Other Translations of Isaiah 29:1-24

King James Version

Ariel and Her Enemies

29¹ Woe Woe...: or, O Ariel, that is, the lion of God to Ariel, to Ariel, the city where David dwelt! add ye year to year; let them kill sacrifices. ² Yet I will distress Ariel, and there shall be heaviness and sorrow: and it shall be unto me as Ariel. ³ And I will camp against thee round about, and will lay siege against thee with a mount, and I will raise forts against thee. ⁴ And thou shalt be brought down, and shalt speak out of the ground, and thy speech shall be low out of the dust, and thy voice shall be, as of one that hath a familiar spirit, out of the ground, and thy speech shall whisper whisper: Heb. peep, or, chirp out of the dust. ⁵ Moreover the multitude of thy strangers shall be like small dust, and the multitude of the terrible ones shall be as chaff that passeth away: yea, it shall be at an instant suddenly. ⁶ Thou shalt be visited of the Lord of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with storm and tempest, and the flame of devouring fire. ⁷ And the multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel, even all that fight against her and her munition, and that distress her, shall be as a dream of a night vision. ⁸ It shall even be as when an hungry man dreameth, and, behold, he eateth; but he awaketh, and his soul is empty: or as when a thirsty man dreameth, and, behold, he drinketh; but he awaketh, and, behold, he is faint, and his soul hath appetite: so shall the multitude of all the nations be, that fight against mount Zion.

The Blindness and Hypocrisy of Israel

⁹ Stay yourselves, and wonder; cry ye out, and cry: they are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink. ¹⁰ For the Lord hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, rulers: Heb. heads the seers hath he covered. ¹¹ And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book book: or, letter that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed: ¹² And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned. ¹³ Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men: ¹⁴ Therefore, behold, I will proceed proceed: Heb. add to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid. ¹⁵ Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the Lord, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us? ¹⁶ Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter's clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding?

The Redemption of Israel

¹⁷ Is it not yet a very little while, and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be esteemed as a forest? ¹⁸ And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness. ¹⁹ The meek also shall increase increase: Heb. add their joy in the Lord, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. ²⁰ For the terrible one is brought to nought, and the scorner is consumed, and all that watch for iniquity are cut off: ²¹ That make a man an offender for a word, and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate, and turn aside the just for a thing of nought. ²² Therefore thus saith the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob, Jacob shall not now be ashamed, neither shall his face now wax pale. ²³ But when he seeth his children, the work of mine hands, in the midst of him, they shall sanctify my name, and sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall fear the God of Israel. ²⁴ They also that erred in spirit shall come come...: Heb. know understanding to understanding, and they that murmured shall learn doctrine.

English Standard Version

Ariel and Her Enemies

29¹ Ah, Ariel, Ariel, the city where David encamped! Add year to year; let the feasts run their round. ² Yet I will distress Ariel, and there shall be moaning and lamentation, and she shall be to me like an Ariel.Ariel could mean lion of God, or hero (2 Samuel 23:20), or altar hearth (Ezekiel 43:15-16) ³ And I will encamp against you all around, and will besiege you with towers and I will raise siegeworks against you. ⁴ And you will be brought low; from the earth you shall speak, and from the dust your speech will be bowed down; your voice shall come from the ground like the voice of a ghost, and from the dust your speech shall whisper. ⁵ But the multitude of your foreign foes shall be like small dust, and the multitude of the ruthless like passing chaff. And in an instant, suddenly, ⁶ you will be visited by the Lord of hosts with thunder and with earthquake and great noise, with whirlwind and tempest, and the flame of a devouring fire. ⁷ And the multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel, all that fight against her and her stronghold and distress her, shall be like a dream, a vision of the night. ⁸ As when a hungry man dreams he is eating and awakes with his hunger not satisfied, or as when a thirsty man dreams he is drinking and awakes faint, with his thirst not quenched, so shall the multitude of all the nations be that fight against Mount Zion.

The Blindness and Hypocrisy of Israel

⁹ Astonish yourselvesOr Linger awhile and be astonished; blind yourselves and be blind! Be drunk, but not with wine; stagger, but not with strong drink! ¹⁰ For the Lord has poured out upon you a spirit of deep sleep, and has closed your eyes (the prophets), and covered your heads (the seers). ¹¹ And the vision of all this has become to you like the words of a book that is sealed. When men give it to one who can read, saying, "Read this," he says, "I cannot, for it is sealed." ¹² And when they give the book to one who cannot read, saying, "Read this," he says, "I cannot read." ¹³ And the Lord said: "Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men, ¹⁴ therefore, behold, I will again do wonderful things with this people, with wonder upon wonder; and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden." ¹⁵ Ah, you who hide deep from the Lord your counsel, whose deeds are in the dark, and who say, "Who sees us? Who knows us?" ¹⁶ You turn things upside down! Shall the potter be regarded as the clay, that the thing made should say of its maker, "He did not make me"; or the thing formed say of him who formed it, "He has no understanding"?

The Redemption of Israel

¹⁷ Is it not yet a very little while until Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be regarded as a forest? ¹⁸ In that day the deaf shall hear the words of a book, and out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind shall see. ¹⁹ The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the Lord, and the poor among mankind shall exult in the Holy One of Israel. ²⁰ For the ruthless shall come to nothing and the scoffer cease, and all who watch to do evil shall be cut off, ²¹ who by a word make a man out to be an offender, and lay a snare for him who reproves in the gate, and with an empty plea turn aside him who is in the right. ²² Therefore thus says the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob: "Jacob shall no more be ashamed, no more shall his face grow pale. ²³ For when he sees his children, the work of my hands, in his midst, they will sanctify my name; they will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob and will stand in awe of the God of Israel. ²⁴ And those who go astray in spirit will come to understanding, and those who murmur will accept instruction."

The Message

Ariel and Her Enemies

29¹ Doom, Ariel, Ariel, the city where David set camp! Let the years add up, let the festivals run their cycles, ² But I'm not letting up on Jerusalem. The moaning and groaning will continue. Jerusalem to me is an Ariel. ³ Like David, I'll set up camp against you. I'll set siege, build towers, bring in siege engines, build siege ramps. ⁴ Driven into the ground, you'll speak, you'll mumble words from the dirt - Your voice from the ground, like the muttering of a ghost. Your speech will whisper from the dust. ⁵ But it will be your enemies who are beaten to dust, the mob of tyrants who will be blown away like chaff. Because, surprise, as if out of nowhere, ⁶ a visit from God-of-the-Angel-Armies, With thunderclaps, earthquakes, and earsplitting noise, backed up by hurricanes, tornadoes, and lightning strikes, ⁷ And the mob of enemies at war with Ariel, all who trouble and hassle and torment her, will turn out to be a bad dream, a nightmare. ⁸ Like a hungry man dreaming he's eating steak and wakes up hungry as ever, Like a thirsty woman dreaming she's drinking iced tea and wakes up thirsty as ever, So that mob of nations at war against Mount Zion will wake up and find they haven't shot an arrow, haven't killed a single soul.

