Chapter 9

  A word of the Lord: The Lord has come to the land of Hadrach, and Damascus is his resting-place: for the towns of Aram are the Lord's,  

  As well as Hamath, which is by its limit, and Tyre and Zidon, because they are very wise.  

  And Tyre made for herself a strong place, and got together silver like dust and the best gold like the earth of the streets.  

  See, the Lord will take away her heritage, overturning her power in the sea; and she will be burned up with fire.  

  Ashkelon will see it with fear, and Gaza, bent with pain; and Ekron, for her hope will be shamed: and the king will be cut off from Gaza, and Ashkelon will be unpeopled.  

  And a mixed people will be living in Ashdod, and I will have the pride of the Philistines cut off.  

  And I will take away his blood from his mouth, and his disgusting things from between his teeth; and some of his people will be kept for our God: and he will be as a family in Judah, and Ekron as one living in Jerusalem.  

  And I will put my forces in position round my house, so that there may be no coming and going: and no cruel master will again go through them: for now I have seen his trouble.  

  Be full of joy, O daughter of Zion; give a glad cry, O daughter of Jerusalem: see, your king comes to you: he is upright and has overcome; gentle and seated on an ass, on a young ass.  

  And he will have the war-carriage cut off from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the bow of war will be cut off: and he will say words of peace to the nations: and his rule will be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.  

  And as for you, because of the blood of your agreement, I have sent out your prisoners from the deep hole in which there is no water.  

  And they will come back to you, O daughter of Zion, as prisoners of hope: today I say to you that I will give you back twice as much;  

  For I have made Judah a bow bent for my use, I have made Ephraim the arrows of the bow; I will make your sons, O Zion, take up arms against your sons, O Greece, and will make you like the sword of a man of war.  

  And the Lord will be seen over them, and his arrow will go out like the thunder-flame: and the Lord God, sounding the war-horn, will go in the storm-winds of the South.  

  The Lord of armies will be a cover for them; and they will overcome, crushing under foot the armed men; they will take their blood for drink like wine: they will be full like the sides of the altar.  

  And the Lord their God will be their saviour in that day, giving them food like the flock of his people: for they will be like the jewels of a crown shining over his land.  

  For how good it is and how beautiful! grain will make the young men strong and new wine the virgins.