Zechariah 8; Zechariah 9; Zechariah 10; Zechariah 11; Zechariah 12; Zechariah 13; Zechariah 14

1 The Lord Almighty gave this message to Zechariah:

2 "I have longed to help Jerusalem because of my deep love for her people, a love which has made me angry with her enemies.

3 I will return to Jerusalem, my holy city, and live there. It will be known as the faithful city, and the hill of the Lord Almighty will be called the sacred hill.

4 Once again old men and women, so old that they use canes when they walk, will be sitting in the city squares.

5 And the streets will again be full of boys and girls playing.

6 "This may seem impossible to those of the nation who are now left, but it's not impossible for me.

7 I will rescue my people from the lands where they have been taken,

8 and will bring them back from east and west to live in Jerusalem. They will be my people, and I will be their God, ruling over them faithfully and justly.

9 "Have courage! You are now hearing the same words the prophets spoke at the time the foundation was being laid for rebuilding my Temple.

10 Before that time no one could afford to hire either men or animals, and no one was safe from enemies. I turned people against one another.

11 But now I am treating the survivors of this nation differently.

12 They will plant their crops in peace. Their vines will bear grapes, the earth will produce crops, and there will be plenty of rain. I will give all these blessings to the people of my nation who survive.

13 People of Judah and Israel! In the past foreigners have cursed one another by saying, "May the same disasters fall on you that fell on Judah and Israel!' But I will save you, and then those foreigners will say to one another, "May you receive the same blessings that came to Judah and Israel!' So have courage and don't be afraid."

14 The Lord Almighty says, "When your ancestors made me angry, I planned disaster for them and did not change my mind, but carried out my plans.

15 But now I am planning to bless the people of Jerusalem and Judah. So don't be afraid.

16 These are the things you should do: Speak the truth to one another. In the courts give real justice - the kind that brings peace.

17 Do not plan ways of harming one another. Do not give false testimony under oath. I hate lying, injustice, and violence."

18 The Lord Almighty gave this message to Zechariah:

19 "The fasts held in the fourth, fifth, seventh, and tenth months will become festivals of joy and gladness for the people of Judah. You must love truth and peace."

20 The Lord Almighty says, "The time is coming when people from many cities will come to Jerusalem.

21 Those from one city will say to those from another, "We are going to worship the Lord Almighty and pray for his blessing. Come with us!'

22 Many peoples and powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to worship the Lord Almighty and to pray for his blessing.

23 In those days ten foreigners will come to one Jew and say, "We want to share in your destiny, because we have heard that God is with you.' "

1 This is the Lord's message: He has decreed punishment for the land of Hadrach and for the city of Damascus. Not only the tribes of Israel but also the capital of Syria belong to the Lord.

2 Hamath, which borders on Hadrach, also belongs to him, and so do the cities of Tyre and Sidon, with all their skill.

3 Tyre has built fortifications for herself and has piled up so much silver and gold that it is as common as dirt!

4 But the Lord will take away everything she has. He will throw her wealth into the sea, and the city will be burned to the ground.

5 The city of Ashkelon will see this and be afraid. The city of Gaza will see it and suffer great pain. So will Ekron, and her hopes will be shattered. Gaza will lose her king, and Ashkelon will be left deserted.

6 People of mixed race will live in Ashdod. The Lord says, "I will humble all these proud Philistines.

7 They will no longer eat meat with blood in it, or other forbidden food. All the survivors will become part of my people and be like a clan in the tribe of Judah. Ekron will become part of my people, as the Jebusites did.

8 I will guard my land and keep armies from passing through it. I will not allow tyrants to oppress my people any more. I have seen how my people have suffered."

9 Rejoice, rejoice, people of Zion! Shout for joy, you people of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you! He comes triumphant and victorious, but humble and riding on a donkey - on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

10 The Lord says, "I will remove the war chariots from Israel and take the horses from Jerusalem; the bows used in battle will be destroyed. Your king will make peace among the nations; he will rule from sea to sea, from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth."

11 The Lord says, "Because of my covenant with you that was sealed by the blood of sacrifices, I will set your people free - free from the waterless pit of exile.

12 Return, you exiles who now have hope; return to your place of safety. Now I tell you that I will repay you twice over with blessing for all you have suffered.

13 I will use Judah like a soldier's bow and Israel like the arrows. I will use the men of Zion like a sword, to fight the men of Greece."

14 The Lord will appear above his people; he will shoot his arrows like lightning. The Sovereign Lord will sound the trumpet; he will march in the storms from the south.

15 The Lord Almighty will protect his people, and they will destroy their enemies. They will shout in battle like drunk men and will shed the blood of their enemies; it will flow like the blood of a sacrifice poured on the altar from a bowl.

16 When that day comes, the Lord will save his people, as a shepherd saves his flock from danger. They will shine in his land like the jewels of a crown.

