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TORAH
FIVE BOOKS OF MOSES
NEVI'IM
PROPHETS
KETUVIM
WRITINGS

Zechariah - Chapter 12

Translation and Transliteration of 

Listen to this chapter in Hebrew:

1A pronouncement: The word of Hashem concerning Yisrael. The utterance of Hashem, Who stretched out the skies And made firm the earth, And created man's breath within him:

אמַשָּׂא דְבַר־יְהֹוָה עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵל נְאֻם־יְהֹוָה נֹטֶה שָׁמַיִם וְיֹסֵד אָרֶץ וְיֹצֵר רוּחַ־אָדָם בְּקִרְבּוֹ׃

2Behold, I will make Yerushalayim a bowl of reeling for the peoples all around. Yehuda shall be caught up in the siege upon Yerushalayim,

בהִנֵּה אָנֹכִי שָׂם אֶת־יְרוּשָׁלַ ִם סַף־רַעַל לְכָל־הָעַמִּים סָבִיב וְגַם עַל־יְהוּדָה יִהְיֶה בַמָּצוֹר עַל־יְרוּשָׁלָ ִם׃

3when all the nations of the earth gather against her. In that day, I will make Yerushalayim a stone for all the peoples to lift; all who lift it shall injure themselves.

v'-ha-YAH va-YOM ha-HU a-SEEM et y'-ru-sha-LA-im E-ven ma-a-ma-SAH l'-khol ha-a-MEEM kol o-m'-SE-ha sa-ROT yi-sa-RAY-tu v'-ne-es-FU a-LE-ha KOL go-YAY ha-A-retz

גוְהָיָה בַיּוֹם־הַהוּא אָשִׂים אֶת־יְרוּשָׁלַ ִם אֶבֶן מַעֲמָסָה לְכָל־הָעַמִּים כָּל־עֹמְסֶיהָ שָׂרוֹט יִשָּׂרֵטוּ וְנֶאֶסְפוּ עָלֶיהָ כֹּל גּוֹיֵי הָאָרֶץ׃

12:3 I will make Yerushalayim a stone for all the peoples to lift

Wheat fields in northern Israel.

Zecharya prophesies about a future attack against Yehuda by the nations of the world. In that attack, the nations will besiege Yerushalayim, Israel’s capital, only to be miraculously defeated by Yehuda. Hashem states that Yerushalayim will become “a stone for all the peoples to lift,” and “all who lift it shall injure themselves.” In ancient times, when heavy stones lay in a field, the farmers would have to remove them with great effort, often cutting themselves futilely, in order to plough. This verse means that the nations of the world that try to remove Yehuda and Yerushalayim will fail, injuring themselves while trying to destroy the holy city. Spiritually, Yerushalayim and Yisrael symbolize God and His word. Taking on Yerushalayim forces the nations to contend with Hashem and His goodness. Ultimately, they will be blocked from going off on their own path.

4In that day—declares Hashem—I will strike every horse with panic and its rider with madness. But I will watch over the House of Yehuda while I strike every horse of the peoples with blindness.

דבַּיּוֹם הַהוּא נְאֻם־יְהֹוָה אַכֶּה כָל־סוּס בַּתִּמָּהוֹן וְרֹכְבוֹ בַּשִּׁגָּעוֹן וְעַל־בֵּית יְהוּדָה אֶפְקַח אֶת־עֵינַי וְכֹל סוּס הָעַמִּים אַכֶּה בַּעִוָּרוֹן׃

5And the clans of Yehuda will say to themselves, “The dwellers of Yerushalayim are a task set for us by their God, the lord of Hosts.”

הוְאָמְרוּ אַלֻּפֵי יְהוּדָה בְּלִבָּם אַמְצָה לִי יֹשְׁבֵי יְרוּשָׁלַ ִם בַּיהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת אֱלֹהֵיהֶם׃

6In that day, I will make the clans of Yehuda like a flaming brazier among sticks and like a flaming torch among sheaves. They shall devour all the besieging peoples right and left; and Yerushalayim shall continue on its site, in Yerushalayim.

