THE LORD WILL CARE FOR HIS FLOCK
Key verse: 3
NIV
The Lord Will Care for Judah
10 Ask the Lord for rain in the springtime;
it is the Lord who sends the thunderstorms.
He gives showers of rain(A) to all people,
and plants of the field(B) to everyone.
2 The idols(C) speak deceitfully,
diviners(D) see visions that lie;
they tell dreams(E) that are false,
they give comfort in vain.(F)
Therefore the people wander like sheep
oppressed for lack of a shepherd.(G)
3 “My anger burns against the shepherds,
and I will punish the leaders;(H)
for the Lord Almighty will care
for his flock, the people of Judah,
and make them like a proud horse in battle.(I)
4 From Judah will come the cornerstone,(J)
from him the tent peg,(K)
from him the battle bow,(L)
from him every ruler.
5 Together they[a] will be like warriors in battle
trampling their enemy into the mud of the streets.(M)
They will fight because the Lord is with them,
and they will put the enemy horsemen to shame.(N)
6 “I will strengthen(O) Judah
and save the tribes of Joseph.
I will restore them
because I have compassion(P) on them.(Q)
They will be as though
I had not rejected them,
for I am the Lord their God
and I will answer(R) them.
7 The Ephraimites will become like warriors,
and their hearts will be glad as with wine.(S)
Their children will see it and be joyful;
their hearts will rejoice(T) in the Lord.
8 I will signal(U) for them
and gather them in.
Surely I will redeem them;
they will be as numerous(V) as before.
9 Though I scatter them among the peoples,
yet in distant lands they will remember me.(W)
They and their children will survive,
and they will return.
10 I will bring them back from Egypt
and gather them from Assyria.(X)
I will bring them to Gilead(Y) and Lebanon,
and there will not be room(Z) enough for them.
11 They will pass through the sea of trouble;
the surging sea will be subdued
and all the depths of the Nile will dry up.(AA)
Assyria’s pride(AB) will be brought down
and Egypt’s scepter(AC) will pass away.(AD)
12 I will strengthen(AE) them in the Lord
and in his name they will live securely,(AF)”
declares the Lord.
Footnotes
- Zechariah 10:5 Or ruler, all of them together. / 5 They
Cross references
- Zechariah 10:1 : S Lev 26:4; S 1Ki 8:36; S Ps 104:13; S 135:7
- Zechariah 10:1 : S Job 14:9
- Zechariah 10:2 : Eze 21:21
- Zechariah 10:2 : S Isa 44:25
- Zechariah 10:2 : Jer 23:16
- Zechariah 10:2 : S Isa 40:19
- Zechariah 10:2 : S Nu 27:17; S Jer 23:1; S Hos 3:4; S Mt 9:36
- Zechariah 10:3 : Isa 14:9; S Jer 25:34
- Zechariah 10:3 : S Eze 34:8-10
- Zechariah 10:4 : S Ps 118:22; S Ac 4:11
- Zechariah 10:4 : S Isa 22:23
- Zechariah 10:4 : S Zec 9:10
- Zechariah 10:5 : S 2Sa 22:43; S Mic 7:10
- Zechariah 10:5 : S Am 2:15; S Mic 5:8; Hag 2:22; Zec 12:4
- Zechariah 10:6 : S Eze 30:24
- Zechariah 10:6 : S Ps 102:13; S Isa 14:1
- Zechariah 10:6 : S Eze 36:37; 37:19; S Zec 8:7-8
- Zechariah 10:6 : Ps 34:17; Isa 58:9; 65:24; Zec 13:9
- Zechariah 10:7 : Zec 9:15
- Zechariah 10:7 : S 1Sa 2:1; S Isa 60:5; S Joel 2:23
- Zechariah 10:8 : Isa 5:26
- Zechariah 10:8 : S Jer 33:22; S Eze 36:11
- Zechariah 10:9 : S Isa 44:21; S Eze 6:9
- Zechariah 10:10 : S Isa 11:11; S Zec 8:8
- Zechariah 10:10 : S Jer 50:19
- Zechariah 10:10 : S Isa 49:19
- Zechariah 10:11 : Isa 19:5-7; S 51:10
- Zechariah 10:11 : Zep 2:13
- Zechariah 10:11 : Eze 30:13
- Zechariah 10:11 : Eze 29:15
- Zechariah 10:12 : S Eze 30:24
- Zechariah 10:12 : S Mic 4:5
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway
ESV
The Restoration for Judah and Israel
10 Ask rain (A)from the Lord
in the season of (B)the spring rain,
from the Lord (C)who makes the storm clouds,
and (D)he will give them showers of rain,
to everyone the vegetation in the field.
2 For (E)the household gods (F)utter nonsense,
and the diviners see lies;
(G)they tell false dreams
and give empty consolation.
