Judgment on Israel’s Enemies

9 The oracle of the word of the Lord is against the land of Hadrach

and gDamascus is its resting place.

For the Lord has an eye on mankind

and on all the tribes of Israel,1

2  hand on Hamath also, which borders on it,

iTyre and iSidon, though jthey are very wise.

3  Tyre has built herself ka rampart

and lheaped 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 mher power on the sea,

and nshe shall be devoured by fire.

5  oAshkelon 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  pa mixed people2 shall dwell in Ashdod,

and I will cut off the pride of Philistia.

7  I will take away qits blood from its mouth,

and rits abominations from between its teeth;

sit too shall be a remnant for our God;

it shall be like ta clan in Judah,

and Ekron shall be like the Jebusites.

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

vso that none shall march to and fro;

wno oppressor shall again march over them,

xfor now I see with my own eyes.

The Coming King of Zion

9  yRejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!

Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!

zBehold, ayour king is coming to you;

righteous and having salvation is he,

bhumble and mounted on a donkey,

on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

10  cI will cut off the chariot from Ephraim

and dthe war horse from Jerusalem;

and the battle bow shall be cut off,

and ehe shall speak peace to the nations;

fhis rule shall be from sea to sea,

and from gthe River3 to the ends of the earth.

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

iI will set your prisoners free from jthe waterless pit.

12  Return to your stronghold, O kprisoners of hope;

today I declare that lI will restore to you double.

13  For mI have bent Judah as my bow;

I have made Ephraim its arrow.

I will stir up your sons, O Zion,

against your sons, nO Greece,

and wield you like a warrior’s sword.

The Lord Will Save His People

14  Then the Lord will appear over them,

and ohis arrow will go forth like lightning;

pthe Lord God will sound the trumpet

and will march forth in qthe whirlwinds rof the south.

15  The Lord of hosts swill protect them,

and tthey shall devour, uand tread down the sling stones,

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

and be full like a bowl,

drenched wlike the corners of the altar.

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

as xthe flock of his people;

for ylike the jewels of a crown

they shall shine on his land.

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

aGrain shall make the young men flourish,

and new wine the young women.