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Zechariah 9:11-17
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Zechariah 9:11-17
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Restoration of the People
11 As for you, by the blood of your covenant,[a](A)
I have freed your prisoners from a waterless pit.
12 Return to a fortress,[b]
O prisoners of hope;
This very day, I announce
I am restoring double to you.
13 For I have bent Judah as my bow,
I have set Ephraim as its arrow;
I will arouse your sons, O Zion,
against your sons, O Yavan,[c]
and I will use you as a warrior’s sword.
14 The Lord will appear over them,
God’s arrow will shoot forth as lightning;
The Lord God will sound the ram’s horn,
and come in a storm from the south.(B)
15 The Lord of hosts will protect them;
they will devour and conquer with sling stones,
they will drink and become heated as with wine;
they will be full like bowls—like the corners of the altar.(C)
16 And the Lord their God will save them:
the people, like a flock on that day;(D)
For like gemstones of a crown[d]
they will shine on the land.
17 Then how good and how lovely!
Grain will make the young men flourish,
and new wine the young women.(E)
Footnotes
- 9:11 The blood of your covenant: the covenant between the Lord and Israel sealed with sacrificial blood (Ex 24:8).
- 9:12 Fortress: the Hebrew word for “fortress” (bissaron) plays upon the Hebrew word for Zion (siyyon). Those who return to Zion will be protected by the Lord. O prisoners of hope: imagery of exile, conveying a sense that the future in Israel will be better.
- 9:13 Your sons, O Yavan: the reference is to the Greeks and their struggle with the Persians for control of Syria-Palestine and the eastern Mediterranean in the mid-fifth century B.C.
- 9:16 Like gemstones of a crown: imagery reminiscent of First Zechariah (3:9; 4:7, 10; 6:11, 14) and evocative of the Temple and the priestly headgear (cf. Ex 29:6 and Lv 8:9).
Zechariah 9:11-17
New International Version
Zechariah 9:11-17
New International Version
11 As for you, because of the blood of my covenant(A) with you,
I will free your prisoners(B) from the waterless pit.(C)
12 Return to your fortress,(D) you prisoners of hope;
even now I announce that I will restore twice(E) as much to you.
13 I will bend Judah as I bend my bow(F)
and fill it with Ephraim.(G)
I will rouse your sons, Zion,
against your sons, Greece,(H)
and make you like a warrior’s sword.(I)
The Lord Will Appear
14 Then the Lord will appear over them;(J)
his arrow will flash like lightning.(K)
The Sovereign Lord will sound the trumpet;(L)
he will march in the storms(M) of the south,
15 and the Lord Almighty will shield(N) them.
They will destroy
and overcome with slingstones.(O)
They will drink and roar as with wine;(P)
they will be full like a bowl(Q)
used for sprinkling[a] the corners(R) of the altar.
16 The Lord their God will save his people on that day(S)
as a shepherd saves his flock.
They will sparkle in his land
like jewels in a crown.(T)
17 How attractive and beautiful they will be!
Grain will make the young men thrive,
and new wine the young women.
Footnotes
- Zechariah 9:15 Or bowl, / like
New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)
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