will make a loud noise with his trumpet.
He will march into battle like a storm from the south.
15 The Lord Almighty will protect his people.
They will attack their enemies with stones from their slings
and they will win the battle.
They will drink and they will shout loudly,
like men who are drunk.
The blood of their enemies will make them full,
as a priest's bowl is full of blood
when he pours it on the corners of the altar.
16 On that day, the Lord their God will rescue his people,
as a shepherd rescues his sheep.
They will live in his land,
like bright jewels that shine in a crown.
17 It will all be very good and beautiful!
Grain from the land will make the young men strong.
The young women will become strong
as they drink new wine.
