THE KING OF PEACE

I

The burden of the word of the LORD upon the land of Hadrach, and Damascus shall be its resting place: (for the LORD hath an eye upon men and upon all the tribes of Israel:) and Hamath also which bordereth thereon: Tyre and Zidon, though she is very wise. And Tyre did build herself a strong hold, and heaped up silver as the dust, and fine gold as the mire of the streets. Behold, the Lord will dispossess her, and he will smite her power in the sea; and she shall be devoured with fire. Ashkelon shall see it, and fear; Gaza also, and shall be sore pained : and Ekron, for her expectation shall be ashamed: and the king shall perish from Gaza, and Ashkelon shall not be inhabited. And a bastard race shall dwell in Ashdod, and I will cut off the pride of the Philistines. And I will take away his blood out of his mouth, and his abominations from between his teeth; and he also shall be a remnant for our God: and he shall be as a chieftain in Judah, and Ekron as a Jebusite. And I will encamp about mine

house as a garrison, that none pass through or return: and no oppressor shall pass through them any more: for now have I seen with mine eyes.

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion;
Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem :
Behold, thy King cometh unto thee:

He is just, and having salvation;
Lowly, and riding upon an ass,

Even upon a colt, the foal of an ass.

And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off; and he shall speak peace unto the nations: and his dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth. As for thee also, because of the blood of thy covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water. Return you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope: even today do I declare that I will render double unto thee. For I have bent Judah for me, I have filled the bow with Ephraim; and I will stir up thy sons, O Zion, against thy sons, O Greece, and will make thee as the sword of a mighty man.

And the LORD shall be seen over them,

And his arrow shall go forth as the lightning:
And the Lord GOD shall blow the trumpet,
And shall go with whirlwinds of the south.

The LORD of hosts shall defend them;

And they shall devour, and tread down the sling

stones;

And they shall drink, and make a noise as through

wine:

And they shall be filled like bowls, like the corners of the altar.

And the LORD their God shall save them in that day as the flock of his people:

For they shall be as the stones of a crown glittering upon his land.

For how great is their goodness, and how great is their beauty!

Corn shall make the young men flourish, and new wine the maids.

Ask ye of the LORD rain in the time of the latter rain, even of the LORD that maketh lightnings; and he shall give them showers of rain, to every one grass in the field. For the teraphim have spoken vanity, and the diviners have seen a lie; and the dreamers speak falsely, they comfort in vain: therefore they go their way like sheep, they are afflicted, because there is no shepherd. Mine anger

is kindled against the shepherds, and I will punish the he-goats for the LORD of hosts hath visited his flock the house of Judah, and shall make them as his goodly horse in the battle. From him shall come forth the corner stone, from him the nail, from him the battle bow, from him every exactor together. And they shall be as mighty men, treading down their enemies in the mire of the streets in the battle; and they shall fight, because the LORD is with them: and the riders on horses shall be confounded. And I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph, and I will bring them again, for I have mercy upon them; and they shall be as though I had not cast them off: for I am the LORD their God, and I will hear them. And they of Ephraim shall be like a mighty man, and their heart shall rejoice as through wine: yea, their children shall see it, and rejoice; their heart shall be glad in the LORD. I will hiss for them, and gather them; for I have redeemed them: and they shall increase as they have increased. And though I sow them among the peoples they shall remember me in far countries: and they shall live with their children, and shall return. I will bring them again also out of the land of Egypt, and gather them out of Assyria; and I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon; and place shall not be found for them. And he shall pass through the sea of affliction, and shall smite the sea of waves, and all the depths of the Nile shall dry up: and the

pride of Assyria shall be brought down, and the sceptre of Egypt shall depart away. And I will strengthen them in the LORD; and they shall walk up and down in his name, saith the LORD.

Open thy doors, O Lebanon,

That the fire may devour thy cedars!
Howl, O fir tree, for the cedar is fallen,
Because the goodly ones are spoiled!
Howl, O ye oaks of Bashan,

For the strong forest is come down!

A voice of the howling of the shepherds!
For their glory is spoiled.

A voice of the roaring of young lions!
For the pride of Jordan is spoiled.