Israel Defended Against Enemies

9 The 1burden of the word of the Lord—

Against the land of Hadrach,

And aDamascus its resting place

(For bthe eyes of men

And all the tribes of Israel

Are on the Lord);

2 Also against cHamath, which borders on it,

And against dTyre and eSidon, though they are very fwise.

3 For Tyre built herself a tower,

Heaped up silver like the dust,

And gold like the mire of the streets.

4 Behold, gthe Lord will cast her out;

He will destroy hher power in the sea,

And she will be devoured by fire.

5 Ashkelon shall see it and fear;

Gaza also shall be very sorrowful;

And iEkron, for He dried up her expectation.

The king shall perish from Gaza,

And Ashkelon shall not be inhabited.

6 “A 2mixed race shall settle jin Ashdod,

And I will cut off the pride of the kPhilistines.

7 I will take away the blood from his mouth,

And the abominations from between his teeth.

But he who remains, even he shall be for our God,

And shall be like a leader in Judah,

And Ekron like a Jebusite.

8 lI will camp around My house

Because of the army,

Because of him who passes by and him who returns.

No more shall an oppressor pass through them,

For now I have seen with My eyes.

The Coming King

9 “Rejoice mgreatly, O daughter of Zion!

Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem!

Behold, nyour King is coming to you;

He is just and having salvation,

Lowly and riding on a donkey,

A colt, the foal of a donkey.

10 I owill cut off the chariot from Ephraim

And the horse from Jerusalem;

The pbattle bow shall be cut off.

He shall speak peace to the nations;

His dominion shall be q‘from sea to sea,

And from the River to the ends of the earth.’

God Will Save His People

11 “As for you also,

Because of the blood of your covenant,

I will set your rprisoners free from the waterless pit.

12 Return to the stronghold,

sYou prisoners of hope.

Even today I declare

That I will restore tdouble to you.

13 For I have bent Judah, My bow,

Fitted the bow with Ephraim,

And raised up your sons, O Zion,

Against your sons, O Greece,

And made you like the sword of a mighty man.”

14 Then the Lord will be seen over them,

And uHis arrow will go forth like lightning.

The Lord God will blow the trumpet,

And go vwith whirlwinds from the south.

15 The Lord of hosts will wdefend them;

They shall devour and subdue with slingstones.

They shall drink and roar as if with wine;

They shall be filled with blood like 3basins,

Like the corners of the altar.

16 The Lord their God will xsave them in that day,

As the flock of His people.

For ythey shall be like the 4jewels of a crown,

zLifted like a banner over His land—

17 For ahow great is 5its goodness

And how great 5its bbeauty!

cGrain shall make the young men thrive,

And new wine the young women.

Restoration of Judah and Israel

10 Ask athe Lord for brain

In cthe time of the 1latter rain.

The Lord will make 2flashing clouds;

He will give them showers of rain,

Grass in the field for everyone.

2 For the didols 3speak delusion;

The diviners envision elies,

And tell false dreams;

They fcomfort in vain.

Therefore the people wend their way like gsheep;

They are 4in trouble hbecause there is no shepherd.

3 “My anger is kindled against the ishepherds,

jAnd I will punish the 5goatherds.

For the Lord of hosts kwill visit His flock,

The house of Judah,

And lwill make them as His royal horse in the battle.

4 From him comes mthe cornerstone,

From him nthe tent peg,

From him the battle bow,

From him every 6ruler together.

5 They shall be like mighty men,

Who otread down their enemies

In the mire of the streets in the battle.

They shall fight because the Lord is with them,

And the riders on horses shall be put to shame.

6 “I will strengthen the house of Judah,

And I will save the house of Joseph.

pI will bring them back,

Because I qhave mercy on them.

They shall be as though I had not cast them aside;

For I am the Lord their God,

And I rwill hear them.

7 Those of Ephraim shall be like a mighty man,

And their sheart shall rejoice as if with wine.

Yes, their children shall see it and be glad;

Their heart shall rejoice in the Lord.

8 I will twhistle for them and gather them,

For I will redeem them;

uAnd they shall increase as they once increased.

9 “I vwill 7sow them among the peoples,

And they shall wremember Me in far countries;

They shall live, together with their children,

And they shall return.

10 xI will also bring them back from the land of Egypt,

And gather them from Assyria.

I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon,

yUntil no more room is found for them.

11 zHe shall pass through the sea with affliction,

And strike the waves of the sea:

All the depths of 8the River shall dry up.

Then athe pride of Assyria shall be brought down,

And bthe scepter of Egypt shall depart.

12 “So I will strengthen them in the Lord,

And cthey shall walk up and down in His name,”

Says the Lord.