8
The word of the
Lord
came to Zechariah:
9
“The
Lord
of Hosts says this: Make fair decisions. Show faithful love and compassion to one another.
10
Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor, and do not plot evil in your hearts against one another.
11
But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder; they closed their ears so they could not hear.
12
They made their hearts like a rock so as not to obey the law or the words that the
Lord
of Hosts had sent by His Spirit through the earlier prophets. Therefore great anger came from the
Lord
of Hosts.
13
Just as He had called, and they would not listen, so when they called, I would not listen,” says the
Lord
of Hosts.
14
“I scattered them with a windstorm over all the nations that had not known them, and the land was left desolate behind them, with no one coming or going. They turned a pleasant land into a desolation.”
Zechariah
Obedience and Feasting
8
The word of the
Lord
of
•Hosts
came:
2
“The
Lord
of Hosts says this: I am extremely jealous for
•Zion
; I am jealous for her with great wrath.”
3
The
Lord
says this: “I will return to Zion and live in Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the Faithful City, the mountain of the
Lord
of Hosts, and the Holy Mountain.”
4
The
Lord
of Hosts says this: “Old men and women will again sit along the streets of Jerusalem, each with a staff in hand because of advanced age.
5
The streets of the city will be filled with boys and girls playing in them.”
6
The
Lord
of Hosts says this: “Though it may seem incredible to the remnant of this people in those days, should it also seem incredible to Me? ” — this is the declaration of the
Lord
of Hosts.
7
The
Lord
of Hosts says this: “I will save My people from the land of the east and the land of the west.
8
I will bring them back to live in Jerusalem. They will be My people, and I will be their faithful and righteous God.”
9
The
Lord
of Hosts says this: “Let your hands be strong, you who now hear these words that the prophets spoke when the foundations were laid for the rebuilding of the temple, the house of the
Lord
of Hosts.
10
For prior to those days neither man nor beast had wages. There was no safety from the enemy for anyone who came or went, for I turned everyone against his neighbor.
11
But now, I will not treat the remnant of this people as in the former days” — this is the declaration of the
Lord
of Hosts.
12
“For they will sow in peace: the vine will yield its fruit, the land will yield its produce, and the skies will yield their dew. I will give the remnant of this people all these things as an inheritance.
13
As you have been a curse among the nations, house of Judah and house of Israel, so I will save you, and you will be a blessing. Don't be afraid; let your hands be strong.”
14
For the
Lord
of Hosts says this: “As I resolved to treat you badly when your fathers provoked Me to anger, and I did not relent,” says the
Lord
of Hosts,
15
“so I have resolved again in these days to do what is good to Jerusalem and the house of Judah. Don't be afraid.
16
These are the things you must do: Speak truth to one another; make true and sound decisions within your
•gates
.
17
Do not plot evil in your hearts against your neighbor, and do not love perjury, for I hate all this” — this is the
Lord
's declaration.
18
Then the word of the
Lord
of Hosts came to me:
19
“The
Lord
of Hosts says this: The fast of the fourth month, the fast of the fifth, the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth will become times of joy, gladness, and cheerful festivals for the house of Judah. Therefore, love truth and peace.”
20
The
Lord
of Hosts says this: “Peoples will yet come, the residents of many cities;
21
the residents of one city will go to another, saying: Let's go at once to plead for the
Lord
's favor and to seek the
Lord
of Hosts. I am also going.
22
Many peoples and strong nations will come to seek the
Lord
of Hosts in Jerusalem and to plead for the
Lord
's favor.”
23
The
Lord
of Hosts says this: “In those days, 10 men from nations of every language will grab the robe of a Jewish man tightly, urging: Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.”
Zechariah
Judgment of Zion's Enemies
The word of the
Lord
is against the land of Hadrach,
and Damascus is its resting place —
for the eyes of men
and all the tribes of Israel
are on the
Lord
—
2
and also against Hamath, which borders it,
as well as Tyre and Sidon,
though they are very shrewd.
3
Tyre has built herself a fortress;
she has heaped up silver like dust
and gold like the dirt of the streets.
4
Listen! The Lord will impoverish her
and cast her wealth into the sea;
she herself will be consumed by fire.
5
Ashkelon will see it and be afraid;
Gaza too, and will writhe in great pain,
as will Ekron, for her hope will fail.
There will cease to be a king in Gaza,
and Ashkelon will become uninhabited.
6
A mongrel people will live in Ashdod,
and I will destroy the pride of the Philistines.
7
I will remove the blood from their mouths
and the detestable things
from between their teeth.
Then they too will become a remnant for our God;
they will become like a clan in Judah
and Ekron like the Jebusites.
8
I will set up camp at My house against an army,
against those who march back and forth,
and no oppressor will march against them again,
for now I have seen with My own eyes.
