Through My Bible Yr 02 – August 24

Through My Bible – August 24

Zechariah 9 – 10 (EHV)

See series: Through My Bible

Zechariah 9

¹ A threatening oracle.
The word of the Lord is against the land of Hadrak,
and against Damascus, its resting place,
because the eye of the Lord is on mankind and on all the tribes of Israel.
² It is also against Hamath, which borders on Damascus,
and Tyre and Sidon, though they are very wise.
³         Tyre has built a stronghold for herself and has piled up silver like dust,
        and gold like dirt from the streets.
⁴     Look, the Lord will seize everything she possesses
    and throw her wealth into the sea,
    and she will be consumed by fire.
⁵     Ashkelon will see it and be afraid.
    Gaza will writhe in anguish,
    and Ekron too, because her hopes have been dashed.
    The kingship will perish from Gaza,
    and Ashkelon will no longer be inhabited.
⁶     A mixed race will live in Ashdod,
    and I will cut off the pride of the Philistines.
⁷     I will remove their blood from their mouths
    and their detestable things from between their teeth.
    Philistia too will be a remnant for our God,
    and it will be like a clan in Judah.
    Ekron will be like the Jebusites.
⁸     I will set up camp around my house,
    as a guard against those passing back and forth.
    The oppressor will never again march over them,
    because now I am watching with my own eyes.

⁹ Rejoice greatly, Daughter of Zion!
    Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem!
    Look! Your King is coming to you.
    He is righteous and brings salvation.
    He is humble and is riding on a donkey,
    on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
¹⁰ I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim
    and the horse from Jerusalem.
    The battle bow will be taken away,
    and he will proclaim peace to the nations.
    His kingdom will extend from sea to sea,
    from the River ^[1] to the ends of the earth.

¹¹ As for you,
    because of the blood of my covenant with you,
    I will release your prisoners from the waterless pit.
¹² Return to the stronghold, you prisoners who have hope.
    This very day I declare that I will restore double to you.
¹³ For I will bend Judah as my bow,
    and I will load it with Ephraim.
    I will rouse your sons, Zion,
    against your sons, Greece,
    and I will make you like a strong warrior’s sword.

¹⁴ The Lord will appear above them,
    and his arrow will go out like lightning.
    The Lord God will sound the ram’s horn,
    and he will go forth in the windstorms from the south.
¹⁵ The Lord of Armies will defend them,
    and they will eat.
    They will overpower their enemies with sling stones.
    Then they will drink,
    and they will be boisterous as if drunk with wine.
    They will be filled like a sprinkling bowl used at the corners of the altar.
¹⁶ On that day the Lord their God will save them as the flock of his people.
    For like the jewels of a crown they will shine on his land.
¹⁷ Yes, what goodness it will have! What beauty!
    Grain will make the young men thrive,
    and new wine will make the young women thrive.

Zechariah 10

¹ Ask the Lord, who makes storm clouds,
    to give rain at the right time for the spring rains,
    and he will provide showers of rain,
    and there will be crops in the field for everyone.

² But household gods speak wicked deception,
    and the omen readers see illusions.
    They report trivial dreams
    and give false comfort.
    That is why the people wander like sheep.
    They are in trouble ^[2] because they have no shepherd.

³ My anger burns against the shepherds,
    and I will punish the leaders of the flock,
    because the Lord of Armies cares for his flock, the house of Judah,
    and he will make them like his majestic horse in battle.
⁴ From him will come the cornerstone,
    from him the tent peg,
    from him the battle bow,
    from him every commander.
⁵ Together they will be like strong warriors,
    going out into battle, trampling the enemy into the mud of the streets.
    They will fight, because the Lord is with them,
    and those who ride horses will be put to shame.

⁶ I will strengthen the house of Judah
    and save the house of Joseph.
    I will restore them,
    because I have compassion on them.
    It will be as if I had not rejected them,
    because I am the Lord their God, and I will answer them.
⁷ Then Ephraim will become like a strong warrior,
    and their hearts will be glad as if from wine.
    Their children will see it and be glad.
    Their hearts will rejoice in the Lord.
⁸ I will whistle for them and gather them in,
    for I have redeemed them.
    They will be as numerous as they were in the past.
⁹ Though I scattered them among the peoples,
    yet in distant places they will remember me.
    They will survive and return with their children.
¹⁰ I will bring them back from the land of Egypt,
    and I will gather them from Assyria.
    I will bring them to the land of Gilead and Lebanon,
    and there will not be enough room for them.
¹¹ They ^[3] will pass through the sea of distress,
    but the Lord will strike the waves in the sea.
    All the depths of the Nile will become dry.
    The pride of Assyria will be brought low.
    The scepter of Egypt will depart.
¹² I will make them strong in the Lord,
    and they will walk in his name, declares the Lord.

Footnotes

1. Zechariah 9:10 That is, the Euphrates
2. Zechariah 10:2 Or are miserable
3. Zechariah 10:11 Or he. The Hebrew verb is singular.