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Chapter 10

Be Faithful to the Lord

Ask the Lord for rain in the springtime.
    It is the Lord who makes the storm clouds.
He will send forth the showers of rain
    and grass in the fields for everyone.
For the household gods utter nonsense,
    and diviners are misled by false signs.
The dreams they relate are deceitful,
    offering empty consolation.
That is why the people
    wander about like sheep;
they are in distress
    for lack of a shepherd.

I Will Reunite and Save

My anger has been set ablaze by the shepherds,
    and I will punish the leaders of the flock.
For the Lord of hosts cares for his flock,
    the house of Judah,
    and will make it his royal warhorse.
From Judah will emerge the cornerstone,
    from it the tent peg,
from it the bow ready for battle,
    from it all the commanders.
Together they will be like warriors
    trampling the mud of the streets in battle.
They will fight because the Lord is with them,
    and they will rout even those on horseback.
I will strengthen the house of Judah,
    and I will save the house of Joseph.
I will bring them back
    because I have taken pity on them,
and they will be
    as though I had never cast them off;
for I am the Lord, their God,
    and I will answer them.
Then the people of Ephraim will be like warriors,
    and their hearts will be cheered as if by wine.
Their children will see it and rejoice;
    their hearts will rejoice in the Lord.
I will signal them to gather together,
    for I have redeemed them;
they will be as numerous
    as they were before.
I scattered them among the nations,
    yet in far-off countries they will remember me;
    they will rear their children and return.
10 I will bring them home from the land of Egypt
    and gather them from Assyria.
I will lead them into Gilead and into Lebanon,
    until there is no more room to accommodate them.
11 They will pass through the Sea of Egypt,
    and the waves of the sea will be subdued,
    while the depths of the Nile will be dried up.
The pride of Assyria will be cast down,
    and the scepter of Egypt will be taken away.
12 I will make them strong in the Lord,
    and they will march in my name,
    says the Lord.

The Lord Will Care for Judah

10 Ask the Lord for rain in the springtime;
    it is the Lord who sends the thunderstorms.
He gives showers of rain(A) to all people,
    and plants of the field(B) to everyone.
The idols(C) speak deceitfully,
    diviners(D) see visions that lie;
they tell dreams(E) that are false,
    they give comfort in vain.(F)
Therefore the people wander like sheep
    oppressed for lack of a shepherd.(G)

“My anger burns against the shepherds,
    and I will punish the leaders;(H)
for the Lord Almighty will care
    for his flock, the people of Judah,
    and make them like a proud horse in battle.(I)
From Judah will come the cornerstone,(J)
    from him the tent peg,(K)
from him the battle bow,(L)
    from him every ruler.
Together they[a] will be like warriors in battle
    trampling their enemy into the mud of the streets.(M)
They will fight because the Lord is with them,
    and they will put the enemy horsemen to shame.(N)

“I will strengthen(O) Judah
    and save the tribes of Joseph.
I will restore them
    because I have compassion(P) on them.(Q)
They will be as though
    I had not rejected them,
for I am the Lord their God
    and I will answer(R) them.
The Ephraimites will become like warriors,
    and their hearts will be glad as with wine.(S)
Their children will see it and be joyful;
    their hearts will rejoice(T) in the Lord.
I will signal(U) for them
    and gather them in.
Surely I will redeem them;
    they will be as numerous(V) as before.
Though I scatter them among the peoples,
    yet in distant lands they will remember me.(W)
They and their children will survive,
    and they will return.
10 I will bring them back from Egypt
    and gather them from Assyria.(X)
I will bring them to Gilead(Y) and Lebanon,
    and there will not be room(Z) enough for them.
11 They will pass through the sea of trouble;
    the surging sea will be subdued
    and all the depths of the Nile will dry up.(AA)
Assyria’s pride(AB) will be brought down
    and Egypt’s scepter(AC) will pass away.(AD)
12 I will strengthen(AE) them in the Lord
    and in his name they will live securely,(AF)
declares the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Zechariah 10:5 Or ruler, all of them together. / They