מַשָּׂא דְבַר־ה' עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵל נְאֻם־ה' נֹטֶה שָׁמַיִם וְיֹסֵד אָרֶץ וְיֹצֵר רוּחַ־אָדָם בְּקִרְבּוֹ

The prophecy of the word of the Lord concerning Israel. The utterance of the Lord, who spread the heavens, and laid the foundation of the earth, as He created and controls the entire world, not only the larger systems, and formed the spirit of man within him, and cares for each and every person individually:

הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי שָׂם אֶת־יְרוּשָׁלִַם סַף רַעַל לְכָל־הָעַמִּים סָבִיב וְגַם עַל־יְהוּדָה יִהְיֶה בַמָּצוֹר עַל־יְרוּשָׁלִָם

Behold, I will render Jerusalem a cup of poison for all the surrounding peoples. There will come a day when Jerusalem, itself in travail, will serve as a cup of bitterness, that is, a focal point for the suffering of all those who attempt to provoke and fight it. And it will also be incumbent upon Judah to be in the siege against Jerusalem. Judah will be obligated to join the siege against Jerusalem.

וְהָיָה בַיּוֹם־הַהוּא אָשִׂים אֶת־יְרוּשָׁלִַם אֶבֶן מַעֲמָסָה לְכָל־הָעַמִּים כָּל־עֹמְסֶיהָ שָׂרוֹט יִשָּׂרֵטוּ וְנֶאֶסְפוּ עָלֶיהָ כֹּל גּוֹיֵי הָאָרֶץ

It shall be on that day, I will render Jerusalem a stone of heavy burden for all the peoples; all its bearers, who attempt to lift that stone, will be lacerated, and all the nations of the earth will gather against it in order to remove it, as it will be a stumbling block for all the nations.

בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא נְאֻם־ה' אַכֶּה כָל־סוּס בַּתִּמָּהוֹן וְרֹכְבוֹ בַּשִּׁגָּעוֹן ועַל־בֵּית יְהוּדָה אֶפְקַח אֶת־עֵינַי וְכֹל סוּס הָעַמִּים אַכֶּה בַּעִוָּרוֹן

On that day – the utterance of the Lord – I will strike every horse with confusion, and its rider with madness. The horses will become confused, while their riders will lose their sanity and be unable to wage war. And in contrast, I will open My eyes toward the house of Judah, to protect them, and every horse of the peoples who rise up against Israel I will strike with blindness. Jerusalem will be isolated, as foreign nations will arrive and force the inhabitants of Judah to join the war against the city.

וְאָמְרוּ אַלֻּפֵי יְהוּדָה בְּלִבָּם אַמְצָה לִי יֹשְׁבֵי יְרוּשָׁלִַם בַּה' צְבָאוֹת אֱלֹהֵיהֶם

Then the chieftains of Judah, who did not really want this war, will say in their heart: Strengthen for me, inhabitants of Jerusalem, in the Lord of hosts their God. We hope that the residents of Jerusalem will be strengthened, and that the siege fails.

בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא אָשִׂים אֶת־אַלֻּפֵי יְהוּדָה כְּכִיּוֹר אֵשׁ בְּעֵצִים וּכְלַפִּיד אֵשׁ בְּעָמִיר וְאָכְלוּ עַל־יָמִין וְעַל־שְׂמֹאול אֶת־כָּל־הָעַמִּים סָבִיב וְיָשְׁבָה יְרוּשָׁלִַם עוֹד תַּחְתֶּיהָ בִּירוּשָׁלִָם

On that day I will render the chieftains of Judah like a pan or pot of fire burning in the wood, like a torch of fire alight in sheaves, and they will consume right and left all the surrounding peoples, and Jerusalem will again sit in its place, permanently, in Jerusalem. The residents of the city will neither be removed nor exiled.

