Judgment on Israel’s Enemies
The oracle of the word of the Lord is against the land of Hadrach
and aDamascus is its resting place.
For the Lord has an eye on mankind
and on all the tribes of Israel,
2 aand on Hamath also, which borders on it,
bTyre and bSidon, though cthey are very wise.
3 Tyre has built herself aa rampart
and bheaped up silver like dust,
and fine gold like the mud of the streets.
4 But behold, the Lord will strip her of her possessions
and strike down aher power on the sea,
and bshe shall be devoured by fire.
5 aAshkelon shall see it, and be afraid;
Gaza too, and shall writhe in anguish;
Ekron also, because its hopes are confounded.
The king shall perish from Gaza;
Ashkelon shall be uninhabited;
6 aa mixed people shall dwell in Ashdod,
and I will cut off the pride of Philistia.
7 I will take away aits blood from its mouth,
and bits abominations from between its teeth;
cit too shall be a remnant for our God;
it shall be like da clan in Judah,
and Ekron shall be like the Jebusites.
8 Then aI will encamp at my house as a guard,
bso that none shall march to and fro;
cno oppressor shall again march over them,
dfor now I see with my own eyes.
The Coming King of Zion
9 aRejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!
bBehold, cyour king is coming to you;
righteous and having salvation is he,
dhumble and mounted on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
10 aI will cut off the chariot from Ephraim
and bthe war horse from Jerusalem;
and the battle bow shall be cut off,
and che shall speak peace to the nations;
dhis rule shall be from sea to sea,
and from ethe River to the ends of the earth.
11 As for you also, because of athe blood of my covenant with you,
bI will set your prisoners free from cthe waterless pit.
12 Return to your stronghold, O aprisoners of hope;
today I declare that bI will restore to you double.
13 For aI have bent Judah as my bow;
I have made Ephraim its arrow.
I will stir up your sons, O Zion,
against your sons, bO Greece,
and wield you like a warrior’s sword.
The Lord Will Save His People
14 Then the Lord will appear over them,
and ahis arrow will go forth like lightning;
bthe Lord God will sound the trumpet
and will march forth in cthe whirlwinds dof the south.
15 The Lord of hosts awill protect them,
and bthey shall devour, cand tread down the sling stones,
and dthey shall drink and roar as if drunk with wine,
and be full like a bowl,
drenched elike the corners of the altar.
16 On that day the Lord their God will save them,
as athe flock of his people;
for blike the jewels of a crown
they shall shine on his land.
17 aFor how great is his goodness, and how great his beauty!
bGrain shall make the young men flourish,
and new wine the young women.