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.
