Online Bible

Yahweh’s Oracle Against Israel’s Enemies

The ¹oracle of the word of Yahweh is against the land of Hadrach, with ^aDamascus as its resting place (for the eyes of men, especially of all the tribes of Israel, are toward Yahweh),

2 And ^aHamath also, which borders on it;^bAnd Tyre and ^cSidon, ¹because ²they are ^dvery wise.3 So Tyre built herself a ^atight fortificationAnd ^btied up silver like dustAnd ^cfine gold like the mire of the streets.4 Behold, the Lord will ^adispossess herAnd strike her wealth down into the sea;And she will be ^bconsumed with fire.5 Ashkelon will see it and be afraid.Gaza too will writhe in great pain;Also Ekron, for her hope has been put to shame.Moreover, the king will perish from Gaza,And Ashkelon will not be inhabited.6 And those of illegitimate birth will inhabit ^aAshdod,And I will cut off the pride of the Philistines.7 And I will remove their blood from their mouthAnd their detestable things from between their teeth.Then they also will be a remnant for our God,And be like a ¹clan in Judah,And Ekron like a Jebusite.8 But I will camp around My house ¹because of an army,Because of ^ahim who passes by and returns;And ^bno taskmaster will pass over them anymore,For now I have seen with My eyes.

The Coming King of Zion

9 ^aRejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!Make a loud shout, O daughter of Jerusalem!Behold, your ^bking is coming to you;He is ¹^crighteous and ^dendowed with salvation,²^eLowly and mounted on a donkey,Even on a ³^fcolt, the ⁴foal of a pack animal.10 I will ^acut off the chariot from EphraimAnd the ^bhorse from Jerusalem;And the ^cbow of war will be cut off.And He will speak ^dpeace to the nations;And His ^ereign will be from sea to seaAnd from the ¹River to the ends of the earth.

11 As for you also, because of the ^ablood of your covenant,I have set your ^bprisoners free from the ¹waterless pit.12 Return to the ¹^astronghold, O prisoners ²who have the ^bhope;This very day I am declaring that I will return ^cdouble to you.13 For I will ^abend Judah ¹as My bow;I will fill the bow with Ephraim.And I will rouse up your sons, O Zion, against your sons, O ²^bGreece;And I will make you like a ^cmighty man’s sword.14 Then Yahweh will appear ^aover them,And His ^barrow will go forth like lightning;And Lord Yahweh will blow the ^ctrumpetAnd will go in the ^dstorm winds of the south.15 ^aYahweh of hosts will defend them.And they will ^bconsume and trample on the ^cstones of a sling;And they will drink and ^droar as with wine;And they will be filled like a sacrificial bowl,Drenched like the ^ecorners of the altar.16 And Yahweh their God will ^asave them in that dayAs the flock of His people;For they are as the stones of a ^bcrown,¹Sparkling in His land.17 For what ^agoodness and ^bwhat beauty will be ¹theirs!Grain will make the choice men flourish, and new wine the virgins.

Prophecies against Neighboring Nations

The ¹oracle (a burdensome message) of the word of the LORD is against the land of Hadrach in Syria, with ^aDamascus as its resting place (for the eyes of men, especially of all the tribes of Israel, are toward the LORD), Nah 1:1

2 And ^aHamath also, which borders on it (Damascus) ,^bTyre and ^cSidon, though they are ^dvery wise.3 For Tyre built herself an impregnable ^astronghold on an island offshore,And she has ^bheaped up silver like dustAnd ^cgold like the mire of the streets.4 Behold, the Lord will ¹^adispossess herAnd throw her wealth into the sea;And Tyre will be ^bdevoured by fire.5 ¹Ashkelon will see it and fear;Gaza will writhe in pain,And Ekron, for her hope and expectation, has been ruined.The king will perish from Gaza,And Ashkelon will not be inhabited.6 And a mongrel race will live in ^aAshdod,And I will put an end to the pride and arrogance of the Philistines.7 I will take the blood from their mouthsAnd their detestable things from between their teeth those repulsive, idolatrous sacrifices eaten with the blood.Then they too will be a remnant for our God,And be like a clan in Judah,And Ekron will be like one of the ¹Jebusites.8 Then I will camp around My house as a guard because of an army,Because of ^ahim who passes by and returns;And ^bno oppressor will again overrun them (Israel) ,For now My eyes are upon them providentially protecting them.9 ^aRejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion!Shout aloud, O Daughter of Jerusalem!Behold, your ^bKing (Messianic King) is coming to you;He is ^crighteous and ^dendowed with salvation,¹^eHumble and unassuming in submission to the will of the Father and riding on a ²donkey,Upon a ^fcolt, the foal of a donkey.10 I will ^acut off the war chariot from EphraimAnd the war ^bhorse from Jerusalem,And the ^cbow of war will be cut off.And He will speak words of ^dpeace to the nations,And His ^edominion shall be from sea to sea absolutely endless,And from the River Euphrates to the ends of the earth. Ps 72:8

Salvation of Judah and Ephraim

11 As for you also, because of the ^ablood of My covenant with you My chosen people, the covenant that was sealed with bloodI have freed your ^bprisoners from the waterless pit. Gen 37:24; Ex 24:4-8; Heb 9:1612 Return to the ^astronghold of security and prosperity, O prisoners who have the ^bhope;Even today I am declaring that I will restore ^cdouble your former prosperity to you as firstborn among nations. Ps 40:2; Is 40:213 For I will ^abend Judah as My bow,I will fit the bow with Ephraim as My arrow.And I will stir up your sons, O Zion, against your sons, O ^bGreece,And will make you Israel like the ^csword of a warrior.14 Then the LORD will be seen hovering ^aover them protecting His people,And His ^barrow will go forth like lightning;And the Lord GOD will blow the ^ctrumpetAnd will march in the ^dwindstorms of the south.15 ^aThe LORD of hosts shall defend and protect them;And they will ^bdevour the enemy and trample down the ^cslingstones that have missed their mark,And they will drink of victory and be ^dboisterous as with wine;And they shall be filled like sacrificial bowls used to catch the blood,Drenched like the ^ecorners of the sacrificial altar.16 And the LORD their God shall ^asave them on that dayAs the flock of His people;For they are like the precious jewels of a ^bcrown,Displayed and glittering in His land.17 For how great is God’s ^agoodness and how great is His ^bbeauty! And how great He will make Israel’s goodliness and Israel’s beauty!Grain and new wine will make the young men and virgins flourish.