The Blindness and Hypocrisy of Israel

⁹ Drug yourselves so you feel nothing. Blind yourselves so you see nothing. Get drunk, but not on wine. Black out, but not from whiskey. ¹⁰ For God has rocked you into a deep, deep sleep, put the discerning prophets to sleep, put the farsighted seers to sleep. You Have Everything Backwards ¹¹ What you've been shown here is somewhat like a letter in a sealed envelope. If you give it to someone who can read and tell her, "Read this," she'll say, "I can't. The envelope is sealed." ¹² And if you give it to someone who can't read and tell him, "Read this," he'll say, "I can't read." ¹³ The Master said: "These people make a big show of saying the right thing, but their hearts aren't in it. Because they act like they're worshiping me but don't mean it, ¹⁴ I'm going to step in and shock them awake, astonish them, stand them on their ears. The wise ones who had it all figured out will be exposed as fools. The smart people who thought they knew everything will turn out to know nothing." ¹⁵ Doom to you! You pretend to have the inside track. You shut God out and work behind the scenes, Plotting the future as if you knew everything, acting mysterious, never showing your hand. ¹⁶ You have everything backwards! You treat the potter as a lump of clay. Does a book say to its author, "He didn't write a word of me"? Does a meal say to the woman who cooked it, "She had nothing to do with this"?

The Redemption of Israel

¹⁷ And then before you know it, and without you having anything to do with it, Wasted Lebanon will be transformed into lush gardens, and Mount Carmel reforested. ¹⁸ At that time the deaf will hear word-for-word what's been written. After a lifetime in the dark, the blind will see. ¹⁹ The castoffs of society will be laughing and dancing in God, the down-and-outs shouting praise to The Holy of Israel. ²⁰ For there'll be no more gangs on the street. Cynical scoffers will be an extinct species. Those who never missed a chance to hurt or demean will never be heard of again: ²¹ Gone the people who corrupted the courts, gone the people who cheated the poor, gone the people who victimized the innocent. ²² And finally this, God's Message for the family of Jacob, the same God who redeemed Abraham: "No longer will Jacob hang his head in shame, no longer grow gaunt and pale with waiting. ²³ For he's going to see his children, my personal gift to him - lots of children. And these children will honor me by living holy lives. In holy worship they'll honor the Holy One of Jacob and stand in holy awe of the God of Israel. ²⁴ Those who got off-track will get back on-track, and complainers and whiners learn gratitude."

New King James Version

Ariel and Her Enemies

29¹ "Woe to Ariel, to Ariel, the city where David dwelt! Add year to year; Let feasts come around. ² Yet I will distress Ariel; There shall be heaviness and sorrow, And it shall be to Me as Ariel. ³ I will encamp against you all around, I will lay siege against you with a mound, And I will raise siegeworks against you. ⁴ You shall be brought down, You shall speak out of the ground; Your speech shall be low, out of the dust; Your voice shall be like a medium's, out of the ground; And your speech shall whisper out of the dust. ⁵ "Moreover the multitude of your foes Shall be like fine dust, And the multitude of the terrible ones Like chaff that passes away; Yes, it shall be in an instant, suddenly. ⁶ You will be punished by the Lord of hosts With thunder and earthquake and great noise, With storm and tempest And the flame of devouring fire. ⁷ The multitude of all the nations who fight against Ariel, Even all who fight against her and her fortress, And distress her, Shall be as a dream of a night vision. ⁸ It shall even be as when a hungry man dreams, And look--he eats; But he awakes, and his soul is still empty; Or as when a thirsty man dreams, And look--he drinks; But he awakes, and indeed he is faint, And his soul still craves: So the multitude of all the nations shall be, Who fight against Mount Zion."

The Blindness and Hypocrisy of Israel

⁹ Pause and wonder! Blind yourselves and be blind! They are drunk, but not with wine; They stagger, but not with intoxicating drink. ¹⁰ For the Lord has poured out on you The spirit of deep sleep, And has closed your eyes, namely, the prophets; And He has covered your heads, namely, the seers. ¹¹ The whole vision has become to you like the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one who is literate, saying, "Read this, please." And he says, "I cannot, for it is sealed." ¹² Then the book is delivered to one who is illiterate, saying, "Read this, please." And he says, "I am not literate." ¹³ Therefore the Lord said: "Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths And honor Me with their lips, But have removed their hearts far from Me, And their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men, ¹⁴ Therefore, behold, I will again do a marvelous work Among this people, A marvelous work and a wonder; For the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, And the understanding of their prudent men shall be hidden." ¹⁵ Woe to those who seek deep to hide their counsel far from the Lord, And their works are in the dark; They say, "Who sees us?" and, "Who knows us?" ¹⁶ Surely you have things turned around! Shall the potter be esteemed as the clay; For shall the thing made say of him who made it, "He did not make me"? Or shall the thing formed say of him who formed it, "He has no understanding"?

The Redemption of Israel

¹⁷ Is it not yet a very little while Till Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, And the fruitful field be esteemed as a forest? ¹⁸ In that day the deaf shall hear the words of the book, And the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness. ¹⁹ The humble also shall increase their joy in the Lord, And the poor among men shall rejoice In the Holy One of Israel. ²⁰ For the terrible one is brought to nothing, The scornful one is consumed, And all who watch for iniquity are cut off-- ²¹ Who make a man an offender by a word, And lay a snare for him who reproves in the gate, And turn aside the just by empty words. ²² Therefore thus says the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob: "Jacob shall not now be ashamed, Nor shall his face now grow pale; ²³ But when he sees his children, The work of My hands, in his midst, They will hallow My name, And hallow the Holy One of Jacob, And fear the God of Israel. ²⁴ These also who erred in spirit will come to understanding, And those who complained will learn doctrine."

New Living Translation

Ariel and Her Enemies

29¹ "What sorrow awaits Ariel, the City of David. Year after year you celebrate your feasts. ² Yet I will bring disaster upon you, and there will be much weeping and sorrow. For Jerusalem will become what her name Ariel means- an altar covered with blood. ³ I will be your enemy, surrounding Jerusalem and attacking its walls. I will build siege towers and destroy it. ⁴ Then deep from the earth you will speak; from low in the dust your words will come. Your voice will whisper from the ground like a ghost conjured up from the grave. ⁵ "But suddenly, your ruthless enemies will be crushed like the finest of dust. Your many attackers will be driven away like chaff before the wind. Suddenly, in an instant, ⁶ I, the Lord of Heaven's Armies, will act for you with thunder and earthquake and great noise, with whirlwind and storm and consuming fire. ⁷ All the nations fighting against Jerusalem will vanish like a dream! Those who are attacking her walls will vanish like a vision in the night. ⁸ A hungry person dreams of eating but wakes up still hungry. A thirsty person dreams of drinking but is still faint from thirst when morning comes. So it will be with your enemies, with those who attack Mount Zion."

