I will make you and the woman
enemies to each other.
Your children and her children
will be enemies.
You will bite her child’s foot,
but he will crush your head.”
Men from Judah’s family will be kings.
The sign that his family rules
will not leave his family,
before the real king comes. [257] Then many people will obey
and serve him.
After this the people of Israel will come back. Then they will look for the Lord their God, and for David their king. In the last days, they will come to honor the Lord and his goodness.
But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,\par are the smallest town in Judah.\par Your family is almost too small to count.\par But the “Ruler of Israel”\par will come from you for me.\par His beginnings {\cf2\super [60]} are from ancient times,\par from long, long ago.\par
I will shake up the nations, and they will come to you with wealth from every nation. And then I will fill this temple {\cf2\super [7]} with glory. The Lord All-Powerful is saying these things!
City of Zion, rejoice!\par People of Jerusalem, shout with joy!\par Look, your king is coming to you!\par He is the good king that won the victory.\par But he is humble.\par He is riding on a donkey,\par on a young donkey\par born from a work animal.\par
The Lord All-Powerful says, “I am sending my messenger to prepare the way for me. Then suddenly, the Master you are looking for will come to his temple. {\cf2\super [16]} Yes, the messenger of the \{New\} Agreement that you want really is coming!
“But, for my followers, goodness will shine on you like the rising sun. And it will bring healing power like the sun’s rays. You will be free and happy, like calves freed from their stalls. {\cf2\super [21]}
“I see the Lord coming, but not now.
I see him coming, but not soon.
A star will come from
the family of Jacob. [301] A new ruler will come from
the people of Israel.
That ruler will crush the heads
of the Moabite people.
That ruler will crush the heads
of all the sons of Sheth. [302]
“Tell the city of Zion,\par ‘Now your king is coming to you.\par He is humble and he is riding on a donkey.\par He is riding on a young donkey,\par born from a work animal.’”\par \i (Zechariah 9:9)\i0 \par
The people saw this miracle {\cf2\super [84]} that Jesus did. The people said, “He must truly be the Prophet {\cf2\super [85]} that is coming into the world.”
But many of the people believed in Jesus. The people said, “We are waiting for the Christ {\cf2\super [111]} to come. When the Christ comes, will he do more miracles {\cf2\super [112]} than this man (Jesus) has done? No! \{So this man must be the Christ.\}”