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The Prophet Zechariah

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- Chapter 14 -

1
Behold, the days of the Lord will arrive, and your spoils will be divided in your midst.
2
And I will gather all the Gentiles in battle against Jerusalem, and the city will be captured, and the houses will be ravaged, and the women will be violated. And the central part of the city will go forth into captivity, and the remainder of the people will not be taken away from the city.(a) (b)
3
Then the Lord will go forth, and he will fight against those Gentiles, just as when he fought in the day of conflict.
4
And his feet will stand firm, in that day, upon the Mount of Olives, which is opposite Jerusalem towards the East. And the mount of Olives will be divided down its center part, towards the East and towards the West, with a very great rupture, and the center of the mountain will be separated towards the North, and its center towards the Meridian.(c)
5
And you will flee to the valley of those mountains, because the valley of the mountains will be joined all the way to the next. And you will flee, just as you fled from the face of the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. And the Lord my God will arrive, and all the saints with him.
6
And this shall be in that day: there will not be light, only cold and frost.(d)
7
And there will be one day, which is known to the Lord, not day and not night. And in the time of the evening, there will be light.(e)
8
And this shall be in that day: the living waters will go out from Jerusalem, half of them towards the East sea, and half of them towards the furthest sea. They will be in summer and in winter.(f)
9
And the Lord will be King over all the earth. In that day, there will be one Lord, and his name will be one.
10
And all the land will return even to the desert, from the hill of Rimmon to the South of Jerusalem. And she will be exalted, and she will dwell in her own place, from the gate of Benjamin even to the place of the former gate, and even to the gate of the corners, and from the tower of Hananel even to the pressing room of the king.(g) (h)
11
And they will dwell in it, and there will be no further anathema, but Jerusalem shall sit securely.
12
And this will be the plague by which the Lord will strike all the Gentiles that have fought against Jerusalem. The flesh of each one will waste away while they are standing on their feet, and their eyes will be consumed in their sockets, and their tongue will be consumed in their mouth.(i) (j)
13
In that day, there will be a great tumult from the Lord among them. And a man will take the hand of his neighbor, and his hand will be clasped upon the hand of his neighbor.
14
And even Judah will fight against Jerusalem. And the riches of all the Gentiles will be gathered together around them: gold, and silver, and more than enough garments.(k)
15
And, like the ruin of the horse, and the mule, and the camel, and the donkey, and all the beasts of burden, which will have been in those encampments, so will be this ruination.(l) (m)

All Nations Will Worship the King

(Leviticus 23:33–44; Nehemiah 8:13–18)
16
And all those who will be the remnant of all the Gentiles that came against Jerusalem, will go up, from year to year, to adore the King, the Lord of hosts, and to celebrate the feast of tabernacles.(n) (o)
17
And this shall be: whoever will not go up, from the families of the earth to Jerusalem, so as to adore the King, the Lord of hosts, there will be no showers upon them.
18
But if even the family of Egypt will go not up, nor approach, neither will it be upon them, but there will be ruin, by which the Lord will strike all the Gentiles, who will not go up to celebrate the feast of tabernacles.
19
This will be the sin of Egypt, and this will be the sin of all the Gentiles, who will not go up to celebrate the feast of tabernacles.
20
In that day, that which is on the bridle of the horse will be holy to the Lord. And even the cooking pots in the house of the Lord will be like holy vessels before the altar.(p) (q)
21
And every cooking pot in Jerusalem and Judah will be sanctified to the Lord of hosts. And all those who make sacrifices will come and take from them, and will cook with them. And the merchant will no longer be in the house of the Lord of hosts, in that day.(r)

