Judgement on Israel's Enemies

1The oracle of the word of the

LORD is against the land of Hadrach

and Damascus is its resting-place.

For the LORD has an eye on mankind

and on all the tribes of Israel,9:1 Or For the eye of mankind, especially of all the tribes of Israel, is towards the LORD

2and on Hamath also, which borders on it,

Tyre and Sidon, though they are very wise.

3Tyre has built herself a rampart

and heaped up silver like dust,

and fine gold like the mud of the streets.

4But behold, the Lord will strip her of her possessions

and strike down her power on the sea,

and she shall be devoured by fire.

5Ashkelon 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;

6a mixed people9:6 Or a foreign people; Hebrew a bastard shall dwell in Ashdod,

and I will cut off the pride of Philistia.

7I will take away its blood from its mouth,

and its abominations from between its teeth;

it too shall be a remnant for our God;

it shall be like a clan in Judah,

and Ekron shall be like the Jebusites.

8Then I will encamp at my house as a guard,

so that none shall march to and fro;

no oppressor shall again march over them,

for now I see with my own eyes.

The Coming King of Zion

9Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!

Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!

Behold, your king is coming to you;

righteous and having salvation is he,

humble and mounted on a donkey,

on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

10I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim

and the war horse from Jerusalem;

and the battle bow shall be cut off,

and he shall speak peace to the nations;

his rule shall be from sea to sea,

and from the River9:10 That is, the Euphrates to the ends of the earth.

11As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you,

I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.

12Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope;

today I declare that I will restore to you double.

13For I have bent Judah as my bow;

I have made Ephraim its arrow.

I will stir up your sons, O Zion,

against your sons, O Greece,

and wield you like a warrior's sword.

The LORD Will Save His People

14Then the LORD will appear over them,

and his arrow will go forth like lightning;

the Lord GOD will sound the trumpet

and will march forth in the whirlwinds of the south.

15The LORD of hosts will protect them,

and they shall devour, and tread down the sling stones,

and they shall drink and roar as if drunk with wine,

and be full like a bowl,

drenched like the corners of the altar.

16On that day the LORD their God will save them,

as the flock of his people;

for like the jewels of a crown

they shall shine on his land.

17For how great is his goodness, and how great his beauty!

Grain shall make the young men flourish,

and new wine the young women.