CHAPTER 9
An Oracle:
The word
of the LORD
is against the land
of Hadrach
and will rest
upon Damascus—
for
the eyes
of men
and of all
the tribes
of Israel
are upon the LORD—
Tyre
has built
herself
a fortress;
she has heaped up
silver
like dust,
and gold
like the dirt
of the streets.
Behold,
the Lord
will impoverish her
and cast
her power
into the sea,
and she
will be consumed
by fire.
Ashkelon
will see
and fear;
Gaza
will writhe in agony,
as will Ekron,
for
her hope
will wither.
There will cease to be
a king
in Gaza,
and Ashkelon
will be uninhabited.
I will remove
the blood
from their mouths
and the abominations
from between
their teeth.
Then they
too
will become a remnant
for our God;
they will become
like a clan
in Judah,
and Ekron
will be like the Jebusites.
But I will camp around
My house
because of an army,
because of those who march to and fro,
and never again
will an oppressor
overrun
My people,
for
now
I keep watch
with My own eyes.
Rejoice
greatly,
O daughter
of Zion!
Shout in triumph,
O daughter
of Jerusalem!
See,
your King
comes
to you,
righteous
and victorious,
gentle
and riding
on
a donkey,
on
a colt,
the foal
of a donkey.
And I will cut off
the chariot
from Ephraim
and the horse
from Jerusalem,
and the bow
of war
will be broken.
Then He will proclaim
peace
to the nations;
His dominion will extend
from sea
to
sea,
and from the Euphrates
to
the ends
of the earth.
As for you,
because of the blood
of My covenant,
I will release
your prisoners
from the waterless
pit.
Return
to your stronghold,
O prisoners
of hope;
even
today
I declare
that I will restore
to you
double.
For
I will bend
Judah
as My bow
and fit it
with Ephraim.
I will rouse
your sons,
O Zion,
against
the sons
of Greece.
I will make you
like the sword
of a mighty man.
Then the LORD
will appear
over them,
and His arrow
will go forth
like lightning.
The Lord
GOD
will sound
the trumpet
and advance
in the whirlwinds
of the south.
The LORD
of Hosts
will shield
them.
They will consume
and conquer
with slingstones;
they will drink
and roar
as with
wine.
And they will be filled
like sacrificial basins,
drenched like the corners
of the altar.
On that
day
the LORD
their God
will save them
as the flock
of His people;
for
like jewels
in a crown,
they will sparkle
over
His land.
How
lovely they will be,
and how
beautiful!
Grain
will make the young men
flourish,
and new wine,
the young women.