A revelation.
The Word of YAHWEH1 is against the land of Hadrach,
And will rest upon Damascus;
For the eye of man
And of all the tribes of Israel is toward YAHWEH;
2And Hamath, also, which borders on it;
Tyre and Sidon, because they are very wise.
3Tyre built herself a stronghold,
And heaped up silver like the dust,
And fine gold like the mire of the streets.
4Behold, the Lord will dispossess her,
And he will strike her power in the sea;
And she will be devoured with fire.
5Ashkelon will see it, and fear;
Gaza also, and will writhe in agony;
As will Ekron, for her expectation will be disappointed;
And the king will perish from Gaza,
And Ashkelon will not be inhabited.
6Foriegners will dwell in Ashdod,
And I will cut off the pride of the Philistines.
7I will take away his blood out of his mouth,
And his abominations from between his teeth;
And he also will be a remnant for our God2;
And he will be as a chieftain in Judah,
And Ekron as a Jebusite.
8I will encamp around my House against the army,
That none pass through or return;
And no oppressor will pass through them any more:
For now I have seen with my eyes.
9Rejoice greatly, daughter of Al-Quds!3
Shout, daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your King comes to you!
He is righteous, and having salvation;
Humble, and riding on a donkey,
On a colt, the foal of a donkey.4
10I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim,
And the horse from Jerusalem;
And the battle bow will be cut off;
And he will speak peace to the nations:
And his dominion will be from sea to sea,
And from the River to the ends of the earth.
11As for you also,
Because of the blood of your covenant,
I have set free your prisoners from the pit in which is no water.
12Turn to the stronghold, you prisoners of hope!
Even today I declare that I will restore double to you.
13For indeed I bend Judah as a bow for me.
I have filled the bow with Ephraim;
And I will stir up your sons, Al-Quds,
Against your sons, Greece,
And will make you like the sword of a mighty man.
14YAHWEH will be seen over them;
And his arrow will flash like lightning;
And the Lord YAHWEH will blow the trumpet,
And will go with whirlwinds of the south.
15YAHWEH All-Powerful will defend them;
And they will destroy and overcome with sling-stones;
And they will drink, and roar as through wine;
And they will be filled like bowls,
Like the corners of the altar.
16YAHWEH their God will save them in that day as the flock of his people;
For they are like the jewels of a crown,
Lifted on high over his land.
17For how great is his goodness,
And how great is his beauty!
Grain will make the young men flourish,
And new wine the virgins.
- 9:1 YAHWEH, the name God revealed to Prophet Musa in the Taurat, Exodus 3:15 – God said moreover to Musa, “You shall tell Bani-Israel this, ‘YAHWEH, the God of your fathers, the God of Ibrahim, the God of Ishaq, and the God of Yaqub, has sent me to you.’ This is my Name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered to all generations.” ↩︎
- 9:7 God, English translation of elohim. Elohim (Hebrew) is related to allah (Arabic) and alaha (Syriac), all of which translate as “God,” and refer to the one true God. ↩︎
- 9:9 Al-Quds, meaning “the Holy (City).” The Hebrew text reads Zion, a synonym for Jerusalem. It originally referred to Mount Zion, one of the hills of Jerusalem. ↩︎
- 9:9 Quoted in the Injil, Matthew 21:5. This prophecy was fulfilled when Prophet ‘ISA Ibn Maryam rode into Jerusalem on a donkey as the scripture states. Matthew 21:1-11 says: When they drew near to Jerusalem, and came to Bethsphage, to the Mount of Olives, then ‘ISA sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village that is opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them, and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and immediately he will send them.” All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet, saying, “Tell the daughter of Al-Quds, behold, your King comes to you, humble, and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” The disciples went, and did just as ‘ISA commanded them, and brought the donkey and the colt, and laid their clothes on them; and he sat on them. A very great multitude spread their clothes on the road. Others cut branches from the trees, and spread them on the road. The multitudes who went before him, and who followed kept shouting, “Praise God for IBN DAWUD! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD! Praise God in the highest! When ‘ISA had come into Jerusalem, all the city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” The multitudes said, “This is the Prophet, ‘ISA, from Nazareth of Galilee.” ↩︎