The Blindness and Hypocrisy of Israel

⁹ Are you amazed and incredulous? Don't you believe it? Then go ahead and be blind. You are stupid, but not from wine! You stagger, but not from liquor! ¹⁰ For the Lord has poured out on you a spirit of deep sleep. He has closed the eyes of your prophets and visionaries. ¹¹ All the future events in this vision are like a sealed book to them. When you give it to those who can read, they will say, "We can't read it because it is sealed." ¹² When you give it to those who cannot read, they will say, "We don't know how to read." ¹³ And so the Lord says, "These people say they are mine. They honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. And their worship of me is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote. ¹⁴ Because of this, I will once again astound these hypocrites with amazing wonders. The wisdom of the wise will pass away, and the intelligence of the intelligent will disappear." ¹⁵ What sorrow awaits those who try to hide their plans from the Lord, who do their evil deeds in the dark! "The Lord can't see us," they say. "He doesn't know what's going on!" ¹⁶ How foolish can you be? He is the Potter, and he is certainly greater than you, the clay! Should the created thing say of the one who made it, "He didn't make me"? Does a jar ever say, "The potter who made me is stupid"?

The Redemption of Israel

¹⁷ Soon-and it will not be very long- the forests of Lebanon will become a fertile field, and the fertile field will yield bountiful crops. ¹⁸ In that day the deaf will hear words read from a book, and the blind will see through the gloom and darkness. ¹⁹ The humble will be filled with fresh joy from the Lord . The poor will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. ²⁰ The scoffer will be gone, the arrogant will disappear, and those who plot evil will be killed. ²¹ Those who convict the innocent by their false testimony will disappear. A similar fate awaits those who use trickery to pervert justice and who tell lies to destroy the innocent. ²² That is why the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, says to the people of Israel, "My people will no longer be ashamed or turn pale with fear. ²³ For when they see their many children and all the blessings I have given them, they will recognize the holiness of the Holy One of Jacob. They will stand in awe of the God of Israel. ²⁴ Then the wayward will gain understanding, and complainers will accept instruction.

Other Translations of Joel 3:1-21

King James Version

The LORD's Judgment on the Nations

3¹ For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, ² I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land. ³ And they have cast lots for my people; and have given a boy for an harlot, and sold a girl for wine, that they might drink. ⁴ Yea, and what have ye to do with me, O Tyre, and Zidon, and all the coasts of Palestine? will ye render me a recompence? and if ye recompense me, swiftly and speedily will I return your recompence upon your own head; ⁵ Because ye have taken my silver and my gold, and have carried into your temples my goodly pleasant things: ⁶ The children also of Judah and the children of Jerusalem have ye sold unto the Grecians, the Grecians: Heb. the sons of the Grecians that ye might remove them far from their border. ⁷ Behold, I will raise them out of the place whither ye have sold them, and will return your recompence upon your own head: ⁸ And I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the children of Judah, and they shall sell them to the Sabeans, to a people far off: for the Lord hath spoken it.

⁹ Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare Prepare: Heb. Sanctify war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up: ¹⁰ Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks pruninghooks: or, scythes into spears: let the weak say, I am strong. ¹¹ Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O Lord. ¹² Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about. ¹³ Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great. ¹⁴ Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: decision: or, concision, or, threshing for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. ¹⁵ The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining.

The Deliverance of Judah

¹⁶ The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the Lord will be the hope hope: Heb. place of repair, or, harbour of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel. ¹⁷ So shall ye know that I am the Lord your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, holy: Heb. holiness and there shall no strangers pass through her any more.

¹⁸ And it shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the rivers of Judah shall flow flow: Heb. go with waters, and a fountain shall come forth of the house of the Lord, and shall water the valley of Shittim. ¹⁹ Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom shall be a desolate wilderness, for the violence against the children of Judah, because they have shed innocent blood in their land. ²⁰ But Judah shall dwell dwell: or, abide for ever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation. ²¹ For I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed: for the Lord dwelleth in Zion.

English Standard Version

The LORD's Judgment on the Nations

3¹ Ch 4:1 in Hebrew"For behold, in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, ² I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. And I will enter into judgment with them there, on behalf of my people and my heritage Israel, because they have scattered them among the nations and have divided up my land, ³ and have cast lots for my people, and have traded a boy for a prostitute, and have sold a girl for wine and have drunk it. ⁴ "What are you to me, O Tyre and Sidon, and all the regions of Philistia? Are you paying me back for something? If you are paying me back, I will return your payment on your own head swiftly and speedily. ⁵ For you have taken my silver and my gold, and have carried my rich treasures into your temples.Or palaces ⁶ You have sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks in order to remove them far from their own border. ⁷ Behold, I will stir them up from the place to which you have sold them, and I will return your payment on your own head. ⁸ I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the people of Judah, and they will sell them to the Sabeans, to a nation far away, for the Lord has spoken."

⁹ Proclaim this among the nations: Consecrate for war;Or Consecrate a war stir up the mighty men. Let all the men of war draw near; let them come up. ¹⁰ Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears; let the weak say, "I am a warrior." ¹¹ Hasten and come, all you surrounding nations, and gather yourselves there. Bring down your warriors, O Lord. ¹² Let the nations stir themselves up and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; for there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations. ¹³ Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Go in, tread, for the winepress is full. The vats overflow, for their evil is great. ¹⁴ Multitudes, multitudes, in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. ¹⁵ The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining.

The Deliverance of Judah

¹⁶ The Lord roars from Zion, and utters his voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth quake. But the Lord is a refuge to his people, a stronghold to the people of Israel. ¹⁷ "So you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who dwells in Zion, my holy mountain. And Jerusalem shall be holy, and strangers shall never again pass through it.

¹⁸ "And in that day the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the streambeds of Judah shall flow with water; and a fountain shall come forth from the house of the Lord and water the Valley of Shittim. ¹⁹ "Egypt shall become a desolation and Edom a desolate wilderness, for the violence done to the people of Judah, because they have shed innocent blood in their land. ²⁰ But Judah shall be inhabited forever, and Jerusalem to all generations. ²¹ I will avenge their blood, blood I have not avenged,Or I will acquit their bloodguilt that I have not acquitted for the Lord dwells in Zion."

The Message

The LORD's Judgment on the Nations

3¹ "In those days, yes, at that very time when I put life back together again for Judah and Jerusalem, ² I'll assemble all the godless nations. I'll lead them down into Judgment Valley And put them all on trial, and judge them one and all because of their treatment of my own people Israel. They scattered my people all over the pagan world and grabbed my land for themselves. ³ They threw dice for my people and used them for barter. They would trade a boy for a whore, sell a girl for a bottle of wine when they wanted a drink. ⁴ "As for you, Tyre and Sidon and Philistia, why should I bother with you? Are you trying to get back at me for something I did to you? If you are, forget it. I'll see to it that it boomerangs on you. ⁵ You robbed me, cleaned me out of silver and gold, carted off everything valuable to furnish your own temples. ⁶ You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem into slavery to the Greeks in faraway places. ⁷ But I'm going to reverse your crime. I'm going to free those slaves. I'll have done to you what you did to them: ⁸ I'll sell your children as slaves to your neighbors, And they'll sell them to the far-off Sabeans."

