Zechariah 12:1-14
The Lord Will Destroy Jerusalem’s Enemies
This is a prophecy. It is the Lord’s message about Israel.
The Lord spreads out the heavens. He lays the foundation of the earth. He creates the human spirit within a person. He says, “Jerusalem will be like a cup in my hand. It will make all the surrounding nations drunk from the wine of my anger. Judah will be attacked by its enemies. So will Jerusalem. At that time all the nations on earth will gather together against Jerusalem. Then it will become like a rock that can’t be moved. All the nations that try to move it will only hurt themselves. On that day I will fill every horse with panic. I will make every rider crazy,” announces the Lord. “I will watch over the people of Judah. But I will make all the horses of the nations blind. Then the family groups of Judah will say in their hearts, ‘The people of Jerusalem are strong. That’s because the Lord who rules over all is their God.’
“At that time Judah’s family groups will be like a fire pot in a pile of wood. They will be like a burning torch among bundles of grain. They will destroy all the surrounding nations on every side. But Jerusalem will remain unharmed in its place.
“I will save the houses in Judah first. The honor of David’s family line is great. So is the honor of those who live in Jerusalem. But their honor will not be greater than the honor of the rest of Judah. At that time I will be like a shield to those who live in Jerusalem. Then even the weakest among them will be great warriors like David. And David’s family line will be like the angel of the Lord who leads them. On that day I will begin to destroy all the nations that attack Jerusalem.
Israel’s People Will Mourn Over the One They Pierced
“I will pour out a spirit of grace and prayer on David’s family line. I will also send it on those who live in Jerusalem. They will look to me. I am the one they have pierced. They will mourn over me as someone mourns over an only child who has died. They will be full of sorrow over me. Their sorrow will be just like someone’s sorrow over an oldest son. At that time there will be a lot of weeping in Jerusalem. It will be as great as the weeping of the people at Hadad Rimmon. Hadad Rimmon is in the valley of Megiddo. They were weeping over Josiah’s death. Everyone in the land will mourn. Each family will mourn by themselves and their wives by themselves. That will include the family lines of David, Nathan, Levi, Shimei and all the others.
Zechariah 13:1-9
The Lord Makes Israel Pure and “Clean”
“At that time a fountain will be opened for the benefit of David’s family line. It will also bless the others who live in Jerusalem. It will wash away their sins. It will make them pure and ‘clean.’
“On that day I will remove the names of other gods from the land. They will not even be remembered anymore,” announces the Lord who rules over all. “I will drive the evil prophets out of the land. I will get rid of the spirit that put lies in their mouths. Some people might still prophesy. But their own fathers and mothers will speak to them. They will tell them, ‘You must die. You have told lies in the Lord’s name.’ When they prophesy, their own parents will stab them.
“At that time every prophet will be ashamed of the vision they see. They will no longer pretend to be a true prophet. They will not put on clothes that are made out of hair in order to trick people. In fact, each one will say, ‘I’m not really a prophet. I’m a farmer. I’ve farmed the land since I was young.’ Suppose someone asks, ‘What are these wounds on your body?’ Then they will answer, ‘I was given these wounds at the house of my friends.’
The Good Shepherd Is Killed and the Sheep Are Scattered
“My sword, wake up! Attack my shepherd!
Attack the man who is close to me,”
announces the Lord who rules over all.
“Strike down the shepherd.
Then the sheep will be scattered.
And I will turn my hand against their little ones.
Here is what will happen in the whole land,”
announces the Lord.
“Two-thirds of the people will be struck down and die.
But one-third will be left.
I will put this third in the fire.
I will make them as pure as silver.
I will test them like gold.
They will call out to me.
And I will answer them.
I will say, ‘They are my people.’
And they will say, ‘The Lord is our God.’ ”
Zechariah 14:1-21
The Lord Will Be King Over the Whole Earth
The day of the Lord is coming, Jerusalem. At that time your enemies will steal everything your people own. They will divide it up within your walls.
The Lord will gather all the nations together. They will fight against Jerusalem. They’ll capture the city. Its houses will be robbed. Its women will be raped. Half of the people will be taken away as prisoners. But the rest of them won’t be taken. Then the Lord will march out and fight against those nations. He will fight as on a day of battle. On that day he will stand on the Mount of Olives. It’s east of Jerusalem. It will be split in two from east to west. Half of the mountain will move north. The other half will move south. A large valley will be formed. The people will run away through that mountain valley. It will reach all the way to Azel. They’ll run away just as they ran from the earthquake when Uzziah was king of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come. All the holy ones will come with him.
There won’t be any sunlight on that day. There will be no cold, frosty darkness either. It will be a day unlike any other. It will be a day known only to the Lord. It won’t be separated into day and night. After that day is over, there will be light again.
At that time water that gives life will flow out from Jerusalem. Half of it will run east into the Dead Sea. The other half will go west to the Mediterranean Sea. The water will flow in summer and winter.
The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord. His name will be the only name.
The whole land south of Jerusalem will be changed. From Geba to Rimmon it will become like the Arabah Valley. But Jerusalem will be raised up high. It will be raised from the Benjamin Gate to the First Gate to the Corner Gate. It will be raised from the Tower of Hananel to the royal winepresses. And it will remain in its place. People will live in it. Jerusalem will never be destroyed again. It will be secure.
The Lord will punish all the nations that fought against Jerusalem. He’ll strike them with a plague. It will make their bodies rot while they are still standing on their feet. Their eyes will rot in their heads. Their tongues will rot in their mouths. On that day the Lord will fill people with great panic. They will grab one another by the hand. And they’ll attack one another. Judah will also fight at Jerusalem. The wealth of all the surrounding nations will be collected. Huge amounts of gold, silver and clothes will be gathered up. The same kind of plague will strike the horses, mules, camels and donkeys. In fact, it will strike all the animals in the army camps.
But some people from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will still be left alive. All of them will go up there to worship the King. He is the Lord who rules over all. Year after year these people will celebrate the Feast of Booths. Some nations might not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King. If they don’t, they won’t have any rain. The people of Egypt might not go up there to take part. Then they won’t have any rain either. That’s the plague the Lord will send on the nations that don’t go to celebrate the Feast of Booths. Egypt will be punished. So will all the other nations that don’t celebrate the feast.
On that day “Holy to the Lord” will be carved on the bells of the horses. The cooking pots in the Lord’s temple will be just like the sacred bowls in front of the altar for burnt offerings. Every pot in Jerusalem and Judah will be set apart to the Lord. All those who come to offer sacrifices will get some of the pots and cook in them. At that time there won’t be any Canaanites in the Lord’s temple. He is the Lord who rules over all.
