Zechariah Chapter 9

1 there shall be the seed of peace; the vine shall give its fruit, and the ground shall give its increase, and the heavens shall give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to inherit all these things.

2 And it shall come to pass that, as ye were a curse among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so will I save you, and ye shall be a blessing. Fear not,

3 but let your hands be strong.

4 For thus saith Jehovah of hosts: As I thought to do evil unto you, when your fathers provoked me to wrath, saith Jehovah of hosts, and I repented not;

5 so again have I thought in these days to do good unto Jerusalem and to the house of Judah: fear ye not.

6 These are the things that ye shall do: Speak ye every man the truth with his neighbor; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates;

7 and let none of you devise evil in your hearts against his neighbor; and love no false oath: for all these are things that I hate, saith Jehovah.

8 And the word of Jehovah of hosts came unto me, saying,

9 Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: The fast of the fourth

10 month, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall be to the house of Judah joy and gladness, and cheerful feasts; therefore love truth and peace.

11 Thus saith Jehovah of hosts:

12 It shall yet

13 come to pass, that there shall come peoples, and the inhabitants of many cities;

14 and the inhabitants of one

15 city shall go to another, saying, Let us go speedily to entreat the favor of Jehovah, and to seek Jehovah of hosts: I will go also.

16 Yea, many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek Jehovah of hosts in Jerusalem, and to entreat the favor of Jehovah.

17 Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: In those days

darby (darby) - eBible.org Darby 1890 plaintext

1 The burden of the word of Jehovah, in the land of Hadrach, and [on] Damascus shall it rest; (for Jehovah hath an eye upon men, and upon all the tribes of Israel;)

2 and also [on] Hamath [which] bordereth thereon; on Tyre and Zidon, though she be very wise.

3 And Tyre hath built herself a stronghold, and hath heaped up silver as the dust, and fine gold as the mire of the streets.

4 Behold, the Lord will take possession of her, and he will smite her power in the sea; and she shall be devoured with fire.

5 Ashkelon shall see [it], and fear; Gazah also, and she shall be greatly pained; Ekron also, for her expectation shall be put to shame: and the king shall perish from Gazah, and Ashkelon shall not be inhabited.

6 And a bastard shall dwell in Ashdod, and I will cut off the pride of the Philistines;

7 and I will take away his blood out of his mouth, and his abominations from between his teeth; but he that remaineth, he also shall belong to ourGod, and shall be as a leader in Judah, and Ekron as a Jebusite.

8 And I will encamp about my house because of the army, because of those that pass by and that return; and the exactor shall not pass through them any more: for now have I seen [it] with mine eyes.

9 Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion; shout, daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, thy King cometh to thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly and riding upon an ass, even upon a colt the foal of an ass.

10 And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem; and the battle-bow shall be cut off. And he shall speak peace unto the nations; and his dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth.

11 As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant, I will send forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water.

12 Turn again to the stronghold, prisoners of hope! even to-day do I declare I will render double unto thee.

13 For I have bent Judah for me, I have filled the bow with Ephraim; and I will raise up thy sons, O Zion, against thy sons, O Greece, and make thee like the sword of a mighty man.

14 And Jehovah shall be seen over them, and his arrow shall go forth as the lightning; and the Lord Jehovah will blow the trumpet, and will march with whirlwinds of the south.

15 Jehovah of hosts will defend them; and they shall devour, and shall tread down the sling-stones; and they shall drink, [and] make a noise as from wine; and they shall be filled like a bowl, like the corners of the altar.

16 And Jehovah theirGod shall save them in that day as the flock of his people; for [they shall be as] the stones of a crown, lifted up upon his land.

17 For how great is his goodness, and how great is his beauty! Corn shall make the young men flourish, and new wine the maidens.

lxxbrent (lxxbrent) - Septuagint (Brenton 1851) eBible USFM

1 The burden of the word of the Lord in the land of Sedrach, and his sacrifice [shall be] in Damascus; for the Lord looks upon men, and upon all the tribes of Israel.

2 And in Emath, [even] in her coasts, [are] Tyre and Sidon, because they were very wise.

3 And Tyrus built strong-holds for herself, and heaped up silver as dust, and gathered gold as the mire of the ways.

4 And therefore the Lord will take them for a possession, and will smite her power in the sea; and she shall be consumed with fire.

5 Ascalon shall see, and fear; Gaza also, and shall be greatly pained, and Accaron; for she is ashamed at her trespass; and the king shall perish from Gaza, and Ascalon shall not be inhabited.

6 And aliens shall dwell in Azotus, and I will bring down the pride of the Philistines.

7 And I will take their blood out of their mouth, and their abominations from between their teeth; and these also shall be left to our God, and they shall be as a captain of a thousand in Juda, and Accaron as a Jebusite.

8 And I will set up a defence for my house, that they may not pass through, nor turn back, neither shall there any more come upon them one to drive them away: for now have I seen with mine eyes.

9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Sion; proclaim [it] aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem; behold, the King is coming to thee, just, and a Saviour; he is meek and riding on an ass, and a young foal.