Therefore (H)the people wander like sheep;
they are afflicted for lack of a shepherd.
3 (I)“My anger is hot against the shepherds,
and (J)I will punish the leaders;[a]
for (K)the Lord of hosts cares for his flock, the house of Judah,
and will make them like his majestic steed in battle.
4 From him shall come (L)the cornerstone,
from him (M)the tent peg,
from him the battle bow,
from him every ruler—(N)all of them together.
5 They shall be like mighty men in battle,
(O)trampling the foe in the mud of the streets;
they shall fight because the Lord is with them,
and they shall put to shame (P)the riders on horses.
6 (Q)“I will strengthen the house of Judah,
and (R)I will save the house of Joseph.
(S)I will bring them back (T)because I have compassion on them,
and they shall be as though I had not rejected them,
for (U)I am the Lord their God and I will answer them.
7 Then Ephraim shall become like a mighty warrior,
and (V)their hearts shall be glad as with wine.
Their children shall see it and be glad;
their hearts shall rejoice in the Lord.
8 (W)“I will whistle for them and (X)gather them in,
for I have redeemed them,
and (Y)they shall be as many as they were before.
9 (Z)Though I scattered them among the nations,
yet in far countries (AA)they shall remember me,
and with their children they shall live and return.
10 (AB)I will bring them home from the land of Egypt,
and gather them from Assyria,
and (AC)I will bring them to the land of Gilead and to Lebanon,
(AD)till there is no room for them.
11 (AE)He shall pass through the sea of troubles
and strike down the waves of the sea,
(AF)and all the depths of the Nile shall be dried up.
The pride of Assyria shall be laid low,
and (AG)the scepter of Egypt shall depart.
12 (AH)I will make them strong in the Lord,
and (AI)they shall walk in his name,”
declares the Lord.
Footnotes
- Zechariah 10:3 Hebrew the male goats
Cross references
- Zechariah 10:1 : Jer. 14:22
- Zechariah 10:1 : See Deut. 11:14
- Zechariah 10:1 : Ps. 135:7
- Zechariah 10:1 : Ezek. 34:26
- Zechariah 10:2 : See Gen. 31:19
- Zechariah 10:2 : Hab. 2:18
- Zechariah 10:2 : Jer. 23:25
- Zechariah 10:2 : Ezek. 34:5, 6
- Zechariah 10:3 : [Ezek. 34:10]
- Zechariah 10:3 : [Ezek. 34:17]
- Zechariah 10:3 : Zeph. 2:7
- Zechariah 10:4 : [Ps. 118:22]
- Zechariah 10:4 : Isa. 22:23
- Zechariah 10:4 : [ch. 9:8]
- Zechariah 10:5 : [ch. 9:15]
- Zechariah 10:5 : [Ps. 20:7]
- Zechariah 10:6 : [ver. 12]
- Zechariah 10:6 : ch. 8:7, 13
- Zechariah 10:6 : [Jer. 3:18]
- Zechariah 10:6 : Isa. 14:1
- Zechariah 10:6 : ch. 13:9
- Zechariah 10:7 : ch. 9:15
- Zechariah 10:8 : Isa. 5:26
- Zechariah 10:8 : Jer. 31:10, 11; See Hos. 1:11
- Zechariah 10:8 : Ezek. 36:10, 11, 37
- Zechariah 10:9 : [Hos. 2:23]
- Zechariah 10:9 : Ezek. 6:9; See Deut. 30:1-3
- Zechariah 10:10 : Isa. 11:11; 27:13; Hos. 11:11
- Zechariah 10:10 : [Mic. 7:14]
- Zechariah 10:10 : Isa. 49:20
- Zechariah 10:11 : Isa. 11:15
- Zechariah 10:11 : [Amos 8:8]
- Zechariah 10:11 : Ezek. 30:13
- Zechariah 10:12 : [ver. 6]
- Zechariah 10:12 : Mic. 4:5
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway
1. Shepherdless people (1-3)
When there are no shepherds, people wander without direction; they are easy prey for oppressors. Idols plant false hope and diviners give false direction and false comfort. But the Lord is a Good Shepherd. He sends rain in the springtime.
2. From Judah will come the cornerstone (4-12)
The cornerstone from Judah is the Messiah--Jesus. He is God who comes personally to lead his people. He is a shepherd who strengthens and saves and restores his people. He is compassionate. The people of Israel rejected God and worshiped idols after they entered the Promised Land. So God punished them by scattering them throughout the world. But God never gives up. He looks forward to the time when his people will repent and return to him. He welcomes and restores all who come to him.
Prayer: Lord, raise up shepherds and Bible teachers for these shepherdless times. Come and be the cornerstone of your church and of our lives.
One Word: The Lord is my shepherd