The Coming of Zion's King
9
Rejoice greatly, Daughter
•Zion
!
Shout in triumph, Daughter Jerusalem!
Look, your King is coming to you;
He is righteous and victorious,
humble and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
10
I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim
and the horse from Jerusalem.
The bow of war will be removed,
and He will proclaim peace to the nations.
His dominion will extend from sea to sea,
from the Euphrates River
to the ends of the earth.
11
As for you,
because of the blood of your covenant,
I will release your prisoners
from the waterless cistern.
12
Return to a stronghold,
you prisoners who have hope;
today I declare that I will restore double to you.
13
For I will bend Judah as My bow;
I will fill that bow with Ephraim.
I will rouse your sons, Zion,
against your sons, Greece.
I will make you like a warrior's sword.
14
Then the
Lord
will appear over them,
and His arrow will fly like lightning.
The Lord
God
will sound the trumpet
and advance with the southern storms.
15
The
Lord
of
•Hosts
will defend them.
They will consume and conquer with slingstones;
they will drink and be rowdy as if with wine.
They will be as full as the sprinkling basin,
like those at the corners of the altar.
16
The
Lord
their God will save them on that day
as the flock of His people;
for they are like jewels in a crown,
sparkling over His land.
17
How lovely and beautiful they will be!
Grain will make the young men flourish,
and new wine, the young women.
Zechariah
The
Lord
Restores His People
10
Ask the
Lord
for rain
in the season of spring rain.
The
Lord
makes the rain clouds,
and He will give them showers of rain
and crops in the field for everyone.
2
For the idols speak falsehood,
and the diviners see illusions;
they relate empty dreams
and offer empty comfort.
Therefore the people wander like sheep;
they suffer affliction because there is no shepherd.
3
My anger burns against the shepherds,
so I will punish the leaders.
For the
Lord
of
•Hosts
has tended His flock,
the house of Judah;
He will make them like His majestic steed in battle.
4
The cornerstone will come from Judah.
The tent peg will come from them
and also the battle bow and every ruler.
Together
5
they will be like warriors in battle
trampling down the mud of the streets.
They will fight because the
Lord
is with them,
and they will put horsemen to shame.
6
I will strengthen the house of Judah
and deliver the house of Joseph.
I will restore them
because I have compassion on them,
and they will be
as though I had never rejected them.
For I am
•Yahweh
their God,
and I will answer them.
7
Ephraim will be like a warrior,
and their hearts will be glad as if with wine.
Their children will see it and be glad;
their hearts will rejoice in Yahweh.
8
I will whistle and gather them
because I have redeemed them;
they will be as numerous as they once were.
9
Though I sow them among the nations,
they will remember Me in the distant lands;
they and their children will live and return.
10
I will bring them back from the land of Egypt
and gather them from Assyria.
I will bring them to the land of Gilead
and to Lebanon,
but it will not be enough for them.
11
Yahweh will pass through the sea of distress
and strike the waves of the sea;
all the depths of the Nile will dry up.
The pride of Assyria will be brought down,
and the scepter of Egypt will come to an end.
12
I will strengthen them in Yahweh,
and they will march in His name —
this is Yahweh's declaration.
Zechariah
Israel's Shepherds: Good and Bad
11
Open your gates, Lebanon,
and fire will consume your cedars.
2
Wail, cypress, for the cedar has fallen;
the glorious trees are destroyed!
Wail, oaks of Bashan,
for the stately forest has fallen!
3
Listen to the wail of the shepherds,
for their glory is destroyed.
Listen to the roar of young lions,
for the thickets of the Jordan are destroyed.
4
•Yahweh
my God says this: “Shepherd the flock intended for slaughter.
5
Those who buy them slaughter them but are not punished. Those who sell them say: Praise the
Lord
because I have become rich! Even their own shepherds have no compassion for them.
6
Indeed, I will no longer have compassion on the inhabitants of the land” — this is the
Lord
's declaration. “Instead, I will turn everyone over to his neighbor and his king. They will devastate the land, and I will not deliver it from them.”
7
So I shepherded the flock intended for slaughter, the afflicted of the flock. I took two staffs, calling one Favor and the other Union, and I shepherded the flock.
8
In one month I got rid of three shepherds. I became impatient with them, and they also detested me.
9
Then I said, “I will no longer shepherd you. Let what is dying die, and let what is going astray go astray; let the rest devour each other's flesh.”
10
Next I took my staff called Favor and cut it in two, annulling the covenant I had made with all the peoples.
11
It was annulled on that day, and so the afflicted of the flock who were watching me knew that it was the word of the
Lord
.
12
Then I said to them, “If it seems right to you, give me my wages; but if not, keep them.” So they weighed my wages, 30 pieces of silver.