Humanitext Reader

Septuagint · Zechariah §10.1-10.12

Promise of Rain and the Restoration of the Scattered

Passage 10 of 14 · Greek

Summary

The prophet urges the people to ask the Lord for rain rather than trusting false diviners, promising that the Lord will strengthen, gather, and restore the scattered people of Judah and Ephraim from all nations.

§10.1Αἰτεῖσθε παρὰ Κυρίου ὑετὸν καθʼ ὥραν, πρόιμον καὶ ὄψιμον· Κύριος ἐποίησεν φαντασίας, καὶ ὑετὸν χειμερινὸν δώσει αὐτοῖς, ἑκάστῳ βοτάνην ἐν ἀγρῷ.
Ask of the Lord rain in its season, the early and the late rain; the Lord has made bright clouds, and he will give them winter rain, to each one vegetation in the field.
§10.2διότι οἱ ἀποφθεγγόμενοι ἐλάλησαν κόπους, καὶ οἱ μάντεις ὁράσεις ψευδεῖς, καὶ τὰ ἐνύπνια ψευδθῆ ἐλάλουν, μάταια παρεκάλουν· διὰ τοῦτο ἐξηράνθησαν ὡς πρόβατα καὶ ἐκακώθησαν, διότι οὐκ ἦν ἴασις.
For the speakers of vanities have spoken troubles, and the diviners false visions, and they spoke false dreams, they comforted in vain; therefore they were dried up like sheep and were afflicted, because there was no healing.
§10.3ἐπὶ τοὺς ποιμένας παροξύνθη ὁ θυμός μου, καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς ἀμνοὺς ἐπισκέψομαι· καὶ ἐπισκέψεται Κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὁ παντοκράτωρ τὸ ποίμνιον αὐτοῦ τὸν οἶκον Ἰούδα, καὶ τάξει αὐτοὺς ὡς ἵππον εὐπρεπῆ αὐτοῦ ἐν πολέμῳ.
Against the shepherds my anger was kindled, and against the lambs I will visit; and the Lord God Almighty will visit his flock, the house of Judah, and will make them as his majestic horse in battle.
§10.4καὶ ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ ἐπέβλεψεν, καὶ ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ ἔταξεν, καὶ ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ τόξον ἐν θυμῷ· ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ ἐξελεύσεται πᾶς ὁ ἐξελαύνων ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ.
And from him he looked, and from him he ordered, and from him the bow in anger; from him shall go forth every oppressor together.
§10.5καὶ ἔσονται ὡς μαχηταὶ πατοῦντες πηλὸν ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς ἐν πολέμῳ, καὶ παρατάξονται, διότι Κύριος μετ αὐτῶν· καὶ καταισχυνθήσονται ἀναβάται ἵππων.
And they shall be as warriors treading down mud in the streets in battle, and they shall draw up for battle, because the Lord is with them; and the riders of horses shall be put to shame.
§10.6καὶ κατισχύσω τὸν οἶκον Ἰούδα, καὶ τὸν οἶκον Ἰωσὴφ σώσω, καὶ κατοικιῶ αὐτούς, ὅτι ἠγάπησα αὐτούς, καὶ ἔσονται ὃν τρόπον οὐκ ἀπεστρεψάμην οὐτούς· διότι ἐγὼ Κύριος ὁ θεὸς αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐπακούσομαι αὐτοῖς.
And I will strengthen the house of Judah, and the house of Joseph I will save, and I will settle them, because I have loved them; and they shall be as though I had not rejected them; for I am the Lord their God, and I will hear them.
§10.7καὶ ἔσονται ὡς μαχηταὶ τοῦ Ἐφράιμ, καὶ χαρήσεται ἡ καρδία αὐτῶν ὡς ἐν οἵνῳ· καὶ τὰ τέκνα αὐτῶν ὄψονται καὶ εὐφρανθήσονται, καὶ χαρεῖται ἡ καρδία αὐτῶν ἐπὶ τῷ κυρίῳ.
And they shall be as the warriors of Ephraim, and their heart shall rejoice as with wine; and their children shall see it and be glad, and their heart shall rejoice in the Lord.
§10.8σημανῶ αὐτοῖς καὶ εἰσδέξομαι αὐτούς, διότι λυτρώσομαι αὐτούς, καὶ πληθυνθήσονται καθότι ἦσαν πολλοί
I will signal for them and receive them, because I will redeem them; and they shall increase as they were many.
§10.9καὶ σπερῶ αὐτοὺς ἐν λαοῖς, καὶ οἱ μακρὰν μνησθήσονταί μου, ἐκθρέψουσιν τὰ τέκνα αὐτῶν καὶ ἐπιστρέψουσιν.
And I will sow them among the peoples, and those far off shall remember me; they shall rear their children and return.
§10.10καὶ ἐπιστρέψω αὐτοὺς ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου, καὶ ἐξ Ἀσσυρίων εἰσδέξομαι αὐτούς, καὶ εἰς τὴν Γαλαδῖτιν καὶ εἰς τὸν Λίβανον εἰσάξω αὐτούς, καὶ οὐ μὴ ὑπολειφθῇ ἐξ αὐτῶν οὐδὲ εἰς·
And I will bring them back out of the land of Egypt, and from the Assyrians I will receive them; and into Gilead and into Lebanon I will bring them, and not even one of them shall be left behind.
§10.11καὶ διελεύσονται ἐν θαλάσσῃ στενῇ, καὶ πατάξουσιν ἐν θαλάσσῃ κύματα, καὶ ξηρανθήσεται πάντα τὰ βάθη ποταμῶν, καὶ ἀφαιρεθήσεται πᾶσα ὕβρις Ἀσσυρίων, καὶ σκῆπτρον Αἰγύπτου περιαιρεθήσεται.
And they shall pass through a narrow sea, and they shall smite the waves in the sea, and all the deep places of rivers shall be dried up; and all the pride of Assyria shall be taken away, and the scepter of Egypt shall be removed.
§10.12καὶ κατισχύσω αὐτοὺς ἐν Κυρίῳ θεῷ αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι αὐτοῦ κατακαυχήσονται, λέγει Κύριος.
And I will strengthen them in the Lord their God, and in his name they shall glory, says the Lord.

Notes

  1. 10.1φαντασίας — Accusative plural. While in classical Greek it typically refers to 'appearances' or 'phantoms', here it serves as a translation of the Hebrew word for 'lightning flashes' or 'storm clouds', representing a unique LXX usage for weather phenomena.
  2. 10.2ἐξηράνθησαν — Aorist indicative passive 3rd person plural, meaning 'they were dried up' or 'withered'. The LXX translator either confused the Hebrew root for 'to wander' with a root meaning 'to dry up' or metaphorically translated it as being completely parched.
  3. 10.4ὁ ἐξελαύνων — Present active participle, masculine singular nominative, meaning 'one who drives out' or 'oppressor', corresponding to the Hebrew term for 'ruler' or 'exactor'. The subsequent phrase ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ functions adverbially as 'together' or 'at the same time'.
  4. 10.10οὐ μὴ ὑπολειφθῇ ἐξ αὐτῶν οὐδὲ εἷς — An emphatic double negative construction combining the strong negative οὐ μή with the aorist subjunctive 3rd person singular (υπολειφθῇ), followed by οὐδέ εἷς ('not even one'). Meaning 'not even one of them shall be left behind'. While the Hebrew states 'no place will be found for them' (due to their abundance), the LXX interprets this as a promise of complete return with no one left behind.

Cite this passage

Septuagint, Zechariah §10.1-10.12. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0527.tlg046.humanitext-grc1:10.1-10.12

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