ZECHARIAH 9 [†] The oracle of the word of the LORD is against the land of Hadrach

and  g Damascus is its resting place.

For the LORD has an eye on mankind

and on all the tribes of Israel, [1]

2  h and on Hamath also, which borders on it,

 i Tyre and  i Sidon, though  j they are very wise.

3 Tyre has built herself  k a rampart

and  l heaped 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  m her power on the sea,

and  n she shall be devoured by fire.

5  o Ashkelon 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  p a mixed people [2] shall dwell in Ashdod,

and I will cut off the pride of Philistia.

7 I will take away  q its blood from its mouth,

and  r its abominations from between its teeth;

 s it too shall be a remnant for our God;

it shall be like  t a clan in Judah,

and Ekron shall be like the Jebusites.

8[†] Then  u I will encamp at my house as a guard,

 v so that none shall march to and fro;

 w no oppressor shall again march over them,

 x for now I see with my own eyes.

9[^][†]  y Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!

Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!

 z Behold,  a your king is coming to you;

righteous and having salvation is he,

 b humble and mounted on a donkey,

on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

10[†]  c I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim

and  d the war horse from Jerusalem;

and the battle bow shall be cut off,

and  e he shall speak peace to the nations;

 f his rule shall be from sea to sea,

and from  g the River to the ends of the earth.

11[†] As for you also, because of  h the blood of my covenant with you,

 i I will set your prisoners free from  j the waterless pit.

12[†] Return to your stronghold, O  k prisoners of hope;

today I declare that  l I will restore to you double.

13[†] For  m I have bent Judah as my bow;

I have made Ephraim its arrow.

I will stir up your sons, O Zion,

against your sons,  n O Greece,

and wield you like a warrior’s sword.

14 Then the LORD will appear over them,

and  o his arrow will go forth like lightning;

 p the Lord GOD will sound the trumpet

and will march forth in  q the whirlwinds  r of the south.

15[†] The LORD of hosts  s will protect them,

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

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

and be full like a bowl,

drenched  w like the corners of the altar.

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

as  x the flock of his people;

for  y like the jewels of a crown

they shall shine on his land.

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

 a Grain shall make the young men flourish,

and new wine the young women.