17 How good and beautiful the land will be! The young people will grow strong on its grain and wine.

1 Ask the Lord for rain in the spring of the year. It is the Lord who sends rain clouds and showers, making the fields green for everyone.

2 People consult idols and fortunetellers, but the answers they get are lies and nonsense. Some interpret dreams, but only mislead you; the comfort they give is useless. So the people wander about like lost sheep. They are in trouble because they have no leader.

3 The Lord says, "I am angry with those foreigners who rule my people, and I am going to punish them. The people of Judah are mine, and I, the Lord Almighty, will take care of them. They will be my powerful war-horses.

4 From among them will come rulers, leaders, and commanders to govern my people.

5 The people of Judah will be victorious like soldiers who trample their enemies in the mud of the streets. They will fight because the Lord is with them, and they will defeat even the enemy cavalry.

6 "I will make the people of Judah strong; I will rescue the people of Israel. I will have compassion on them and bring them all back home. They will be as though I had never rejected them. I am the Lord their God; I will answer their prayers.

7 The people of Israel will be strong like soldiers, happy like those who have been drinking wine. Their descendants will remember this victory and be glad because of what the Lord has done.

8 "I will call my people and gather them together. I will rescue them and make them as numerous as they used to be.

9 Though I have scattered them among the nations, yet in far-off places they will remember me. They and their children will survive and return home together.

10 From Egypt and Assyria I will bring them home and settle them in their own country. I will settle them in Gilead and Lebanon also; the whole land will be filled with people.

11 When they pass through their sea of trouble, I, the Lord, will strike the waves, and the depths of the Nile will go dry. Proud Assyria will be humbled, and mighty Egypt will lose her power.

12 I will make my people strong; they will worship and obey me." The Lord has spoken.

1 Open your doors, Lebanon, so that fire can burn down your cedar trees!

2 Weep and wail, cypress trees - the cedars have fallen; those glorious trees have been destroyed! Weep and wail, oaks of Bashan - the dense forest has been cut down!

3 The rulers cry out in grief; their glory is gone! Listen to the roaring of the lions; their forest home along the Jordan is destroyed!

4 The Lord my God said to me, "Act the part of the shepherd of a flock of sheep that are going to be butchered.

5 Their owners kill them and go unpunished. They sell the meat and say, "Praise the Lord! We are rich!' Even their own shepherds have no pity on them."

6 (The Lord said, "I will no longer pity anyone on earth. I myself will put all the people in the power of their rulers. These rulers will devastate the earth, and I will not save it from their power.")

7 Those who bought and sold the sheep hired me, and I became the shepherd of the sheep that were going to be butchered. I took two sticks: one I called "Favor" and the other "Unity." And I took care of the flock.

8 I lost patience with three other shepherds, who hated me, and I got rid of them all in a single month.

9 Then I said to the flock, "I will not be your shepherd any longer. Let those die who are to die. Let those be destroyed who are to be destroyed. Those who are left will destroy one another."

10 Then I took the stick called "Favor" and broke it, to cancel the covenant which the Lord had made with all the nations.

11 So the covenant was canceled on that day. Those who bought and sold the sheep were watching me, and they knew that the Lord was speaking through what I did.

12 I said to them, "If you are willing, give me my wages. But if not, keep them." So they paid me thirty pieces of silver as my wages.

13 The Lord said to me, "Put them in the Temple treasury." So I took the thirty pieces of silver - the magnificent sum they thought I was worth - and put them in the Temple treasury.

14 Then I broke the second stick, the one called "Unity," and the unity of Judah and Israel was shattered.

15 Then the Lord said to me, "Once again act the part of a shepherd, this time a worthless one.

16 I have put a shepherd in charge of my flock, but he does not help the sheep that are threatened by destruction; nor does he look for the lost, or heal those that are hurt, or feed the healthy. Instead, he eats the meat of the fattest sheep and tears off their hoofs.

17 That worthless shepherd is doomed! He has abandoned his flock. War will totally destroy his power. His arm will wither, and his right eye will go blind."

1 This is a message about Israel from the Lord, the Lord who spread out the skies, created the earth, and gave life to man. He says,

2 "I will make Jerusalem like a cup of wine; the nations around her will drink and stagger like drunks. And when they besiege Jerusalem, the cities of the rest of Judah will also be besieged.

3 But when that time comes, I will make Jerusalem like a heavy stone - any nation that tries to lift it will be hurt. All the nations of the world will join forces to attack her.

4 At that time I will terrify all their horses and make all their riders go crazy. I will watch over the people of Judah, but I will make the horses of their enemies blind.

5 Then the clans of Judah will say to themselves, "The Lord God Almighty gives strength to his people who live in Jerusalem.'

6 "At that time I will make the clans of Judah like a fire in a forest or in a field of ripe grain - they will destroy all the surrounding nations. The people of Jerusalem will remain safe in the city.