⁹ Announce this to the godless nations: Prepare for battle! Soldiers at attention! Present arms! Advance! ¹⁰ Turn your shovels into swords, turn your hoes into spears. Let the weak one throw out his chest and say, "I'm tough, I'm a fighter." ¹¹ Hurry up, pagans! Wherever you are, get a move on! Get your act together. Prepare to be shattered by God! ¹² Let the pagan nations set out for Judgment Valley. There I'll take my place at the bench and judge all the surrounding nations. ¹³ "Swing the sickle - the harvest is ready. Stomp on the grapes - the winepress is full. The wine vats are full, overflowing with vintage evil. ¹⁴ "Mass confusion, mob uproar - in Decision Valley! God's Judgment Day has arrived in Decision Valley. ¹⁵ "The sky turns black, sun and moon go dark, stars burn out.

The Deliverance of Judah

¹⁶ God roars from Zion, shouts from Jerusalem. Earth and sky quake in terror. But God is a safe hiding place, a granite safe house for the children of Israel. ¹⁷ Then you'll know for sure that I'm your God, Living in Zion, my sacred mountain. Jerusalem will be a sacred city, posted: 'no trespassing.'

¹⁸ "What a day! Wine streaming off the mountains, Milk rivering out of the hills, water flowing everywhere in Judah, A fountain pouring out of God's Sanctuary, watering all the parks and gardens! ¹⁹ But Egypt will be reduced to weeds in a vacant lot, Edom turned into barren badlands, All because of brutalities to the Judean people, the atrocities and murders of helpless innocents. ²⁰ Meanwhile, Judah will be filled with people, Jerusalem inhabited forever. ²¹ The sins I haven't already forgiven, I'll forgive." God has moved into Zion for good.

New King James Version

The LORD's Judgment on the Nations

3¹ "For behold, in those days and at that time, When I bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem, ² I will also gather all nations, And bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; And I will enter into judgment with them there On account of My people, My heritage Israel, Whom they have scattered among the nations; They have also divided up My land. ³ They have cast lots for My people, Have given a boy as payment for a harlot, And sold a girl for wine, that they may drink. ⁴ "Indeed, what have you to do with Me, O Tyre and Sidon, and all the coasts of Philistia? Will you retaliate against Me? But if you retaliate against Me, Swiftly and speedily I will return your retaliation upon your own head; ⁵ Because you have taken My silver and My gold, And have carried into your temples My prized possessions. ⁶ Also the people of Judah and the people of Jerusalem You have sold to the Greeks, That you may remove them far from their borders. ⁷ "Behold, I will raise them Out of the place to which you have sold them, And will return your retaliation upon your own head. ⁸ I will sell your sons and your daughters Into the hand of the people of Judah, And they will sell them to the Sabeans, To a people far off; For the Lord has spoken."

⁹ Proclaim this among the nations: "Prepare for war! Wake up the mighty men, Let all the men of war draw near, Let them come up. ¹⁰ Beat your plowshares into swords And your pruning hooks into spears; Let the weak say, 'I am strong.' " ¹¹ Assemble and come, all you nations, And gather together all around. Cause Your mighty ones to go down there, O Lord. ¹² "Let the nations be wakened, and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; For there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations. ¹³ Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, go down; For the winepress is full, The vats overflow-- For their wickedness is great." ¹⁴ Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. ¹⁵ The sun and moon will grow dark, And the stars will diminish their brightness.

The Deliverance of Judah

¹⁶ The Lord also will roar from Zion, And utter His voice from Jerusalem; The heavens and earth will shake; But the Lord will be a shelter for His people, And the strength of the children of Israel. ¹⁷ "So you shall know that I am the Lord your God, Dwelling in Zion My holy mountain. Then Jerusalem shall be holy, And no aliens shall ever pass through her again."

¹⁸ And it will come to pass in that day That the mountains shall drip with new wine, The hills shall flow with milk, And all the brooks of Judah shall be flooded with water; A fountain shall flow from the house of the Lord And water the Valley of Acacias. ¹⁹ "Egypt shall be a desolation, And Edom a desolate wilderness, Because of violence against the people of Judah, For they have shed innocent blood in their land. ²⁰ But Judah shall abide forever, And Jerusalem from generation to generation. ²¹ For I will acquit them of the guilt of bloodshed, whom I had not acquitted; For the Lord dwells in Zion."

New Living Translation

The LORD's Judgment on the Nations

3¹ "At the time of those events," says the Lord, "when I restore the prosperity of Judah and Jerusalem, ² I will gather the armies of the world into the valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will judge them for harming my people, my special possession, for scattering my people among the nations, and for dividing up my land. ³ They threw dice to decide which of my people would be their slaves. They traded boys to obtain prostitutes and sold girls for enough wine to get drunk. ⁴ "What do you have against me, Tyre and Sidon and you cities of Philistia? Are you trying to take revenge on me? If you are, then watch out! I will strike swiftly and pay you back for everything you have done. ⁵ You have taken my silver and gold and all my precious treasures, and have carried them off to your pagan temples. ⁶ You have sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks, so they could take them far from their homeland. ⁷ "But I will bring them back from all the places to which you sold them, and I will pay you back for everything you have done. ⁸ I will sell your sons and daughters to the people of Judah, and they will sell them to the people of Arabia, a nation far away. I, the Lord, have spoken!"

⁹ Say to the nations far and wide: "Get ready for war! Call out your best warriors. Let all your fighting men advance for the attack. ¹⁰ Hammer your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears. Train even your weaklings to be warriors. ¹¹ Come quickly, all you nations everywhere. Gather together in the valley." And now, O Lord, call out your warriors! ¹² "Let the nations be called to arms. Let them march to the valley of Jehoshaphat. There I, the Lord, will sit to pronounce judgment on them all. ¹³ Swing the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, tread the grapes, for the winepress is full. The storage vats are overflowing with the wickedness of these people." ¹⁴ Thousands upon thousands are waiting in the valley of decision. There the day of the Lord will soon arrive. ¹⁵ The sun and moon will grow dark, and the stars will no longer shine.

The Deliverance of Judah

¹⁶ The Lord 's voice will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth will shake. But the Lord will be a refuge for his people, a strong fortress for the people of Israel. ¹⁷ "Then you will know that I, the Lord your God, live in Zion, my holy mountain. Jerusalem will be holy forever, and foreign armies will never conquer her again.

