War and Victory
1 The Lord will have his day. And when
it comes, everything that was ever taken from Jerusalem will be returned and
divided among its people. 2 But first, he will bring many nations to attack
Jerusalem—homes will be robbed, women raped, and half of the population
dragged off, though the others will be allowed to remain.
3 The Lord will attack those nations like a warrior
fighting in battle. 4 He will take his stand on the Mount of Olives east of
Jerusalem, and the mountain will split in half, forming a wide valley that runs
from east to west. 5 Then you people will escape from the Lord’s mountain,
through this valley, which reaches to Azal. You will run in all directions,
just as everyone did when the earthquake struck in the time of King Uzziah of
Judah. Afterwards, the Lord my God will appear with his holy angels.
6 It will be a bright day that won’t turn cloudy.
7 And the Lord has decided when it will happen—this time of unending day.
8 In both summer and winter, life-giving
streams will flow from Jerusalem, half of them to the Dead Sea in the east and
half to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. 9 Then there will be only one Lord
who rules as King and whose name is worshiped everywhere on earth.
10 From Geba down to Rimmon south of Jerusalem, the
entire country will be turned into flatlands, with Jerusalem still towering
above. Then the city will be full of people, from Benjamin Gate, Old Gate Place,
and Hananel Tower in the northeast part of the city over to Corner Gate in the
northwest and down to King’s Wine Press in the south. Jerusalem will always
be secure and will never again be destroyed.
12 Here is what the Lord will do to those who attack
Jerusalem: While they are standing there, he will make their flesh rot and their
eyes fall from their sockets and their tongues drop out. 13 The Lord will make
them go into a frenzy and start attacking each other, 14 until even the people
of Judah turn against those in Jerusalem. This same terrible disaster will also
strike every animal nearby, including horses, mules, camels, and donkeys. Finally,
everything of value in the surrounding nations will be collected and brought
to Jerusalem—gold, silver, and piles of clothing.
16 Afterwards, the survivors from those
nations that attacked Jerusalem will go there each year to worship the King,
the Lord All-Powerful, and to celebrate the Festival of Shelters. 17 No rain
will fall on the land of anyone in any country who refuses to go to Jerusalem
to worship the King, the Lord All-Powerful. 18 This horrible disaster will strike
the Egyptians and everyone else who refuses to go there for the celebration.
20 At that time the words “Dedicated to the Lord”
will be engraved on the bells worn by horses. In fact, every ordinary cooking
pot in Jerusalem will be just as sacred to the Lord All-Powerful as the bowls
used at the altar. Any one of them will be acceptable for boiling the meat of
sacrificed animals, and there will no longer be a need to sell special pots
and bowls.