Second Part of the Book
1 An oracle: Word of Yahweh. Yahweh dwells in the land of Hadrach and Damascus for the cities of Aram belong to him as do all the tribes of Israel,
2 and Hamath as well, on its border, and Tyre and Sidon, the people who do good business.
3 Tyre built herself a stronghold and piled up silver like dust, gold like the mud in the street.
4 But the Lord will take away her possessions and throw down her power on the sea and she herself will perish by fire.
5 Ashkelon will see and be afraid; Gaza, too, will tremble and Ekron as well for her hope will fade. The king will disappear from Gaza and Ash kelon will be without inhabitants.
6 People of low birth will occupy Ashdod. I will put an end to the pride of the Philistines.
7 I shall take the meat with blood from their mouth and their unclean food from between their teeth. Only a rem nant of them will be left and they will become like a clan among the Judeans. The people of Ekron will be like the Jebusites at the present time.
8 I shall camp as a guard near my House to protect it from all who come and go. No longer shall an oppressor crush them now for I am aware of their affliction.
Your king comes, riding on a donkey
9 Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion!
Shout for joy, daughter of Jeru salem!
For your king is coming, just and victorious,
humble and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
10 No more chariots in Ephraim,
no more horses in Jerusalem,
for he will do away with them.
The warrior’s bow shall be broken when he dictates peace to the nations.
He will reign from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
11 As for you, for the sake of your cove nant sealed with blood, I shall release your prisoners from the ancient cistern.
12 The prisoners who wait in expectation will return to you, O Zion; today I declare that I will repay you double for your exile.
13 I shall bend my bow – Judah – and Ephraim shall be my arrow. I shall send your sons, O Zion, against the Greeks! For me you shall be a warrior’s sword.
14 Yahweh will appear above them, his arrows flashing like lightning. He will sound his horn and come in a storm from the south.
15 Yah weh, God of hosts, will protect them; they will triumph and trample the wicked. They will drink blood like wine and be filled with it like the bowls of the drink offering, like the horns of an altar.
16 On that day, Yahweh, their God, will save them and pasture them like a flock.
17 How happy! how beautiful it will be! Grain will make young men flourish and new wine, the maidens!
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Comments Zechariah, Chapter 9
• 9.1 This is the beginning of the second part of the book (see Introduction). The prophet announces a liberation of the people after a very cruel trial. A mysterious Shepherd (another name for the Messiah) will achieve this liberation when, having been rejected and killed by his people, he will arouse feelings of repentance in them. These texts remind us of the Songs of the Servant of Yahweh in the second part of the book of Isaiah.
• 9. Announcing a humble Messiah. When he solemnly en ters Jerusalem, Jesus will fulfill this prophecy literally (see Mt 21:5).