8 The Lord Almighty gave this message to Zechariah. 2 ‘I have wanted to help Jerusalem because I love its people very much. My love causes me to be very angry with the enemies of Jerusalem,’ says the Lord Almighty.
3 ‘Jerusalem is the city that I have chosen. I will return there and I will live there. Then Jerusalem will be called the city that obeys God. And the mountain of the Lord Almighty will be called the mountain that God has chosen.’
4 The Lord Almighty says, ‘Old men and old women will sit in the streets of Jerusalem again. Each will have a stick in his hands because he is so old.
5 Many boys and girls will play in the streets of the city again.’
6 ‘This may seem impossible to the few people that remain,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘But nothing is impossible to me,’ says the Lord Almighty.
7 ‘I will bring my people back from the east country and from the west country,’ says the Lord Almighty. 8 ‘I will bring them back to live in Jerusalem. They will be my people and I will be their God. I will do for them what I promised to do.’
9 The Lord Almighty says, ‘Be strong, you people who now hear these words from the mouths of the prophets. The prophets spoke the same words when you prepared the ground for the temple of the Lord Almighty. Now be strong and continue to build. 10 Before that time, there was not enough money to pay for work that men or animals did. No man was safe from the enemy because I made all men angry with each other.’
11 ‘But now it is different. I will not be angry with the few people that have returned,’ says the Lord Almighty.
12 ‘The seeds and the plants will grow well. The trees will give fruit. There will be water from the skies. I will bless the few people that will return. 13 In past years, people from other countries have said bad things against you, Judah and Israel. But now I will help you. You will bless many people. Do not be afraid. Be strong.’
14 The Lord Almighty says this: ‘When your parents and their parents made me angry, I decided to punish them.’ ‘I have also punished you,’ says the Lord Almighty. 15 ‘Do not be afraid. I have now decided to do good things to Jerusalem and to the people in Judah again. 16 These are the things that you should do. Speak true words to each other. Leaders, be fair to all people. 17 Do not think to do bad things against other people. Do not use my name to promise things and then not do those things. All these things make me very angry.’
18 Again Zechariah the prophet heard this message from the Lord Almighty. 19 ‘On special days in the year you eat no food. Those days are in the fourth, fifth, seventh and tenth months. But I want you to enjoy those days,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘I want the people in Judah to be happy. So speak true words and live quiet lives.’
20 ‘People that live in many countries will come to Jerusalem,’ says the Lord Almighty. 21 ‘The people from one city will go to the people in another city. They will say, “Come with us to worship the Lord Almighty. Come and ask the Lord to help us.” 22 People from many powerful nations will worship the Lord Almighty in Jerusalem. They will ask the Lord to help them.’
23 ‘Then, ten men from foreign countries will hold the coat of one Jew,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘They will say, “People have told us that the Lord is with you. So we want to go with you.” ’
8 This is a message from the Lord All-Powerful. 2 The Lord All-Powerful says, “I have a very strong love for Mount Zion. I love her so much that I became angry when she was not faithful to me.” 3 The Lord says, “I have come back to Zion, and I am living in Jerusalem. Jerusalem will be called Faithful City. The mountain of the Lord All-Powerful will be called Holy Mountain.”
4 The Lord All-Powerful says, “Old men and women will again be seen in the public places in Jerusalem. People will live so long that they will need their walking sticks. 5 And the city will be filled with children playing in the streets.” 6 The Lord All-Powerful says, “The survivors will think it is wonderful, and so will I!”
7 The Lord All-Powerful says, “Look, I am rescuing my people from countries in the east and west. 8 I will bring them back here, and they will live in Jerusalem. They will be my people, and I will be their good and faithful God.”
9 The Lord All-Powerful says, “Be strong! You people are hearing the same message today that the prophets gave when the Lord All-Powerful first laid the foundations to rebuild his Temple. 10 Before that time, people didn’t have the money to hire workers or to rent animals. And it was not safe for people to come and go. There was no relief from all the troubles. I had turned everyone against their neighbor. 11 But it is not like that now. It will not be like that for the survivors.” This is what the Lord All-Powerful said.
12 “These people will plant in peace. Their grapevines will produce grapes. The land will give good crops, and the skies will give rain. I will give all these things to my people. 13 People began using the names Israel and Judah in their curses. But I will save Israel and Judah, and their names will become a blessing. So don’t be afraid. Be strong!”
