Zechariah 9

¹ A proclamation. The word of Yahweh is against Hadrach, it has come to rest on Damascus, for thesource of Aram belongs to Yahweh no less than al the tribes of Israel;

² on Hamath too, which borders on it, and on (Tyre and) Sidon, despite her acumen.

³ Tyre has built herself a fortress, has heaped up silver like dust and gold like the dirt of the streets.

⁴ And now the Lord is going to dispossess her; at sea he wil break her power, and she herself will go upin flames.

⁵ Seeing this, Ashkelon wil be terrified, Gaza too, and writhe with grief, Ekron too, at the ruin of herprospects; the king wil vanish from Gaza and Ashkelon be unpeopled,

⁶ while a half-breed wil live in Ashdod! Yes, I shal destroy the pride of the Philistine;

⁷ I shal snatch his blood from his mouth, his abominations from between his teeth. But his remnant toowil belong to our God, becoming like a clan in Judah, and Ekron wil become like a Jebusite.

⁸ I shal stand guard before my home to defend it against al comers, and no oppressor wil overrun themever again, for now I am on the alert.

⁹ Rejoice heart and soul, daughter of Zion! Shout for joy, daughter of Jerusalem! Look, your king isapproaching, he is vindicated and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

¹⁰ He wil banish chariots from Ephraim and horses from Jerusalem; the bow of war wil be banished. Hewil proclaim peace to the nations, his empire wil stretch from sea to sea, from the River to the limits of the earth.

¹¹ As for you, because of the blood of your covenant I have released your prisoners from the pit in whichthere is no water.

¹² Come back to the fortress, you prisoners waiting in hope. This very day, I vow, I shal make it up to youtwice over.

¹³ For I have strung Judah as a bow for myself, laid Ephraim on the string as an arrow, have roused yoursons, Zion, against your sons, Javan, and have made you like a warrior's sword.

¹⁴ Then Yahweh wil appear above them and his arrow wil flash out like lightning. (The Lord) Yahweh wilsound the trumpet and advance in the storm-winds of the south.

¹⁵ Yahweh Sabaoth will protect them! They wil devour, wil trample on the sling-stones, they wil drinkblood like wine, awash like bowls, like the corners of the altar.

¹⁶ Yahweh their God wil give them victory when that day comes, like the sheep who are his people; yes,the stones of a diadem wil sparkle over his country.

¹⁷ How fine, how splendid that will be, with wheat to make the young men flourish, and new wine themaidens!