¹⁸ In that day the mountains will drip with sweet wine, and the hills will flow with milk. Water will fill the streambeds of Judah, and a fountain will burst forth from the Lord 's Temple, watering the arid valley of acacias. ¹⁹ But Egypt will become a wasteland and Edom will become a wilderness, because they attacked the people of Judah and killed innocent people in their land. ²⁰ "But Judah will be filled with people forever, and Jerusalem will endure through all generations. ²¹ I will pardon my people's crimes, which I have not yet pardoned; and I, the Lord, will make my home in Jerusalem with my people."

Other Translations of Zechariah 12:1-14:21

King James Version

The Future Deliverance of Jerusalem

12¹ The burden of the word of the Lord for Israel, saith the Lord, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him. ² Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling trembling: or, slumber, or, poison unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. ³ And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it. ⁴ In that day, saith the Lord, I will smite every horse with astonishment, and his rider with madness: and I will open mine eyes upon the house of Judah, and will smite every horse of the people with blindness. ⁵ And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, The inhabitants The inhabitants...: or, There is strength to me and to the inhabitants, etc of Jerusalem shall be my strength in the Lord of hosts their God. ⁶ In that day will I make the governors of Judah like an hearth of fire among the wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf; and they shall devour all the people round about, on the right hand and on the left: and Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place, even in Jerusalem. ⁷ The Lord also shall save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem do not magnify themselves against Judah. ⁸ In that day shall the Lord defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble feeble: or, abject: Heb. fallen among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the Lord before them.

⁹ And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. ¹⁰ And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. ¹¹ In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon. ¹² And the land shall mourn, every family apart; the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart; ¹³ The family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart; the family of Shimei of Shimei: or, of Simeon, as LXX apart, and their wives apart; ¹⁴ All the families that remain, every family apart, and their wives apart.

13¹ In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness. uncleanness: Heb. separation for uncleanness ² And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord of hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they shall no more be remembered: and also I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land. ³ And it shall come to pass, that when any shall yet prophesy, then his father and his mother that begat him shall say unto him, Thou shalt not live; for thou speakest lies in the name of the Lord: and his father and his mother that begat him shall thrust him through when he prophesieth. ⁴ And it shall come to pass in that day, that the prophets shall be ashamed every one of his vision, when he hath prophesied; neither shall they wear a rough a rough...: Heb. a garment of hair garment to deceive: ⁵ But he shall say, I am no prophet, I am an husbandman; for man taught me to keep cattle from my youth. ⁶ And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.

The Smiting of the LORD's Shepherd

⁷ Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the Lord of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones. ⁸ And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the Lord, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. ⁹ And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The Lord is my God.

Jerusalem and the Nations

14¹ Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. ² For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. ³ Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. ⁴ And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. ⁵ And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; the mountains: or, my mountains for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with thee. ⁶ And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark: ⁷ But it shall be one day which shall be known to the Lord, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light.

⁸ And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former former: or, eastern sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be. ⁹ And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one. ¹⁰ All the land shall be turned turned: or, compassed as a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem: and it shall be lifted up, and inhabited in her place, from Benjamin's gate unto the place of the first gate, unto the corner gate, and from the tower of Hananeel unto the king's winepresses. ¹¹ And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited. ¹² And this shall be the plague wherewith the Lord will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth. ¹³ And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the Lord shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour. ¹⁴ And Judah Judah...: or, thou also, O Judah shalt also shall fight at Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the heathen round about shall be gathered together, gold, and silver, and apparel, in great abundance. ¹⁵ And so shall be the plague of the horse, of the mule, of the camel, and of the ass, and of all the beasts that shall be in these tents, as this plague.

¹⁶ And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. ¹⁷ And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain. ¹⁸ And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith the Lord will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. ¹⁹ This shall be the punishment punishment: or, sin of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. ²⁰ In that day shall there be upon the bells bells: or, bridles of the horses, HOLINESS UNTO THE Lord; and the pots in the Lord's house shall be like the bowls before the altar. ²¹ Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto the Lord of hosts: and all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them, and seethe therein: and in that day there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the Lord of hosts.

English Standard Version

The Future Deliverance of Jerusalem

12¹ The burden of the word of the Lord concerning Israel: Thus declares the Lord, who stretched out the heavens and founded the earth and formed the spirit of man within him: ² "Behold, I am about to make Jerusalem a cup of staggering to all the surrounding peoples. The siege of Jerusalem will also be against Judah. ³ On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples. All who lift it will surely hurt themselves. And all the nations of the earth will gather against it. ⁴ On that day, declares the Lord, I will strike every horse with panic, and its rider with madness. But for the sake of the house of Judah I will keep my eyes open, when I strike every horse of the peoples with blindness. ⁵ Then the clans of Judah shall say to themselves, 'The inhabitants of Jerusalem have strength through the Lord of hosts, their God.' ⁶ "On that day I will make the clans of Judah like a blazing pot in the midst of wood, like a flaming torch among sheaves. And they shall devour to the right and to the left all the surrounding peoples, while Jerusalem shall again be inhabited in its place, in Jerusalem. ⁷ "And the Lord will give salvation to the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem may not surpass that of Judah. ⁸ On that day the Lord will protect the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the feeblest among them on that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the angel of the Lord, going before them.

⁹ And on that day I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. ¹⁰ "And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn. ¹¹ On that day the mourning in Jerusalem will be as great as the mourning for Hadad-rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. ¹² The land shall mourn, each familyOr clan; also verses 13, 14 by itself: the family of the house of David by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan by itself, and their wives by themselves; ¹³ the family of the house of Levi by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the Shimeites by itself, and their wives by themselves; ¹⁴ and all the families that are left, each by itself, and their wives by themselves.

13¹ "On that day there shall be a fountain opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness. ² "And on that day, declares the Lord of hosts, I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, so that they shall be remembered no more. And also I will remove from the land the prophets and the spirit of uncleanness. ³ And if anyone again prophesies, his father and mother who bore him will say to him, 'You shall not live, for you speak lies in the name of the Lord.' And his father and mother who bore him shall pierce him through when he prophesies. ⁴ "On that day every prophet will be ashamed of his vision when he prophesies. He will not put on a hairy cloak in order to deceive, ⁵ but he will say, 'I am no prophet, I am a worker of the soil, for a man sold me in my youth.'Or for the land has been my possession since my youth ⁶ And if one asks him, 'What are these wounds on your back?'Or on your chest; Hebrew wounds between your hands he will say, 'The wounds I received in the house of my friends.'

The Smiting of the LORD's Shepherd

⁷ "Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, against the man who stands next to me," declares the Lord of hosts. "Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered; I will turn my hand against the little ones. ⁸ In the whole land, declares the Lord, two thirds shall be cut off and perish, and one third shall be left alive. ⁹ And I will put this third into the fire, and refine them as one refines silver, and test them as gold is tested. They will call upon my name, and I will answer them. I will say, 'They are my people'; and they will say, 'The Lord is my God.'"

