Judgment on Israel’s enemies

1A prophecy:

The word of the Lord is against the land of Hadrak

and will come to rest on Damascus –

for the eyes of all people and all the tribes of Israel

are on the Lord – 9:1 Or Damascus. / For the eye of the Lord is on all people, / as well as on the tribes of Israel,

2and on Hamath too, which borders on it,

and on Tyre and Sidon, though they are very skilful.

3Tyre has built herself a stronghold;

she has heaped up silver like dust,

and gold like the dirt of the streets.

4But the Lord will take away her possessions

and destroy her power on the sea,

and she will be consumed by fire.

5Ashkelon will see it and fear;

Gaza will writhe in agony,

and Ekron too, for her hope will wither.

Gaza will lose her king

and Ashkelon will be deserted.

6A mongrel people will occupy Ashdod,

and I will put an end to the pride of the Philistines.

7I will take the blood from their mouths,

the forbidden food from between their teeth.

Those who are left will belong to our God

and become a clan in Judah,

and Ekron will be like the Jebusites.

8But I will encamp at my temple

to guard it against marauding forces.

Never again will an oppressor overrun my people,

for now I am keeping watch.

The coming of Zion’s king

9Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!

Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!

See, your king comes to you,

righteous and victorious,

lowly and riding on a donkey,

on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

10I will take away the chariots from Ephraim

and the warhorses from Jerusalem,

and the battle-bow will be broken.

He will proclaim peace to the nations.

His rule will extend from sea to sea

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

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

I will free your prisoners from the waterless pit.

12Return to your fortress, you prisoners of hope;

even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you.

13I will bend Judah as I bend my bow

and fill it with Ephraim.

I will rouse your sons, Zion,

against your sons, Greece,

and make you like a warrior’s sword.

The Lord will appear

14Then the Lord will appear over them;

his arrow will flash like lightning.

The Sovereign Lord will sound the trumpet;

he will march in the storms of the south,

15and the Lord Almighty will shield them.

They will destroy

and overcome with slingstones.

They will drink and roar as with wine;

they will be full like a bowl

used for sprinkling9:15 Or bowl, / like the corners of the altar.

16The Lord their God will save his people on that day

as a shepherd saves his flock.

They will sparkle in his land

like jewels in a crown.

17How attractive and beautiful they will be!

Grain will make the young men thrive,

and new wine the young women.