10 And he shall destroy the chariots out of Ephraim, and the horse out of Jerusalem, and the bow of war shall be utterly destroyed; and [there shall be] abundance and peace out of the nations; and he shall rule over the waters as far as the sea, and the rivers [to] the ends of the earth.

11 And thou by the blood of thy covenant hast sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit that has no water.

12 Ye shall dwell in strongholds, ye prisoners of the congregation: and for one day of thy captivity I will recompense thee double.

13 For I have bent thee, O Juda, for myself [as] a bow, I have filled Ephraim; and I will raise up thy children, O Sion, against the children of the Greeks, and I will handle thee as the sword of a warrior.

14 And the Lord shall be over them, and [his] arrow shall go forth as lightning: and the Lord Almighty shall blow with the trumpet; and shall proceed with the tumult of his threatening.

15 The Lord Almighty shall protect them, and they shall destroy them, and overwhelm them with sling-stones; and they shall swallow them down as wine, and fill the bowls as the altar.

16 And the Lord their God shall save them in that day, [even] his people as a flock; for holy stones are rolled upon his land.

17 For if he has anything good, and if he has anything fair, the young [men shall have] corn, and [there shall be] fragrant wine to the virgins.

vul1914 (vul1914) - Vulgate 1914 UTF-8 (sacredbible.org)

1 Onus verbi Domini in terra Hadrach, et Damasci requiei eius: quia Domini est oculus hominis, et omnium tribuum Israel.

2 Emath quoque in terminis eius, et Tyrus, et Sidon: assumpserunt quippe sibi sapientiam valde.

3 Et ædificavit Tyrus munitionem suam, et coacervavit argentum quasi humum, et aurum ut lutum platearum.

4 Ecce Dominus possidebit eam, et percutiet in mari fortitudinem eius, et hæc igni devorabitur.

5 Videbit Ascalon, et timebit: et Gaza, et dolebit nimis: et Accaron, quoniam confusa est spes eius: et peribit rex de Gaza, et Ascalon non habitabitur.

6 Et sedebit separator in Azoto, et disperdam superbiam Philisthinorum.

7 Et auferam sanguinem eius de ore eius, et abominationes eius de medio dentium eius, et relinquetur etiam ipse Deo nostro, et erit quasi dux in Iuda, et Accaron quasi Iebusæus.

8 Et circumdabo domum meam ex his, qui militant mihi euntes et revertentes, et non transibit super eos ultra exactor: quia nunc vidi in oculis meis.

9 Exulta satis filia Sion, iubila filia Ierusalem: ECCE REX TUUS veniet tibi iustus, et salvator: ipse pauper, et ascendens super asinam, et super pullum filium asinæ.

10 Et disperdam quadrigam ex Ephraim, et equum de Ierusalem, et dissipabitur arcus belli: et loquetur pacem Gentibus, et potestas eius a mari usque ad mare, et a fluminibus usque ad fines terræ.

11 Tu quoque in sanguine testamenti tui emisisti vinctos tuos de lacu, in quo non est aqua.

12 Convertimini ad munitionem vincti spei, hodie quoque annuncians duplicia reddam tibi.

13 Quoniam extendi mihi Iudam quasi arcum, implevi Ephraim: et suscitabo filios tuos Sion super filios tuos Græcia: et ponam te quasi gladium fortium.

14 Et Dominus Deus super eos videbitur, et exibit ut fulgur, iaculum eius: et Dominus Deus in tuba canet, et vadet in turbine Austri.

15 Dominus exercituum proteget eos: et devorabunt, et subiicient lapidibus fundæ: et bibentes inebriabuntur quasi a vino, et replebuntur ut phialæ, et quasi cornua altaris.

16 Et salvabit eos Dominus Deus eorum in die illa, ut gregem populi sui: quia lapides sancti elevabuntur super terram eius.

17 Quid enim bonum eius est, et quid pulchrum eius, nisi frumentum electorum, et vinum germinans virgines?

web (web) - WorldEnglish.Bible — CC0 modern update of ASV

1 A revelation. The LORD’s word is against the land of Hadrach, and will rest upon Damascus— for the eye of man and of all the tribes of Israel is toward the LORD—

2 and Hamath, also, which borders on it, Tyre and Sidon, because they are very wise.

3 Tyre built herself a stronghold, and heaped up silver like the dust, and fine gold like the mire of the streets.

4 Behold, the Lord will dispossess her, and he will strike her power in the sea; and she will be devoured with fire.

5 Ashkelon will see it, and fear; Gaza also, and will writhe in agony; as will Ekron, for her expectation will be disappointed; and the king will perish from Gaza, and Ashkelon will not be inhabited.

6 Foreigners will dwell in Ashdod, and I will cut off the pride of the Philistines.

7 I will take away his blood out of his mouth, and his abominations from between his teeth; and he also will be a remnant for our God; and he will be as a chieftain in Judah, and Ekron as a Jebusite.

8 I will encamp around my house against the army, that no one pass through or return; and no oppressor will pass through them any more: for now I have seen with my eyes.

9 Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion! Shout, daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King comes to you! He is righteous, and having salvation; lowly, and riding on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

10 I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalem. The battle bow will be cut off; and he will speak peace to the nations. His dominion will be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.

