Zechariah

¹ God's Message challenges the country of Hadrach. It will settle on Damascus. The whole world has its eyes on God. Israel isn't the only one.

² and Tyre and Sidon, clever as they think they are.

³ she has stacked up silver like cordwood, piled gold high as haystacks.

⁴ he will dump all that wealth into the ocean and burn up what's left in a big fire.

⁵ Gaza will wring its hands, Ekron will face a dead end. Gaza's king will die. Ashkelon will be emptied out,

⁶ "I'll take proud Philistia down a peg:

⁷ and abandon his vile ways." What's left will be all God's—a core of survivors, a family brought together in Judah— But enemies like Ekron will go the way of the Jebusites, into the dustbin of history.

⁸ and defend it against invaders. Nobody is going to hurt my people ever again. I'm keeping my eye on them.

⁹ Raise the roof, Daughter Jerusalem! Your king is coming! a good king who makes all things right, a humble king riding a donkey, a mere colt of a donkey.

¹⁰ no more war horses in Jerusalem, no more swords and spears, bows and arrows. He will offer peace to the nations, a peaceful rule worldwide, from the four winds to the seven seas.

¹¹ I'll release your prisoners from their hopeless cells.

¹² This very day I'm declaring a double bonus— everything you lost returned twice-over!

¹³ setting Ephraim as an arrow to the string. I'll wake up your sons, O Zion, to counter your sons, O Greece. From now on people are my swords."

¹⁴ his arrows flashing like lightning! Master God will blast his trumpet and set out in a whirlwind.

¹⁵ all-out war, The war to end all wars, no holds barred.

¹⁶ They'll become like sheep, gentle and soft, Or like gemstones in a crown, catching all the colors of the sun.

¹⁷ the young men robust, the young women lovely!