Study Desk

The ^[a]burden of the word of the Lord is against the land of Hadrach, with ^(a)Damascus as its resting place (for the eyes of men, especially of all the tribes of Israel, are toward the Lord ),

And ^(b)Hamath also, which borders on it; ^(c)Tyre and ^(d)Sidon, ^[b]though ^[c]they are ^(e)very wise.

For Tyre built herself a ^(f)fortress And ^(g)piled up silver like dust, And ^(h)gold like the mire of the streets.

Behold, the Lord will ⁽ⁱ⁾dispossess her And cast her wealth into the sea; And she will be ^(j)consumed with fire.

Ashkelon will see it and be afraid. Gaza too will writhe in great pain; Also Ekron, for her expectation has been confounded. Moreover, the king will perish from Gaza, And Ashkelon will not be inhabited.

And a ^[d]mongrel race will dwell in ^(k)Ashdod, And I will cut off the pride of the Philistines.

And I will remove their blood from their mouth And their detestable things from between their teeth. Then they also will be a remnant for our God, And be like a ^[e]clan in Judah, And Ekron like a Jebusite.

But I will camp around My house ^[f]because of an army, Because of ^(l)him who passes by and returns; And ^(m)no oppressor will pass over them anymore, For now I have seen with My eyes.

⁽ⁿ⁾Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your ^(o)king is coming to you; He is ^[g](p)just and ^(q)endowed with salvation, ^(r)Humble, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a ^(s)colt, the ^[h]foal of a donkey.

I will ^(t)cut off the chariot from Ephraim And the ^(u)horse from Jerusalem; And the ^(v)bow of war will be cut off. And He will speak ^(w)peace to the nations; And His ^(x)dominion will be from sea to sea, And from the ^[i]River to the ends of the earth.

As for you also, because of the ^(y)blood of My covenant with you, I have set your ^(z)prisoners free from the ^[j]waterless pit.

Return to the ^[k](aa)stronghold, O prisoners ^[l]who have the ^(ab)hope; This very day I am declaring that I will restore ^(ac)double to you.

For I will ^(ad)bend Judah ^[m]as My bow, I will fill the bow with Ephraim. And I will stir up your sons, O Zion, against your sons, O ^(ae)Greece; And I will make you like a ^(af)warrior's sword.

Then the Lord will appear ^(ag)over them, And His ^(ah)arrow will go forth like lightning; And the Lord ^[n] God will blow the ^(ai)trumpet, And will march in the ^(aj)storm winds of the south.

^(ak)The Lord of hosts will defend them. And they will ^(al)devour and trample on the ^(am)sling stones; And they will drink and be ^(an)boisterous as with wine; And they will be filled like a sacrificial basin, Drenched like the ^(ao)corners of the altar.

And the Lord their God will ^(ap)save them in that day As the flock of His people; For they are as the stones of a ^(aq)crown, ^[o]Sparkling in His land.

For what ^[p](ar)comeliness and ^(as)beauty will be ^[q]theirs! Grain will make the young men flourish, and new wine the virgins.

Ask ^(a)rain from the Lord at the time of the spring rain— The Lord who ^(b)makes the ^[a]storm clouds; And He will give them ^(c)showers of rain, vegetation in the field to each man.

For the ^(d)teraphim speak ^[b]iniquity, And the ^(e)diviners see ^[c]lying visions And tell ^(f)false dreams; They comfort in vain. Therefore the people ^[d]wander like ^(g)sheep, They are afflicted, because there is no shepherd.

"My ^(h)anger is kindled against the shepherds, And I will punish the ^[e]male goats; For the Lord of hosts has ⁽ⁱ⁾visited His flock, the house of Judah, And will make them like His majestic horse in battle.

"From ^[f]them will come the ^(j)cornerstone, From ^[g]them the tent peg, From ^[h]them the bow of ^(k)battle, From ^[i]them every ^[j]ruler, all of them together.

"They will be as mighty men, ^(l)Treading down the enemy in the mire of the streets in battle; And they will fight, for the Lord will be with them; And the ^(m)riders on horses will be put to shame.

"I will ⁽ⁿ⁾strengthen the house of Judah, And I will ^(o)save the house of Joseph, And I will ^[k](p)bring them back, Because I have had ^(q)compassion on them; And they will be as though I had ^(r)not rejected them, For I am the Lord their God and I will ^(s)answer them.

"Ephraim will be like a mighty man, And their heart will be glad as if from wine; Indeed, their ^(t)children will see it and be glad, ^[l]Their heart will rejoice in the Lord .

"I will ^(u)whistle for them to gather them together, For I have redeemed them; And they will be as ^(v)numerous as they ^[m](w)were before.

"When I ^[n]scatter them among the peoples, They will ^(x)remember Me in far countries, And they with their children will live and come back.

"I will ^(y)bring them back from the land of Egypt And gather them from Assyria; And I will bring them into the land of ^(z)Gilead and Lebanon ^[o]Until ^(aa)no room can be found for them.

"And they will pass through the ^(ab)sea of distress And He will strike the waves in the sea, So that all the depths of the ^(ac)Nile will dry up; And the pride of ^(ad)Assyria will be brought down And the scepter of ^(ae)Egypt will depart.

"And I will ^(af)strengthen them in the Lord , And in His name ^(ag)they will walk," declares the Lord .