Zechariah 9
Tree of Life Version
Judgment on Israel’s Enemies
9 The burden[a] of the word of Adonai is against the land of Hadrach
and will rest upon Damascus.
For the eyes of men and all the tribes of Israel
are toward Adonai—
2 and also upon Hamath bordering it,
and upon Tyre and Sidon, though they are very shrewd.
3 Tyre built herself a fortress
and heaped up silver like dust
and fine gold like dirt in the streets.
4 Behold, the Lord will impoverish her
and destroy her power on the sea,
while she will be devoured by fire.
5 Ashkelon will see it and fear.
Gaza will writhe in pain
as will Ekron because her hope will dry up.
The king will perish from Gaza
and Ashkelon will be uninhabited.
6 A mongrel people will live in Ashdod
and I will cut off the Philistines’ pride.
7 I will remove the blood from his mouth,
forbidden food from between his teeth.
Whoever is left will be a remnant for our God.
He will be like a leader in Judah,
and Ekron will be like a Jebusite.
8 But I will camp around My House
against marauding forces.
No oppressor will overrun them again—
for now I watch with My own eyes.
Zion’s Coming King
9 Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion!
Shout, daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your king is coming to you,
a righteous one bringing salvation.
He is lowly, riding on a donkey—
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.[b]
10 I will banish chariots from Ephraim
and horses from Jerusalem,
and the war bow will be broken.
He will speak shalom to the nations.
His rule will extend from sea to sea,
from the River to the ends of the earth.
11 As for you also, by the blood of your covenant,[c]
I will release your prisoners from the waterless Pit.
12 Return to the stronghold, you prisoners of hope!
Today I declare that I will restore twice as much to you.
13 I will bend Judah as my bow
and fill it with Ephraim.
I will rouse your sons, O Zion
against your sons, O Greece.
I will wield you like a warrior’s sword.
14 Then Adonai will be seen over them
as His arrow flashes like lightning.
Adonai Elohim will blow the shofar
and march in whirlwinds of the south.[d]
15 Adonai-Tzva’ot will defend them.
They will consume and conquer with sling stones.
They will drink and roar as with wine
and be filled like a bowl,
like the corners of the altar.
16 Adonai their God will save them on that day
as the flock of His people.
They will be like gems of a crown
sparkling over His land.
17 How good and beautiful it will be!
Grain will make the young men thrive
and new wine the virgin women.”
Footnotes
- Zechariah 9:1 Or, weighty oracle.
- Zechariah 9:9 cf. Matt. 21:5; John 12:15.
- Zechariah 9:11 cf. Matt. 26:28; Luke 22:20.
- Zechariah 9:14 cf. Matt. 24:31.
Zechariah 9
New Living Translation
Judgment against Israel’s Enemies
9 This is the message[a] from the Lord against the land of Aram[b] and the city of Damascus, for the eyes of humanity, including all the tribes of Israel, are on the Lord.
2 Doom is certain for Hamath,
near Damascus,
and for the cities of Tyre and Sidon,
though they are so clever.
3 Tyre has built a strong fortress
and has made silver and gold
as plentiful as dust in the streets!
4 But now the Lord will strip away Tyre’s possessions
and hurl its fortifications into the sea,
and it will be burned to the ground.
5 The city of Ashkelon will see Tyre fall
and will be filled with fear.
Gaza will shake with terror,
as will Ekron, for their hopes will be dashed.
Gaza’s king will be killed,
and Ashkelon will be deserted.
6 Foreigners will occupy the city of Ashdod.
I will destroy the pride of the Philistines.
7 I will grab the bloody meat from their mouths
and snatch the detestable sacrifices from their teeth.
Then the surviving Philistines will worship our God
and become like a clan in Judah.[c]
The Philistines of Ekron will join my people,
as the ancient Jebusites once did.
8 I will guard my Temple
and protect it from invading armies.
I am watching closely to ensure
that no more foreign oppressors overrun my people’s land.
Zion’s Coming King
9 Rejoice, O people of Zion![d]
Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem!
Look, your king is coming to you.
He is righteous and victorious,[e]
yet he is humble, riding on a donkey—
riding on a donkey’s colt.
10 I will remove the battle chariots from Israel[f]
and the warhorses from Jerusalem.
I will destroy all the weapons used in battle,
and your king will bring peace to the nations.
His realm will stretch from sea to sea
and from the Euphrates River[g] to the ends of the earth.[h]
11 Because of the covenant I made with you,
sealed with blood,
I will free your prisoners
from death in a waterless dungeon.
12 Come back to the place of safety,
all you prisoners who still have hope!
I promise this very day
that I will repay two blessings for each of your troubles.
13 Judah is my bow,
and Israel is my arrow.
Jerusalem[i] is my sword,
and like a warrior, I will brandish it against the Greeks.[j]
14 The Lord will appear above his people;
his arrows will fly like lightning!
The Sovereign Lord will sound the ram’s horn
and attack like a whirlwind from the southern desert.
15 The Lord of Heaven’s Armies will protect his people,
and they will defeat their enemies by hurling great stones.
They will shout in battle as though drunk with wine.
They will be filled with blood like a bowl,
drenched with blood like the corners of the altar.
16 On that day the Lord their God will rescue his people,
just as a shepherd rescues his sheep.
They will sparkle in his land
like jewels in a crown.
17 How wonderful and beautiful they will be!
The young men will thrive on abundant grain,
and the young women will flourish on new wine.
Footnotes
- 9:1a Hebrew An Oracle: The message.
- 9:1b Hebrew land of Hadrach.
- 9:7 Hebrew like a leader in Judah.
- 9:9a Hebrew O daughter of Zion!
- 9:9b Hebrew and is being vindicated.
- 9:10a Hebrew Ephraim, referring to the northern kingdom of Israel; also in 9:13.
- 9:10b Hebrew the river.
- 9:10c Or the end of the land.
- 9:13a Hebrew Zion.
- 9:13b Hebrew the sons of Javan.
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