Jerusalem and the Nations

14¹ Behold, a day is coming for the Lord, when the spoil taken from you will be divided in your midst. ² For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city shall be taken and the houses plundered and the women raped. Half of the city shall go out into exile, but the rest of the people shall not be cut off from the city. ³ Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle. ⁴ On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward. ⁵ And you shall flee to the valley of my mountains, for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azal. And you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him. ⁶ On that day there shall be no light, cold, or frost.Compare Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate, Targum; the meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain ⁷ And there shall be a uniqueHebrew one day, which is known to the Lord, neither day nor night, but at evening time there shall be light.

⁸ On that day living waters shall flow out from Jerusalem, half of them to the eastern seaThat is, the Dead Sea and half of them to the western sea.That is, the Mediterranean Sea It shall continue in summer as in winter. ⁹ And the Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day the Lord will be one and his name one. ¹⁰ The whole land shall be turned into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem. But Jerusalem shall remain aloft on its site from the Gate of Benjamin to the place of the former gate, to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the king's winepresses. ¹¹ And it shall be inhabited, for there shall never again be a decree of utter destruction.The Hebrew term rendered decree of utter destruction refers to things devoted (or set apart) to the Lord (or by the Lord) for destruction Jerusalem shall dwell in security. ¹² And this shall be the plague with which the Lord will strike all the peoples that wage war against Jerusalem: their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths. ¹³ And on that day a great panic from the Lord shall fall on them, so that each will seize the hand of another, and the hand of the one will be raised against the hand of the other. ¹⁴ Even Judah will fight at Jerusalem. And the wealth of all the surrounding nations shall be collected, gold, silver, and garments in great abundance. ¹⁵ And a plague like this plague shall fall on the horses, the mules, the camels, the donkeys, and whatever beasts may be in those camps.

¹⁶ Then everyone who survives of all the nations that have come against Jerusalem shall go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Booths. ¹⁷ And if any of the families of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, there will be no rain on them. ¹⁸ And if the family of Egypt does not go up and present themselves, then on them there shall be no rain;Hebrew lacks rain there shall be the plague with which the Lord afflicts the nations that do not go up to keep the Feast of Booths. ¹⁹ This shall be the punishment to Egypt and the punishment to all the nations that do not go up to keep the Feast of Booths. ²⁰ And on that day there shall be inscribed on the bells of the horses, "Holy to the Lord." And the pots in the house of the Lord shall be as the bowls before the altar. ²¹ And every pot in Jerusalem and Judah shall be holy to the Lord of hosts, so that all who sacrifice may come and take of them and boil the meat of the sacrifice in them. And there shall no longer be a traderOr Canaanite in the house of the Lord of hosts on that day.

The Message

The Future Deliverance of Jerusalem

12¹ War Bulletin: ² "Watch for this: I'm about to turn Jerusalem into a cup of strong drink that will have the people who have set siege to Judah and Jerusalem staggering in a drunken stupor. ³ "On the Big Day, I'll turn Jerusalem into a huge stone blocking the way for everyone. All who try to lift it will rupture themselves. All the pagan nations will come together and try to get rid of it. ⁴ "On the Big Day" - this is God speaking - "I'll throw all the war horses into a crazed panic, and their riders along with them. But I'll keep my eye on Judah, watching out for her at the same time that I make the enemy horses go blind. ⁵ The families of Judah will then realize, 'Why, our leaders are strong and able through God-of-the-Angel-Armies, their personal God.' ⁶ "On the Big Day, I'll turn the families of Judah into something like a burning match in a tinder-dry forest, like a fiercely flaming torch in a barn full of hay. They'll burn up everything and everyone in sight - people to the right, people to the left - while Jerusalem fills up with people moving in and making themselves at home - home again in Jerusalem. ⁷ "I, God, will begin by restoring the common households of Judah so that the glory of David's family and the leaders in Jerusalem won't overshadow the ordinary people in Judah. ⁸ On the Big Day, I'll look after everyone who lives in Jerusalem so that the lowliest, weakest person will be as glorious as David and the family of David itself will be godlike, like the Angel of God leading the people.

⁹ "On the Big Day, I'll make a clean sweep of all the godless nations that fought against Jerusalem. ¹⁰ "Next I'll deal with the family of David and those who live in Jerusalem. I'll pour a spirit of grace and prayer over them. They'll then be able to recognize me as the One they so grievously wounded - that piercing spear-thrust! And they'll weep - oh, how they'll weep! Deep mourning as of a parent grieving the loss of the firstborn child. ¹¹ The lamentation in Jerusalem that day will be massive, as famous as the lamentation over Hadad-Rimmon on the fields of Megiddo: ¹² Everyone will weep and grieve, the land and everyone in it: The family of David off by itself and their women off by themselves; The family of Nathan off by itself and their women off by themselves; ¹³ The family of Levi off by itself and their women off by themselves; The family of Shimei off by itself and their women off by themselves; ¹⁴ And all the rest of the families off by themselves and their women off by themselves.

13¹ "On the Big Day, a fountain will be opened for the family of David and all the leaders of Jerusalem for washing away their sins, for scrubbing their stained and soiled lives clean. ² "On the Big Day" - this is God-of-the-Angel-Armies speaking - "I will wipe out the store-bought gods, erase their names from memory. People will forget they ever heard of them. And I'll get rid of the prophets who polluted the air with their diseased words. ³ If anyone dares persist in spreading diseased, polluting words, his very own parents will step in and say, 'That's it! You're finished! Your lies about God put everyone in danger,' and then they'll stab him to death in the very act of prophesying lies about God - his own parents, mind you! ⁴ "On the Big Day, the lying prophets will be publicly exposed and humiliated. Then they'll wish they'd never swindled people with their 'visions.' No more masquerading in prophet clothes. ⁵ But they'll deny they've even heard of such things: 'Me, a prophet? Not me. I'm a farmer - grew up on the farm.' ⁶ And if someone says, 'And so where did you get that black eye?' they'll say, 'I ran into a door at a friend's house.'

The Smiting of the LORD's Shepherd

⁷ "Sword, get moving against my shepherd, against my close associate!" Decree of God-of-the-Angel-Armies. "Kill the shepherd! Scatter the sheep! The back of my hand against even the lambs! ⁸ All across the country" - God's Decree - "two-thirds will be devastated and one-third survive. ⁹ I'll deliver the surviving third to the refinery fires. I'll refine them as silver is refined, test them for purity as gold is tested. Then they'll pray to me by name and I'll answer them personally. I'll say, 'That's my people.' They'll say, 'God - my God!'"

Jerusalem and the Nations

14¹ Note well: God's Judgment Day is on the way: "Plunder will be piled high and handed out. ² I'm bringing all the godless nations to war against Jerusalem - Houses plundered, women raped, Half the city taken into exile, the other half left behind." ³ But then God will march out against the godless nations and fight - a great war! ⁴ That's the Day he'll take his stand on the Mount of Olives, facing Jerusalem from the east. The Mount of Olives will be split right down the middle, from east to west, leaving a wide valley. Half the mountain will shift north, the other half south. ⁵ Then you will run for your lives down the valley, your escape route that will take you all the way to Azal. You'll run for your lives, just as you ran on the day of the great earthquake in the days of Uzziah, king of Judah. Then my God will arrive and all the holy angels with him. ⁶ What a Day that will be! No more cold nights - in fact, no more nights! ⁷ The Day is coming - the timing is God's - when it will be continuous day. Every evening will be a fresh morning.