14 The Lord All-Powerful says, “Your ancestors made me angry, so I decided to destroy them. I decided not to change my mind.” This is what the Lord All-Powerful said. 15 “But now I have changed my mind. And in the same way I have decided to be good to Jerusalem and to the people of Judah. So don’t be afraid! 16 But you must do this: Tell the truth to your neighbors. When you make decisions in your cities, be fair and do what is right. Do what brings peace. 17 Don’t make secret plans to hurt your neighbors. Don’t make false promises. You must not enjoy doing these things, because I hate them!” This is what the Lord said.
18 I received this message from the Lord All-Powerful. 19 The Lord All-Powerful says, “You have special days of sadness and fasting in the fourth month, the fifth month, the seventh month, and the tenth month. [ a ] These days of sadness must be changed into days of happiness. They will be good and happy festivals. And you must love truth and peace.”
20 The Lord All-Powerful says,
“In the future, people from many cities will come to Jerusalem.
21 People from different cities will greet each other and say,
‘We are going to worship the Lord All-Powerful.’
And the other person will say,
‘I would like to go with you!’”
22 Many people and many powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to find the Lord All-Powerful and to worship him. 23 The Lord All-Powerful says, “At that time many foreigners speaking different languages will come to a Jewish man, take hold of the hem of his robe, and ask, ‘We heard that God is with you. Can we come with you to worship him?’”
8 Again the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying,
2 Thus saith the Lord of hosts; I was jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I was jealous for her with great fury.
3 Thus saith the Lord ; I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; and the mountain of the Lord of hosts the holy mountain.
4 Thus saith the Lord of hosts; There shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, and every man with his staff in his hand for very age.
5 And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof.
6 Thus saith the Lord of hosts; If it be marvellous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these days, should it also be marvellous in mine eyes? saith the Lord of hosts.
7 Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Behold, I will save my people from the east country, and from the west country;
8 And I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in truth and in righteousness.
9 Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Let your hands be strong, ye that hear in these days these words by the mouth of the prophets, which were in the day that the foundation of the house of the Lord of hosts was laid, that the temple might be built.
10 For before these days there was no hire for man, nor any hire for beast; neither was there any peace to him that went out or came in because of the affliction: for I set all men every one against his neighbour.
11 But now I will not be unto the residue of this people as in the former days, saith the Lord of hosts.
12 For the seed shall be prosperous; the vine shall give her fruit, and the ground shall give her increase, and the heavens shall give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things.
13 And it shall come to pass, that as ye were a curse among the heathen, O house of Judah, and house of Israel; so will I save you, and ye shall be a blessing: fear not, but let your hands be strong.
14 For thus saith the Lord of hosts; As I thought to punish you, when your fathers provoked me to wrath, saith the Lord of hosts, and I repented not:
15 So again have I thought in these days to do well unto Jerusalem and to the house of Judah: fear ye not.
16 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:
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 .
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.
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 Then the word of the Lord of armies came, saying, 2 “The Lord of armies says this: ‘I am ( A ) exceedingly jealous for Zion, yes, with great wrath I am jealous for her.’ 3 The Lord says this: ‘I will return to Zion and ( B ) dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the City of ( C ) Truth, and the mountain of the Lord of armies will be called the Holy Mountain.’ 4 The Lord of armies says this: ‘ ( D ) Old men and old women will again sit in the public squares of Jerusalem, each person with his staff in his hand because of [ a ] age. 5 And the public squares of the city will be filled with ( E ) boys and girls playing in its squares.’ 6 The Lord of armies says this: ‘If it is ( F ) too difficult in the sight of the remnant of this people in those days, will it also be ( G ) too difficult in My sight?’ declares the Lord of armies. 7 The Lord of armies says this: ‘Behold, I am going to save My people from the land of the [ b ] ( H ) east and from the land of the [ c ] west; 8 and I will ( I ) bring them back and they will ( J ) live in the midst of Jerusalem; and they shall be ( K ) My people, and I will be their God in [ d ] truth and righteousness.’