11 As for you also, because of the blood of your covenant, I have set free your prisoners from the pit in which is no water.

12 Turn to the stronghold, you prisoners of hope! Even today I declare that I will restore double to you.

13 For indeed I bend Judah as a bow for me. I have loaded the bow with Ephraim. I will stir up your sons, Zion, against your sons, Greece, and will make you like the sword of a mighty man.

14 The LORD will be seen over them. His arrow will flash like lightning. The Lord GOD will blow the trumpet, and will go with whirlwinds of the south.

15 The LORD of Armies will defend them. They will destroy and overcome with sling stones. They will drink, and roar as through wine. They will be filled like bowls, like the corners of the altar.

16 The LORD their God will save them in that day as the flock of his people; for they are like the jewels of a crown, lifted on high over his land.

17 For how great is his goodness, and how great is his beauty! Grain will make the young men flourish, and new wine the virgins.

ylt (ylt) - Bible.com YLT98 plain UTF-8

1 The burden of a word of Jehovah against the land of Hadrach, and Demmeseh--his place of rest: (When to Jehovah <FI>is<Fi> the eye of man, And of all the tribes of Israel.)

2 And also Hamath doth border thereon, Tyre and Zidon, for--very wise!

3 And Tyre doth build a bulwark to herself, And doth heap silver as dust, And gold as mire of out-places.

4 Lo, the Lord doth dispossess her, And He hath smitten in the sea her force, And she with fire is consumed.

5 See doth Ashkelon and fear, Also Gaza, and she is exceedingly pained, Also Ekron--for her expectation dried up, And perished hath a king from Gaza, And Ashkelon doth not remain,

6 And dwelt hath a foreigner in Ashdod, And I have cut off the excellency of the Philistines.

7 And turned aside his blood from his mouth, His abominations from between his teeth, And he hath remained, even he, to our God, And he hath been as a leader in Judah, And Ekron as a Jebusite.

8 And I have pitched for My house a camp, Because of the passer through, and of the returner, And pass not through against them again doth an exactor, For, now, I have seen with My eyes.

9 Rejoice exceedingly, O daughter of Zion, Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem, Lo, thy King doth come to thee, Righteous--and saved is He, Afflicted--and riding on an ass, And on a colt--a son of she-asses.

10 And I have cut off the chariot from Ephraim, And the horse from Jerusalem, Yea, cut off hath been the bow of battle, And he hath spoken peace to nations, And his rule <FI>is<Fi> from sea unto sea, And from the river unto the ends of earth.

11 Also thou--by the blood of thy covenant, I have sent thy prisoners out of the pit, There is no water in it.

12 Turn back to a fenced place, Ye prisoners of the hope, Even to-day a second announcer I restore to thee.

13 For I have trodden for Me Judah, A bow I have filled <FI>with<Fi> Ephraim, And I have stirred up thy sons, O Zion, Against thy sons, O Javan, And I have set thee as the sword of a hero.

14 And Jehovah doth appear for them, And gone forth as lightning hath His arrow, And the Lord Jehovah with a trumpet bloweth, And He hath gone with whirlwinds of the south.

15 Jehovah of Hosts doth cover them over, And they consumed, and subdued sling-stones, Yea, they have drunk, They have made a noise as wine, And they have been full as a bowl, As corners of an altar.

16 And saved them hath Jehovah their God In that day, as a flock of His people, For stones of a crown are displaying themselves over His ground.

17 For what His goodness! and what His beauty! Corn the young men, And new wine the virgins--make fruitful!

Explanations by Age Level

Explain Like I'm 5

A long, long time ago, there was nothing at all - no earth, no sky, no animals, no people. It was all dark and empty. But God was there! God is so powerful that He can make anything just by speaking. So God said "Let there be light!" and BOOM! There was light everywhere! God saw that the light was beautiful and good. He called the light "day" and the darkness "night." This was the very first day when God started making our wonderful world!

Explain Like I'm 10

Before anything existed - no planets, stars, or life - God decided to create the universe. The earth started out as a dark, empty place covered with water. But God's Spirit was there, ready to bring order and beauty to everything. When God spoke and said "Let there be light," light immediately appeared because God's words have incredible power. God looked at the light and was pleased with what He had made. He organized time by separating light (day) from darkness (night), creating the first 24-hour period. This shows us that God is organized and purposeful in everything He does.

Explain Like I'm 15

Genesis 1:1-5 establishes fundamental theological truths about God and creation. The Hebrew word "bara" (created) indicates creation from nothing (ex nihilo), demonstrating God's absolute sovereignty and power. The phrase "without form and void" (tohu wa-bohu) describes a state of chaos that God transforms into order. The Spirit of God "hovering" or "brooding" over the waters suggests active, caring involvement in creation. The creation of light before the sun (created on day 4) indicates that God Himself is the ultimate source of light and energy. The establishment of day and night creates the framework of time, showing that God operates within orderly patterns while transcending them. This passage refutes both atheistic materialism and pantheism, establishing that God is both transcendent (separate from creation) and immanent (actively involved in it).