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Zechariah 12
Expanded Bible
Zechariah 12
Expanded Bible
Jerusalem Will Be Saved
12 ·This message is [The oracle/burden of] the word of the Lord ·to [or concerning] Israel. This is what the Lord says, who stretched out the ·skies [heavens], and laid the foundations of the earth [Gen. 1], and ·put [forms] the human spirit within: 2 “I will make Jerusalem like a cup of ·poison [staggering; reeling; drunkenness] to the nations around her. They will come and ·attack [besiege] Jerusalem and Judah. 3 ·One [L And it shall be on that] day all the nations on earth will come together to attack Jerusalem, but I will make it like a ·heavy [immovable] rock; anyone who tries to ·move [carry] it will ·get hurt [be injured]. 4 At that time I will ·confuse [strike with panic] every horse and cause its rider to go crazy,” says the Lord. “I will ·watch over [L open my eyes to] the ·people [L house] of Judah, but I will blind all the horses of the ·enemies [nations; peoples]. 5 Then the ·leaders [or clans] of Judah will say to themselves, ‘The ·people [inhabitants] of Jerusalem are strong, because the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] is their God.’
6 “At that time I will make the ·leaders [or clans] of Judah like a ·fire burning [firepot on] a stack of wood or like a ·fire burning straw [burning torch among sheaves]. They will ·destroy [consume; devour] all the people around them left and right. But the people of Jerusalem will remain ·safe [L settled in their place].
7 “The Lord will save the ·homes [L tents] of Judah first so that the ·honor given to [glory of] ·David’s family [L the house of David] and to the people of Jerusalem won’t be greater than the ·honor given to [glory of] Judah [C the defenseless countryside would be saved before the fortified city, showing the victory was due to the Lord]. 8 ·At that time [L On that day] the Lord will ·protect [defend] the people in Jerusalem. Then even the weakest of them will be strong like David. And the ·family [house] of David will be like God, like ·an [or the] angel of the Lord in front of them [Gen. 48:16; Ex. 14:19; 23:20]. 9 ·At that time [L On that day] I will ·go [set out; begin] to destroy all the nations that attack Jerusalem.
Crying for the One They Pierced
10 “I will pour out on ·David’s family [L the house of David] and the ·people in [inhabitants of] Jerusalem a spirit of ·kindness [grace] and ·mercy [prayer; supplication]. They will look at me, the one they have ·stabbed [pierced], and they will ·cry [L mourn/lament for him] like someone ·crying [mourning; lamenting] over the death of an only ·child [son]. They will ·be as sad [grieve bitterly] as someone who has lost a firstborn son. 11 ·At that time [L On that day] there will be much crying in Jerusalem, like the crying for Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo [C either where Judah mourned the death of king Josiah (2 Chr. 35:25), or ritualistic mourning associated with the Canaanite storm god (Ezek. 8:14; 2 Kin. 5:18)]. 12 The land will ·cry [mourn], each ·family [clan] by itself: the ·family [clan] of [L the house of] David by itself and their wives by themselves, the ·family [clan] of Nathan [2 Sam. 5:14] by itself and their wives by themselves, 13 the ·family [clan] of Levi [Num. 3:17–18, 21] by itself and their wives by themselves, the ·family [clan] of Shimei [C a clan of Levites; Ex. 6:16–17] by itself and their wives by themselves, 14 and all the rest of the ·families [clans] by themselves and their wives by themselves.
Zechariah 12
New International Version
Zechariah 12
New International Version
Jerusalem’s Enemies to Be Destroyed
12 A prophecy:(A) The word of the Lord concerning Israel.
The Lord, who stretches out the heavens,(B) who lays the foundation of the earth,(C) and who forms the human spirit within a person,(D) declares: 2 “I am going to make Jerusalem a cup(E) that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling.(F) Judah(G) will be besieged as well as Jerusalem. 3 On that day, when all the nations(H) of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock(I) for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure(J) themselves. 4 On that day I will strike every horse with panic and its rider with madness,” declares the Lord. “I will keep a watchful eye over Judah, but I will blind all the horses of the nations.(K) 5 Then the clans of Judah will say in their hearts, ‘The people of Jerusalem are strong,(L) because the Lord Almighty is their God.’
6 “On that day I will make the clans of Judah like a firepot(M) in a woodpile, like a flaming torch among sheaves. They will consume(N) all the surrounding peoples right and left, but Jerusalem will remain intact(O) in her place.
7 “The Lord will save the dwellings of Judah first, so that the honor of the house of David and of Jerusalem’s inhabitants may not be greater than that of Judah.(P) 8 On that day the Lord will shield(Q) those who live in Jerusalem, so that the feeblest(R) among them will be like David, and the house of David will be like God,(S) like the angel of the Lord going before(T) them. 9 On that day I will set out to destroy all the nations(U) that attack Jerusalem.(V)
Mourning for the One They Pierced
10 “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit[a](W) of grace and supplication.(X) They will look on[b] me, the one they have pierced,(Y) and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child,(Z) and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.(AA) 11 On that day the weeping(AB) in Jerusalem will be as great as the weeping of Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo.(AC) 12 The land will mourn,(AD) each clan by itself, with their wives by themselves: the clan of the house of David and their wives, the clan of the house of Nathan and their wives, 13 the clan of the house of Levi and their wives, the clan of Shimei and their wives, 14 and all the rest of the clans and their wives.(AE)
Footnotes
- Zechariah 12:10 Or the Spirit
- Zechariah 12:10 Or to
Zechariah 12
King James Version
Zechariah 12
King James Version
12 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 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 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 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 apart, and their wives apart;
14 All the families that remain, every family apart, and their wives apart.
Expanded Bible (EXB)
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New International Version (NIV) 
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