וְהוֹשִׁעַ ה' אֶת־אָהֳלֵי יְהוּדָה בָּרִאשֹׁנָה לְמַעַן לֹא־תִגְדַּל תִּפְאֶרֶת בֵּית־דָּוִיד וְתִפְאֶרֶת יֹשֵׁב יְרוּשָׁלִַם עַל־יְהוּדָה

The Lord will save the tents of Judah first, and give them strength, so that the splendor of the house of David, which comprised not only the immediate royal family but all the descendants of the royal line, who apparently formed a distinct, powerful group, and the splendor of the inhabitants of Jerusalem will not be ascendant over Judah. This indicates that there was a competition of sorts between the inhabitants of Judah and those of Jerusalem.

בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יָגֵן ה' בְּעַד יוֹשֵׁב יְרוּשָׁלִַם וְהָיָה הַנִּכְשָׁל בָּהֶם בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא כְּדָוִיד וּבֵית דָּוִיד כֵּאלֹהִים כְּמַלְאַךְ ה' לִפְנֵיהֶם

On that day, the Lord will protect the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the weak among them, their weakest members, on that day will be mighty like David, and the house of David shall be like a divine being, like the angel of the Lord that marches before them.

וְהָיָה בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא אֲבַקֵּשׁ לְהַשְׁמִיד אֶת־כָּל־הַגּוֹיִם הַבָּאִים עַל־יְרוּשָׁלִָם

It shall be on that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem to besiege the city.

וְשָׁפַכְתִּי עַל־בֵּית דָּוִיד וְעַל יוֹשֵׁב יְרוּשָׁלִַם רוּחַ חֵן וְתַחֲנוּנִים וְהִבִּיטוּ אֵלַי אֵת אֲשֶׁר־דָּקָרוּ וְסָפְדוּ עָלָיו כְּמִסְפֵּד עַל הַיָּחִיד וְהָמֵר עָלָיו כְּהָמֵר עַל־הַבְּכוֹר

I will pour a spirit of grace and supplication upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, as they will turn to Me in prayer. And they will look to Me because of the one who was stabbed; the enemies stabbed to death a certain unnamed person; and they, the residents of Jerusalem, will lament for him, like the lamentation over an only child, and be embittered over him, as one is embittered over his firstborn who has passed away; this death will evoke more than the ordinary sorrow over the loss of a loved one.

בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יִגְדַּל הַמִּסְפֵּד בִּירוּשָׁלִַם כְּמִסְפַּד הֲדַדְרִמּוֹן בְּבִקְעַת מְגִדּוֹן

On that day, the lamentation in Jerusalem will be great like the lamentation of Hadad Rimon in the valley of Megidon, a known event at that time. Since the person who will be killed is a hero of Israel or a king, there will be a public lamentation.

וְסָפְדָה הָאָרֶץ מִשְׁפָּחוֹת מִשְׁפָּחוֹת לְבָד מִשְׁפַּחַת בֵּית־דָּוִיד לְבָד וּנְשֵׁיהֶם לְבָד מִשְׁפַּחַת בֵּית־נָתָן לְבָד וּנְשֵׁיהֶם לְבָד

The land will lament, each family alone. Each of the many families that will gather together will sit by itself, in an organized, modest manner: The family of the house of David alone, and their women alone, as the men and women will mourn separately; the family of the house of Natan alone, and their women alone. The identity of the house of Natan is unknown. It is also unclear whether these families existed at the time of the prophecy, or are from the distant past or future.

מִשְׁפַּחַת בֵּית־לֵוִי לְבָד וּנְשֵׁיהֶם לְבָד מִשְׁפַּחַת הַשִּׁמְעִי לְבָד וּנְשֵׁיהֶם לְבָד

The family of the house of Levi alone, and their women alone; the family of the Shimiites alone, and their women alone. These are apparently noble families of Jerusalem, such as the royal house, the house of priests, and the like.

כֹּל הַמִּשְׁפָּחוֹת הַנִּשְׁאָרוֹת מִשְׁפָּחֹת מִשְׁפָּחֹת לְבָד וּנְשֵׁיהֶם לְבָד

Other families will also participate in the mourning: All the families not listed here that remain, each family alone, and their women alone.