Israel Defended Against Enemies

¹ The burden^[a] of the word of the LORD
Against the land of Hadrach,
And Damascus its resting place
(For the eyes of men
And all the tribes of Israel
Are on the LORD);
² Also against Hamath, which borders on it,
And against Tyre and Sidon, though they are very wise.
³ For Tyre built herself a tower,
Heaped up silver like the dust,
And gold like the mire of the streets.
⁴ Behold, the Lord will cast her out;
He will destroy her 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 Ekron, for He dried up her expectation.
The king shall perish from Gaza,
And Ashkelon shall not be inhabited.
⁶ “ A mixed race shall settle in Ashdod,
And I will cut off the pride of the Philistines.
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 I 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 greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your 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 will cut off the chariot from Ephraim
And the horse from Jerusalem;
The battle bow shall be cut off.
He shall speak peace to the nations;
His dominion shall be ‘from sea to sea,
And from the River to the ends of the earth.’^[b]

God Will Save His People

¹¹ “ As for you also,
Because of the blood of your covenant,
I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.
¹² Return to the stronghold,
You prisoners of hope.
Even today I declare
That I will restore double 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 His arrow will go forth like lightning.
The Lord GOD will blow the trumpet,
And go with whirlwinds from the south.
¹⁵ The LORD of hosts will defend them;
They shall devour and subdue with slingstones.
They shall drink and roar as if with wine;
They shall be filled with blood like basins,
Like the corners of the altar.
¹⁶ The LORD their God will save them in that day,
As the flock of His people.
For they shall be like the jewels of a crown,
Lifted like a banner over His land—
¹⁷ For how great is its^[c] goodness
And how great its^[d] beauty!
Grain shall make the young men thrive,
And new wine the young women.