ובַּיּוֹם הַהוּא אָשִׂים אֶת־אַלֻּפֵי יְהוּדָה כְּכִיּוֹר אֵשׁ בְּעֵצִים וּכְלַפִּיד אֵשׁ בְּעָמִיר וְאָכְלוּ עַל־יָמִין וְעַל־שְׂמֹאול אֶת־כָּל־הָעַמִּים סָבִיב וְיָשְׁבָה יְרוּשָׁלַ ִם עוֹד תַּחְתֶּיהָ בִּירוּשָׁלָ ִם׃

7Hashem will give victory to the tents of Yehuda first, so that the glory of the House of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Yerushalayim may not be too great for Yehuda.

זוְהוֹשִׁיעַ יְהֹוָה אֶת־אָהֳלֵי יְהוּדָה בָּרִאשֹׁנָה לְמַעַן לֹא־תִגְדַּל תִּפְאֶרֶת בֵּית־דָּוִיד וְתִפְאֶרֶת יֹשֵׁב יְרוּשָׁלַ ִם עַל־יְהוּדָה׃

8In that day, Hashem will shield the inhabitants of Yerushalayim; and the feeblest of them shall be in that day like David, and the House of David like a divine being—like an angel of Hashem—at their head.

חבַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יָגֵן יְהֹוָה בְּעַד יוֹשֵׁב יְרוּשָׁלַ ִם וְהָיָה הַנִּכְשָׁל בָּהֶם בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא כְּדָוִיד וּבֵית דָּוִיד כֵּאלֹהִים כְּמַלְאַךְ יְהֹוָה לִפְנֵיהֶם׃

9In that day I will all but annihilate all the nations that came up against Yerushalayim.

טוְהָיָה בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא אֲבַקֵּשׁ לְהַשְׁמִיד אֶת־כָּל־הַגּוֹיִם הַבָּאִים עַל־יְרוּשָׁלָ ִם׃

10But I will fill the House of David and the inhabitants of Yerushalayim with a spirit of pity and compassion; and they shall lament to Me about those who are slain, wailing over them as over a favorite son and showing bitter grief as over a first-born.

יוְשָׁפַכְתִּי עַל־בֵּית דָּוִיד וְעַל יוֹשֵׁב יְרוּשָׁלַ ִם רוּחַ חֵן וְתַחֲנוּנִים וְהִבִּיטוּ אֵלַי אֵת אֲשֶׁר־דָּקָרוּ וְסָפְדוּ עָלָיו כְּמִסְפֵּד עַל־הַיָּחִיד וְהָמֵר עָלָיו כְּהָמֵר עַל־הַבְּכוֹר׃

11In that day, the wailing in Yerushalayim shall be as great as the wailing at Hadad-rimmon in the plain of Megiddon.

יאבַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יִגְדַּל הַמִּסְפֵּד בִּירוּשָׁלַ ִם כְּמִסְפַּד הֲדַדְ־רִמּוֹן בְּבִקְעַת מְגִדּוֹן׃

12The land shall wail, each family by itself: The family of the House of David by themselves, and their womenfolk by themselves; the family of the House of Natan by themselves, and their womenfolk by themselves;

יבוְסָפְדָה הָאָרֶץ מִשְׁפָּחוֹת מִשְׁפָּחוֹת לְבָד מִשְׁפַּחַת בֵּית־דָּוִיד לְבָד וּנְשֵׁיהֶם לְבָד מִשְׁפַּחַת בֵּית־נָתָן לְבָד וּנְשֵׁיהֶם לְבָד׃

13the family of the House of Levi by themselves, and their women-folk by themselves; the family of the Shim'ites by themselves, and their womenfolk by themselves;

יגמִשְׁפַּחַת בֵּית־לֵוִי לְבָד וּנְשֵׁיהֶם לְבָד מִשְׁפַּחַת הַשִּׁמְעִי לְבָד וּנְשֵׁיהֶם לְבָד׃

14and all the other families, every family by itself, with their womenfolk by themselves.

ידכֹּל הַמִּשְׁפָּחוֹת הַנִּשְׁאָרוֹת מִשְׁפָּחֹת מִשְׁפָּחֹת לְבָד וּנְשֵׁיהֶם לְבָד׃