Footnotes

(a)14:2 The ‘Gentiles’ in the context of the Church today, refers to unbelievers, not to non-Jews. The ‘central part of the city’ could also be translated as ‘half of the city,’ (but half in the looser sense, not a literal one half).(Conte)
(b)14:2 I will gather, etc:This seems to be a prophecy of what was done by Antiochus.(Challoner)
(c)14:4 The ‘center’ could also be translated as ‘half.’ The ‘Meridian’ is often translated as ‘South,’ but this is a less accurate translation, because there is another word in Latin ‘Auster,’ that means ‘South.’ Words for direction, when used to refer to a region rather than a mere direction, are capitalized, e.g.: travel south for many days, and then you will enter the land of the South.(Conte)
(d)14:6 No light:Viz., in that dismal time of persecution of Antiochus, when it was neither day nor night: (ver. 7) because they neither had the comfortable light of the day, nor the repose of the night.(Challoner)
(e)14:7 In the time of the evening there shall be light:An unexpected light shall arise by the means of the Machabees, when things shall seem to be at the worst.(Challoner)
(f)14:8 Living waters:Viz., the gospel of Christ.(Challoner)
(g)14:10 The word ‘torcularia’ refers to a winepress or an oil press or a pressing room.(Conte)
(h)14:10 All the land shall return, etc:This, in some measure, was verified by the means of the Machabees: but is rather to be taken in a spiritual sense, as relating to the propagation of the church, and kingdom of Christ, the true Jerusalem, which alone shall never fall under the anathema of destruction, or God’s curse.(Challoner)
(i)14:12 Compare the verb ‘tabescet’ to the verb ‘contabescent;’ the latter has the prefix ‘con’ which intensifies the verb. Their flesh wastes away, but not completely. Their eyes and tongue completely waste away.(Conte)
(j)14:12 The flesh of every one shall consume, etc:Such judgments as these have often fallen upon the persecutors of God’s church, as appears by many instances in history.(Challoner)
(k)14:14 Even Juda, etc:The carnal Jews, and other false brothers, shall join in persecuting the church.(Challoner)
(l)14:15 The word ‘castris’ often has a military connotation, as in a military encampment. The ruin of beast of burden, in the modern context, probably refers to the ruin of machinery (the modern-day beasts of burden), including the machinery used by the military.(Conte)
(m)14:15 Shall be like this destruction:That is, the beasts shall be destroyed as well as the men: the common soldiers as well as their leaders.(Challoner)
(n)14:16 They that shall be left, etc:That is, many of them that persecuted the church shall be converted to its faith and communion.(Challoner)
(o)14:16 To keep the feast of tabernacles:This feast was kept by the Jews in memory of their sojourning forty years in the desert, in their way to the land of promise. And in the spiritual sense is duly kept by all such Christians as in their earthly pilgrimage are continually advancing toward their true home, the heavenly Jerusalem; by the help of the sacraments and sacrifice of the church. And they that neglect this must not look for the kind showers of divine grace, to give fruitfulness to their souls.(Challoner)
(p)14:20 The word ‘lebetes’ refers to a kettle or a cooking pot or a sink or a wash basin. Clearly, this word refers to common vessels, not to holy containers used on an altar. Yet even these will be considered holy.(Conte)
(q)14:20 That which is upon the bridle, etc:The golden ornaments of the bridles, etc., shall be turned into offerings in the house of God. And there shall be an abundance of caldrons and phials for the sacrifices of the temple; by which is meant, under a figure, the great resort there shall be to the temple, that is, to the church of Christ, and her sacrifice.(Challoner)
(r)14:21 The merchant shall be no more, etc:Or, as some render it, The Chanaanite shall be no more, etc., that is, the profane and unbelievers shall have no title to be in the house of the Lord. Or there shall be no occasion for buyers or sellers of oxen, or sheep, or doves, in the house of God, such as Jesus Christ cast out of the temple.(Challoner)
1
Behold, a day of the LORD comes, when your plunder will be divided within you.
2
For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city will be taken, the houses rifled, and the women ravished. Half of the city will go out into captivity, and the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city.
3
Then the LORD will go out and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.
4
His feet will stand in that day on the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, making a very great valley. Half of the mountain will move toward the north, and half of it toward the south.
5
You shall flee by the valley of my mountains, for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azel. Yes, you shall flee, just like you fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. The LORD my God will come, and all the holy ones with you.(a)
6
It will happen in that day that there will not be light, cold, or frost.
7
It will be a unique day which is known to the LORD—not day, and not night; but it will come to pass that at evening time there will be light.
8
It will happen in that day that living waters will go out from Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea, and half of them toward the western sea. It will be so in summer and in winter.
9
The LORD will be King over all the earth. In that day the LORD will be one, and his name one.
10
All the land will be made like the Arabah, from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem; and she will be lifted up and will dwell in her place, from Benjamin’s gate to the place of the first gate, to the corner gate, and from the tower of Hananel to the king’s wine presses.
11
Men will dwell therein, and there will be no more curse; but Jerusalem will dwell safely.
12
This will be the plague with which the LORD will strike all the peoples who have fought against Jerusalem: their flesh will consume away while they stand on their feet, and their eyes will consume away in their sockets, and their tongue will consume away in their mouth.
13
It will happen in that day that a great panic from the LORD will be among them; and they will each seize the hand of his neighbor, and his hand will rise up against the hand of his neighbor.
14
Judah also will fight at Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the surrounding nations will be gathered together: gold, silver, and clothing, in great abundance.
15
A plague like this will fall on the horse, on the mule, on the camel, on the donkey, and on all the animals that will be in those camps.

All Nations Will Worship the King

(Leviticus 23:33–44; Nehemiah 8:13–18)
16
It will happen that everyone who is left of all the nations that came against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of Armies, and to keep the feast of booths.
17
It will be that whoever of all the families of the earth doesn’t go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of Armies, on them there will be no rain.
18
If the family of Egypt doesn’t go up and doesn’t come, neither will it rain on them. This will be the plague with which the LORD will strike the nations that don’t go up to keep the feast of booths.
19
This will be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that don’t go up to keep the feast of booths.
20
In that day there will be inscribed on the bells of the horses, “HOLY TO THE LORD”; and the pots in the LORD’s house will be like the bowls before the altar.
21
Yes, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah will be holy to the LORD of Armies; and all those who sacrifice will come and take of them, and cook in them. In that day there will no longer be a Canaanite (b) in the house of the LORD of Armies.

Footnotes

(a)14:5 Septuagint reads “him” instead of “you”.
(b)14:21 or, merchant
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