7 "I, the Lord, will give victory to the armies of Judah first, so that the honor which the descendants of David and the people of Jerusalem will receive will be no greater than that of the rest of Judah.

8 At that time the Lord will protect those who live in Jerusalem, and even the weakest among them will become as strong as David was. The descendants of David will lead them like the angel of the Lord, like God himself.

9 At that time I will destroy every nation that tries to attack Jerusalem.

10 "I will fill the descendants of David and the other people of Jerusalem with the spirit of mercy and the spirit of prayer. They will look at the one whom they stabbed to death, and they will mourn for him like those who mourn for an only child. They will mourn bitterly, like those who have lost their first-born son.

11 At that time the mourning in Jerusalem will be as great as the mourning for Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo.

12 Each family in the land will mourn by itself: the family descended from David, the family descended from Nathan, the family descended from Levi, the family descended from Shimei, and all the other families. Each family will mourn by itself, and the men of each family will mourn separately from the women.

1 "When that time comes," says the Lord Almighty, "a fountain will be opened to purify the descendants of David and the people of Jerusalem from their sin and idolatry.

2 At that time I will remove the names of the idols from the land, and no one will remember them any more. I will get rid of anyone who claims to be a prophet and will take away the desire to worship idols.

3 Then if anyone still insists on prophesying, his own father and mother will tell him that he must be put to death, because he claimed to speak the Lord's word, but spoke lies instead. When he prophesies, his own father and mother will stab him to death.

4 When that time comes, no prophet will be proud of his visions or act like a prophet or wear a prophet's coarse garment in order to deceive people.

5 Instead, he will say, "I am not a prophet. I am a farmer - I have farmed the land all my life.'

6 Then if someone asks him, "What are those wounds on your chest?' he will answer, "I got them at a friend's house.' "

7 The Lord Almighty says, "Wake up, sword, and attack the shepherd who works for me! Kill him, and the sheep will be scattered. I will attack my people

8 and throughout the land two-thirds of the people will die.

9 And I will test the third that survives and will purify them as silver is purified by fire. I will test them as gold is tested. Then they will pray to me, and I will answer them. I will tell them that they are my people, and they will confess that I am their God."

1 The day when the Lord will sit in judgment is near. Then Jerusalem will be looted, and the loot will be divided up before your eyes.

2 The Lord will bring all the nations together to make war on Jerusalem. The city will be taken, the houses looted, and the women raped. Half of the people will go into exile, but the rest of them will not be taken away from the city.

3 Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations, as he has fought in times past.

4 At that time he will stand on the Mount of Olives, to the east of Jerusalem. Then the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west by a large valley. Half of the mountain will move northward, and half of it southward.

5 You will escape through this valley that divides the mountain in two. You will flee as your ancestors did when the earthquake struck in the time of King Uzziah of Judah. The Lord my God will come, bringing all the angels with him.

6 When that time comes, there will no longer be cold or frost,

7 nor any darkness. There will always be daylight, even at nighttime. When this will happen is known only to the Lord.

8 When that day comes, fresh water will flow from Jerusalem, half of it to the Dead Sea and the other half to the Mediterranean. It will flow all year long, in the dry season as well as the wet.

9 Then the Lord will be king over all the earth; everyone will worship him as God and know him by the same name.

10 The whole region, from Geba in the north to Rimmon in the south, will be made level. Jerusalem will tower above the land around it; the city will reach from the Benjamin Gate to the Corner Gate, where there had been an earlier gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the royal wine presses.

11 The people will live there in safety, no longer threatened by destruction.

12 The Lord will bring a terrible disease on all the nations that make war on Jerusalem. Their flesh will rot away while they are still alive; their eyes and their tongues will rot away.

13 At that time the Lord will make them so confused and afraid that everyone will seize the man next to him and attack him.

14 The men of Judah will fight to defend Jerusalem. They will take as loot the wealth of all the nations - gold, silver, and clothing in great abundance.

15 A terrible disease will also fall on the horses, the mules, the camels, and the donkeys - on all the animals in the camps of the enemy.

16 Then all of the survivors from the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go there each year to worship the Lord Almighty as king and to celebrate the Festival of Shelters.

17 If any nation refuses to go and worship the Lord Almighty as king, then rain will not fall on their land.

18 If the Egyptians refuse to celebrate the Festival of Shelters, then they will be struck by the same disease that the Lord will send on every nation that refuses to go.

19 This will be the punishment that will fall on Egypt and on all the other nations if they do not celebrate the Festival of Shelters.

20 At that time even the harness bells of the horses will be inscribed with the words "Dedicated to the Lord." The cooking pots in the Temple will be as sacred as the bowls before the altar.

21 Every cooking pot in Jerusalem and in all Judah will be set apart for use in the worship of the Lord Almighty. The people who offer sacrifices will use them for boiling the meat of the sacrifices. When that time comes, there will no longer be any merchant in the Temple of the Lord Almighty.