| NET Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1An oracle of the word of the LORD concerning the land of Hadrach, with its focus on Damascus: The eyes of all humanity, especially of the tribes of Israel, are toward the LORD, | 1This is the message from the LORD against the land of Aram and the city of Damascus, for the eyes of humanity, including all the tribes of Israel, are on the LORD. |
| 2as are those of Hamath also, which adjoins Damascus, and Tyre and Sidon, though they consider themselves to be very wise. | 2Doom is certain for Hamath, near Damascus, and for the cities of Tyre and Sidon, though they are so clever. |
| 3Tyre built herself a fortification and piled up silver like dust and gold like the mud of the streets! | 3Tyre has built a strong fortress and has made silver and gold as plentiful as dust in the streets! |
| 4Nevertheless the Lord will evict her and shove her fortifications into the sea--she will be consumed by fire. | 4But now the Lord will strip away Tyre’s possessions and hurl its fortifications into the sea, and it will be burned to the ground. |
| 5Ashkelon will see and be afraid; Gaza will be in great anguish, as will Ekron, for her hope will have been dried up. Gaza will lose her king, and Ashkelon will no longer be inhabited. | 5The city of Ashkelon will see Tyre fall and will be filled with fear. Gaza will shake with terror, as will Ekron, for their hopes will be dashed. Gaza’s king will be killed, and Ashkelon will be deserted. |
| 6A mongrel people will live in Ashdod, for I will greatly humiliate the Philistines. | 6Foreigners will occupy the city of Ashdod. I will destroy the pride of the Philistines. |
| 7I will take away their abominable religious practices; then those who survive will become a community of believers in our God, like a clan in Judah, and Ekron will be like the Jebusites. | 7I will grab the bloody meat from their mouths and snatch the detestable sacrifices from their teeth. Then the surviving Philistines will worship our God and become like a clan in Judah. The Philistines of Ekron will join my people, as the ancient Jebusites once did. |
| 8Then I will surround my temple to protect it like a guard from anyone crossing back and forth; so no one will cross over against them anymore as an oppressor, for now I myself have seen it. | 8I will guard my Temple and protect it from invading armies. I am watching closely to ensure that no more foreign oppressors overrun my people’s land. Zion’s Coming King |
| 9Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion! Shout, daughter of Jerusalem! Look! Your king is coming to you: he is legitimate and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey--on a young donkey, the foal of a female donkey. | 9Rejoice, O people of Zion! Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet he is humble, riding on a donkey— riding on a donkey’s colt. |
| 10I will remove the chariot from Ephraim and the warhorse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be removed. Then he will announce peace to the nations. His dominion will be from sea to sea and from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth. | 10I will remove the battle chariots from Israel and the warhorses from Jerusalem. I will destroy all the weapons used in battle, and your king will bring peace to the nations. His realm will stretch from sea to sea and from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth. |
| 11Moreover, as for you, because of our covenant relationship secured with blood, I will release your prisoners from the waterless pit. | 11Because of the covenant I made with you, sealed with blood, I will free your prisoners from death in a waterless dungeon. |
| 12Return to the stronghold, you prisoners, with hope; today I declare that I will return double what was taken from you. | 12Come back to the place of safety, all you prisoners who still have hope! I promise this very day that I will repay two blessings for each of your troubles. |
| 13I will bend Judah as my bow; I will load the bow with Ephraim, my arrow! I will stir up your sons, Zion, against yours, Greece, and I will make you, Zion, like a warrior's sword. | 13Judah is my bow, and Israel is my arrow. Jerusalem is my sword, and like a warrior, I will brandish it against the Greeks. |
| 14Then the LORD will appear above them, and his arrow will shoot forth like lightning; the Lord GOD will blow the trumpet and will sally forth on the southern storm winds. | 14The LORD will appear above his people; his arrows will fly like lightning! The Sovereign LORD will sound the ram’s horn and attack like a whirlwind from the southern desert. |
| 15The LORD who rules over all will guard them, and they will prevail and overcome with sling stones. Then they will drink, and will become noisy like drunkards, full like the sacrificial basin or like the corners of the altar. | 15The LORD of Heaven’s Armies will protect his people, and they will defeat their enemies by hurling great stones. They will shout in battle as though drunk with wine. They will be filled with blood like a bowl, drenched with blood like the corners of the altar. |
| 16On that day the LORD their God will deliver them as the flock of his people, for they are the precious stones of a crown sparkling over his land. | 16On that day the LORD their God will rescue his people, just as a shepherd rescues his sheep. They will sparkle in his land like jewels in a crown. |
| 17How precious and fair! Grain will make the young men flourish and new wine the young women. | 17How wonderful and beautiful they will be! The young men will thrive on abundant grain, and the young women will flourish on new wine. |
|
