The Skeptics Annotated Bible (718 page)

17
And let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbour; and love no false oath:
for all these are things that I hate, saith the LORD.

(8.16-17) “These are the things that ye shall do; Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates: And let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbour; and love no false oath.”

18 And the word of the LORD of hosts came unto me, saying,

19 Thus saith the LORD of hosts;
The fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall be
to the house of Judah joy and gladness, and
cheerful feasts
; therefore love the truth and peace.

(8.19)
“The fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall be … cheerful feasts.”

20 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; It shall yet come to pass, that there shall come people, and the inhabitants of many cities:

21 And the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, Let us go speedily to pray before the LORD, and to seek the LORD of hosts: I will go also.

22 Yea, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the LORD.

23
Thus saith the LORD
of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that
ten men
shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even
shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew
, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.

(8.23) “Thus saith the LORD … ten men … shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew.”

9
The burden of the word of the LORD
in the land of Hadrach, and Damascus
shall be the rest thereof:
when the eyes of man, as of all the tribes of Israel, shall be toward the LORD.

(9.1) “The burden of the word of the LORD … shall be the rest thereof.”

2 And Hamath also shall border thereby; Tyrus, and Zidon, though it be very wise.

3 And Tyrus did build herself a strong hold, and heaped up silver as the dust, and fine gold as the mire of the streets.

4 Behold, the Lord will cast her out, and he will smite her power in the sea; and she shall be devoured with fire.

(9.4) “The LORD will cast her out … and she shall be devoured with fire.” God will cast out Tyrus and devour it with fire.

5 Ashkelon shall see it, and fear; Gaza also shall see it, and be very sorrowful, and Ekron; for her expectation shall be ashamed; and the king shall perish from Gaza, and Ashkelon shall not be inhabited.

(9.6-9) Some strange prophecies

6
And a bastard shall dwell in Ashdod
, and I will cut off the pride of the Philistines.

(9.6)
“And a bastard shall dwell in Ashdod.”

7 And
I will take away his blood out of his mouth, and his abominations from between his teeth
: but he that remaineth, even he, shall be for our God, and he shall be as a governor in Judah, and Ekron as a Jebusite.

(9.7) “I will take away his blood out of his mouth, and his abominations from between his teeth.”

8 And I will encamp about mine house because of the army, because of him that passeth by, and because of him that returneth: and
no oppressor shall pass through them any more
: for now have I seen with mine eyes.

(9.8) “No oppressor shall pass through them any more.” Israel shall never again be oppressed. Another obviously false prophecy; Israel has been occupied many times since the time of Zechariah.

9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold,
thy King cometh
unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and
riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.

(9.9)
“Thy King cometh … riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.”
The gospels (especially Mt 21.4-5 and Jn 12.14-15) claim that Jesus fulfils the prophecy of Zech 9.9. But the next few verses (9.10-13) show that the person referred to in this verse is a military king that would rule “from sea to sea”. Since Jesus had neither an army nor a kingdom, he could not have fulfilled this prophecy.

10 And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off: and he shall speak peace unto the heathen: and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth.