Israel's Enemies Will Be Punished
1 This is a message
from the Lord:
His eyes are on everyone,
especially the tribes
of Israel.
So he pronounces judgment
against the cities
of Hadrach and Damascus.
2Judgment will also fall
on the nearby city
of Hamath,
as well as on Tyre and Sidon,
whose people are clever.
3Tyre has built a fortress
and piled up silver and gold,
as though they were dust
or mud from the streets.
4Now the Lord will punish Tyre
with poverty;
he will sink its ships
and send it up in flames.
5 Both Ashkelon and Gaza
will tremble with fear;
Ekron will lose all hope.
Gaza's king will be killed,
and Ashkelon emptied
of its people.
6A mob of half-breeds
will settle in Ashdod,
and the Lord himself
will rob Philistia of pride.
7No longer will the Philistines
eat meat with blood in it
or any unclean food.
They will become part
of the people of our God
from the tribe of Judah.
And God will accept
the people of Ekron,
as he did the Jebusites.
8God says, “I will stand guard
to protect my temple from those
who come to attack.
I know what's happening,
and no one will mistreat
my people ever again.”
The Lord Tells about the Coming King
9 Everyone in Jerusalem,
celebrate and shout!
Your king has won a victory,
and he is coming to you.
He is humble
and rides on a donkey;
he comes on the colt
of a donkey.
10 I, the Lord, will take away
war chariots and horses
from Israel and Jerusalem.
Bows that were made for battle
will be broken.
I will bring peace to nations,
and your king will rule
from sea to sea.
His kingdom will reach
from the Euphrates River
across the earth.
The Lord Promises To Rescue Captives
11 When I made a sacred agreement
with you, my people,
we sealed it with blood.
Now some of you are captives
in waterless pits,
but I will come to your rescue
12and offer you hope.
Return to your fortress,
because today I will reward you
with twice what you had.
13I will use Judah as my bow
and Israel as my arrow.
I will take the people of Zion
as my sword
and attack the Greeks.
The Lord Will Protect His People
14Like a cloud, the Lord God
will appear over his people,
and his arrows will flash
like lightning.
God will sound his trumpet
and attack in a whirlwind
from the south.
15The Lord All-Powerful
will protect his people,
and they will trample down
the sharpshooters
and their slingshots.
They will drink and get rowdy;
they will be as full as a bowl
at the time of sacrifice.
16The Lord God will save them
on that day,
because they are his people,
and they will shine on his land
like jewels in a crown.
17How lovely they will be.
Young people will grow there
like grain in a field
or grapes in a vineyard.