⁸ What a Day that will be! Fresh flowing rivers out of Jerusalem, half to the eastern sea, half to the western sea, flowing year-round, summer and winter! ⁹ God will be king over all the earth, one God and only one. What a Day that will be! ¹⁰ The land will stretch out spaciously around Jerusalem - to Geba in the north and Rimmon in the south, with Jerusalem towering at the center, and the commanding city gates - Gate of Benjamin to First Gate to Corner Gate to Hananel Tower to the Royal Winery - ringing the city ¹¹ full of people. Never again will Jerusalem be totally destroyed. From now on it will be a safe city. ¹² But this is what will happen to all who fought against Jerusalem: God will visit them with a terrible plague. People's flesh will rot off their bones while they are walking around; their eyes will rot in their sockets and their tongues in their mouths; people will be dying on their feet! ¹³ Mass hysteria when that happens - total panic! Fellow soldiers fighting and killing each other - holy terror! ¹⁴ And then Judah will jump into the fray! ¹⁵ The plague will also hit the animals - horses, mules, camels, donkeys. Everything alive in the military camps will be hit by the plague.

¹⁶ All the survivors from the godless nations that fought against Jerusalem will travel to Jerusalem every year to worship the King, God-of-the-Angel-Armies, and celebrate the Feast of Booths. ¹⁷ If any of these survivors fail to make the annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem to worship the King, God-of-the-Angel-Armies, there will be no rain. ¹⁸ If the Egyptians don't make the pilgrimage and worship, there will be no rain for them. Every nation that does not go up to celebrate the Feast of Booths will be hit with the plague. ¹⁹ Egypt and any other nation that does not make pilgrimage to celebrate the Feast of Booths gets punished. ²⁰ On that Day, the Big Day, all the horses' harness bells will be inscribed "Holy to God." The cooking pots in the Temple of God will be as sacred as chalices and plates on the altar. ²¹ In fact, all the pots and pans in all the kitchens of Jerusalem and Judah will be holy to God-of-the-Angel-Armies. People who come to worship, preparing meals and sacrifices, will use them. On that Big Day there will be no buying or selling in the Temple of God-of-the-Angel-Armies.

New King James Version

The Future Deliverance of Jerusalem

12¹ The burden of the word of the Lord against Israel. Thus says the Lord, who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him: ² "Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem. ³ And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it. ⁴ In that day," says the Lord, "I will strike every horse with confusion, and its rider with madness; I will open My eyes on the house of Judah, and will strike every horse of the peoples with blindness. ⁵ And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, 'The inhabitants of Jerusalem are my strength in the Lord of hosts, their God.' ⁶ In that day I will make the governors of Judah like a firepan in the woodpile, and like a fiery torch in the sheaves; they shall devour all the surrounding peoples on the right hand and on the left, but Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place--Jerusalem. ⁷ "The Lord will save the tents of Judah first, so that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem shall not become greater than that of Judah. ⁸ In that day the Lord will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; the one who is feeble among them in that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the Angel of the Lord before them.

⁹ It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. ¹⁰ "And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn. ¹¹ In that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning at Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. ¹² And the land shall mourn, every family by itself: the family of the house of David by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan by itself, and their wives by themselves; ¹³ the family of the house of Levi by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of Shimei by itself, and their wives by themselves; ¹⁴ all the families that remain, every family by itself, and their wives by themselves.

13¹ "In that day a fountain shall be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness. ² "It shall be in that day," says the Lord of hosts, "that I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, and they shall no longer be remembered. I will also cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to depart from the land. ³ It shall come to pass that if anyone still prophesies, then his father and mother who begot him will say to him, 'You shall not live, because you have spoken lies in the name of the Lord.' And his father and mother who begot him shall thrust him through when he prophesies. ⁴ "And it shall be in that day that every prophet will be ashamed of his vision when he prophesies; they will not wear a robe of coarse hair to deceive. ⁵ But he will say, 'I am no prophet, I am a farmer; for a man taught me to keep cattle from my youth.' ⁶ And one will say to him, 'What are these wounds between your arms?' Then he will answer, 'Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.'

The Smiting of the LORD's Shepherd

⁷ "Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, Against the Man who is My Companion," Says the Lord of hosts. "Strike the Shepherd, And the sheep will be scattered; Then I will turn My hand against the little ones. ⁸ And it shall come to pass in all the land," Says the Lord, "That two-thirds in it shall be cut off and die, But one-third shall be left in it: ⁹ I will bring the one-third through the fire, Will refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, And I will answer them. I will say, 'This is My people'; And each one will say, 'The Lord is my God.' "

Jerusalem and the Nations

14¹ Behold, the day of the Lord is coming, And your spoil will be divided in your midst. ² For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem; The city shall be taken, The houses rifled, And the women ravished. Half of the city shall go into captivity, But the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city. ³ Then the Lord will go forth And fight against those nations, As He fights in the day of battle. ⁴ And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, Which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, From east to west, Making a very large valley; Half of the mountain shall move toward the north And half of it toward the south. ⁵ Then you shall flee through My mountain valley, For the mountain valley shall reach to Azal. Yes, you shall flee As you fled from the earthquake In the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Thus the Lord my God will come, And all the saints with You. ⁶ It shall come to pass in that day That there will be no light; The lights will diminish. ⁷ It shall be one day Which is known to the Lord-- Neither day nor night. But at evening time it shall happen That it will be light.

⁸ And in that day it shall be That living waters shall flow from Jerusalem, Half of them toward the eastern sea And half of them toward the western sea; In both summer and winter it shall occur. ⁹ And the Lord shall be King over all the earth. In that day it shall be-- "The Lord is one," And His name one. ¹⁰ All the land shall be turned into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem. Jerusalem shall be raised up and inhabited in her place from Benjamin's Gate to the place of the First Gate and the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananeel to the king's winepresses. ¹¹ The people shall dwell in it; And no longer shall there be utter destruction, But Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited. ¹² And this shall be the plague with which the Lord will strike all the people who fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh shall dissolve while they stand on their feet, Their eyes shall dissolve in their sockets, And their tongues shall dissolve in their mouths. ¹³ It shall come to pass in that day That a great panic from the Lord will be among them. Everyone will seize the hand of his neighbor, And raise his hand against his neighbor's hand; ¹⁴ Judah also will fight at Jerusalem. And the wealth of all the surrounding nations Shall be gathered together: Gold, silver, and apparel in great abundance. ¹⁵ Such also shall be the plague On the horse and the mule, On the camel and the donkey, And on all the cattle that will be in those camps. So shall this plague be.

¹⁶ And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. ¹⁷ And it shall be that whichever of the families of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, on them there will be no rain. ¹⁸ If the family of Egypt will not come up and enter in, they shall have no rain; they shall receive the plague with which the Lord strikes the nations who do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. ¹⁹ This shall be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. ²⁰ In that day "HOLINESS TO THE Lord" shall be engraved on the bells of the horses. The pots in the Lord's house shall be like the bowls before the altar. ²¹ Yes, every pot in Jerusalem and Judah shall be holiness to the Lord of hosts. Everyone who sacrifices shall come and take them and cook in them. In that day there shall no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the Lord of hosts.

New Living Translation

The Future Deliverance of Jerusalem

12¹ This message concerning the fate of Israel came from the Lord : "This message is from the Lord, who stretched out the heavens, laid the foundations of the earth, and formed the human spirit. ² I will make Jerusalem like an intoxicating drink that makes the nearby nations stagger when they send their armies to besiege Jerusalem and Judah. ³ On that day I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock. All the nations will gather against it to try to move it, but they will only hurt themselves. ⁴ "On that day," says the Lord, "I will cause every horse to panic and every rider to lose his nerve. I will watch over the people of Judah, but I will blind all the horses of their enemies. ⁵ And the clans of Judah will say to themselves, 'The people of Jerusalem have found strength in the Lord of Heaven's Armies, their God.' ⁶ "On that day I will make the clans of Judah like a flame that sets a woodpile ablaze or like a burning torch among sheaves of grain. They will burn up all the neighboring nations right and left, while the people living in Jerusalem remain secure. ⁷ "The Lord will give victory to the rest of Judah first, before Jerusalem, so that the people of Jerusalem and the royal line of David will not have greater honor than the rest of Judah. ⁸ On that day the Lord will defend the people of Jerusalem; the weakest among them will be as mighty as King David! And the royal descendants will be like God, like the angel of the Lord who goes before them!

⁹ For on that day I will begin to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. ¹⁰ "Then I will pour out a spirit of grace and prayer on the family of David and on the people of Jerusalem. They will look on me whom they have pierced and mourn for him as for an only son. They will grieve bitterly for him as for a firstborn son who has died. ¹¹ The sorrow and mourning in Jerusalem on that day will be like the great mourning for Hadad-rimmon in the valley of Megiddo. ¹² "All Israel will mourn, each clan by itself, and with the husbands separate from their wives. The clan of David will mourn alone, as will the clan of Nathan, ¹³ the clan of Levi, and the clan of Shimei. ¹⁴ Each of the surviving clans from Judah will mourn separately, and with the husbands separate from their wives.

13¹ "On that day a fountain will be opened for the dynasty of David and for the people of Jerusalem, a fountain to cleanse them from all their sins and impurity. ² "And on that day," says the Lord of Heaven's Armies, "I will erase idol worship throughout the land, so that even the names of the idols will be forgotten. I will remove from the land both the false prophets and the spirit of impurity that came with them. ³ If anyone continues to prophesy, his own father and mother will tell him, 'You must die, for you have prophesied lies in the name of the Lord .' And as he prophesies, his own father and mother will stab him. ⁴ "On that day people will be ashamed to claim the prophetic gift. No one will pretend to be a prophet by wearing prophet's clothes. ⁵ He will say, 'I'm no prophet; I'm a farmer. I began working for a farmer as a boy.' ⁶ And if someone asks, 'Then what about those wounds on your chest? ' he will say, 'I was wounded at my friends' house!'

The Smiting of the LORD's Shepherd

⁷ "Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, the man who is my partner," says the Lord of Heaven's Armies. "Strike down the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered, and I will turn against the lambs. ⁸ Two-thirds of the people in the land will be cut off and die," says the Lord . "But one-third will be left in the land. ⁹ I will bring that group through the fire and make them pure. I will refine them like silver and purify them like gold. They will call on my name, and I will answer them. I will say, 'These are my people,' and they will say, 'The Lord is our God.'"

Jerusalem and the Nations

14¹ Watch, for the day of the Lord is coming when your possessions will be plundered right in front of you! ² I will gather all the nations to fight against Jerusalem. The city will be taken, the houses looted, and the women raped. Half the population will be taken into captivity, and the rest will be left among the ruins of the city. ³ Then the Lord will go out to fight against those nations, as he has fought in times past. ⁴ On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem. And the Mount of Olives will split apart, making a wide valley running from east to west. Half the mountain will move toward the north and half toward the south. ⁵ You will flee through this valley, for it will reach across to Azal. Yes, you will flee as you did from the earthquake in the days of King Uzziah of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come, and all his holy ones with him. ⁶ On that day the sources of light will no longer shine, ⁷ yet there will be continuous day! Only the Lord knows how this could happen. There will be no normal day and night, for at evening time it will still be light.

⁸ On that day life-giving waters will flow out from Jerusalem, half toward the Dead Sea and half toward the Mediterranean, flowing continuously in both summer and winter. ⁹ And the Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day there will be one Lord -his name alone will be worshiped. ¹⁰ All the land from Geba, north of Judah, to Rimmon, south of Jerusalem, will become one vast plain. But Jerusalem will be raised up in its original place and will be inhabited all the way from the Benjamin Gate over to the site of the old gate, then to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the king's winepresses. ¹¹ And Jerusalem will be filled, safe at last, never again to be cursed and destroyed. ¹² And the Lord will send a plague on all the nations that fought against Jerusalem. Their people will become like walking corpses, their flesh rotting away. Their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths. ¹³ On that day they will be terrified, stricken by the Lord with great panic. They will fight their neighbors hand to hand. ¹⁴ Judah, too, will be fighting at Jerusalem. The wealth of all the neighboring nations will be captured-great quantities of gold and silver and fine clothing. ¹⁵ This same plague will strike the horses, mules, camels, donkeys, and all the other animals in the enemy camps.

¹⁶ In the end, the enemies of Jerusalem who survive the plague will go up to Jerusalem each year to worship the King, the Lord of Heaven's Armies, and to celebrate the Festival of Shelters. ¹⁷ Any nation in the world that refuses to come to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of Heaven's Armies, will have no rain. ¹⁸ If the people of Egypt refuse to attend the festival, the Lord will punish them with the same plague that he sends on the other nations who refuse to go. ¹⁹ Egypt and the other nations will all be punished if they don't go to celebrate the Festival of Shelters. ²⁰ On that day even the harness bells of the horses will be inscribed with these words: HOLY TO THE Lord . And the cooking pots in the Temple of the Lord will be as sacred as the basins used beside the altar. ²¹ In fact, every cooking pot in Jerusalem and Judah will be holy to the Lord of Heaven's Armies. All who come to worship will be free to use any of these pots to boil their sacrifices. And on that day there will no longer be traders in the Temple of the Lord of Heaven's Armies.