9 “The Lord of armies says this: ‘Let your hands be ( L ) strong, you who are listening in these days to these words from the mouth of the ( M ) prophets, those who spoke in the day that the foundation of the house of the Lord of armies was laid, so that the temple might be built. 10 For before those days there was ( N ) no wage for man nor any wage for animal; and for him who went out or came in there was no [ e ] ( O ) peace because of [ f ] his enemies, and I ( P ) sent all the people against one another. 11 But now I will ( Q ) not [ g ] treat the remnant of this people as in the former days,’ declares the Lord of armies. 12 ‘For there will be ( R ) the seed of peace: the vine will yield its fruit, the land will yield its produce, and the heavens will provide their ( S ) dew; and I will give to the remnant of this people ( T ) all these things as an inheritance. 13 And it will come about that just as you were a ( U ) curse among the nations, house of Judah and house of Israel, so I will save you that you may become a ( V ) blessing. Do not fear; let your ( W ) hands be strong.’
14 “For this is what the Lord of armies says: ‘Just as I ( X ) determined to do harm to you when your fathers provoked Me to anger,’ says the Lord of armies, ‘and I have not ( Y ) relented, 15 so I have again determined in these days to ( Z ) do good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. ( AA ) Do not fear! 16 These are the things which you shall do: speak the ( AB ) truth to one another; ( AC ) judge with truth and judgment for peace at your [ h ] gates. 17 Also let none of you ( AD ) devise evil in your heart against another, and do not love [ i ] ( AE ) perjury; for all these things are what I ( AF ) hate,’ declares the Lord .”
18 Then the word of the Lord of armies came to me, saying, 19 “The Lord of armies says this: ‘The fast of the ( AG ) fourth, the fast of the ( AH ) fifth, the fast of the ( AI ) seventh, and the fast of the ( AJ ) tenth months will become ( AK ) joy, jubilation, and [ j ] cheerful festivals for the house of Judah; so ( AL ) love truth and peace.’
20 “The Lord of armies says this: ‘ It will yet turn out that ( AM ) peoples will come, that is, the inhabitants of many cities. 21 The inhabitants of one city will go to another, saying, “Let’s go at once to ( AN ) plead for the favor of the Lord , and to seek the Lord of armies; [ k ] I also will go.” 22 So ( AO ) many peoples and mighty nations will come to seek the Lord of armies in Jerusalem, and to ( AP ) plead for the favor of the Lord .’ 23 The Lord of armies says this: ‘In those days ten people from all the [ l ] nations will [ m ] ( AQ ) grasp the [ n ] garment of a Jew, saying, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.”’”
8 The word of the Lord Almighty came to me.
2 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “I am very jealous ( A ) for Zion; I am burning with jealousy for her.”
3 This is what the Lord says: “I will return ( B ) to Zion ( C ) and dwell in Jerusalem. ( D ) Then Jerusalem will be called the Faithful City, ( E ) and the mountain ( F ) of the Lord Almighty will be called the Holy Mountain. ( G ) ”
4 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Once again men and women of ripe old age will sit in the streets of Jerusalem, ( H ) each of them with cane in hand because of their age. 5 The city streets will be filled with boys and girls playing there. ( I ) ”
6 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “It may seem marvelous to the remnant of this people at that time, ( J ) but will it seem marvelous to me? ( K ) ” declares the Lord Almighty.
7 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “I will save my people from the countries of the east and the west. ( L ) 8 I will bring them back ( M ) to live ( N ) in Jerusalem; they will be my people, ( O ) and I will be faithful and righteous to them as their God. ( P ) ”
9 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Now hear these words, ‘Let your hands be strong ( Q ) so that the temple may be built.’ This is also what the prophets ( R ) said who were present when the foundation ( S ) was laid for the house of the Lord Almighty. 10 Before that time there were no wages ( T ) for people or hire for animals. No one could go about their business safely ( U ) because of their enemies, since I had turned everyone against their neighbor. 11 But now I will not deal with the remnant of this people as I did in the past,” ( V ) declares the Lord Almighty.
12 “The seed will grow well, the vine will yield its fruit, ( W ) the ground will produce its crops, ( X ) and the heavens will drop their dew. ( Y ) I will give all these things as an inheritance ( Z ) to the remnant of this people. ( AA ) 13 Just as you, Judah and Israel, have been a curse [ a ] ( AB ) among the nations, so I will save ( AC ) you, and you will be a blessing. [ b ] ( AD ) Do not be afraid, ( AE ) but let your hands be strong. ( AF ) ”
14 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Just as I had determined to bring disaster ( AG ) on you and showed no pity when your ancestors angered me,” says the Lord Almighty, 15 “so now I have determined to do good ( AH ) again to Jerusalem and Judah. ( AI ) Do not be afraid. 16 These are the things you are to do: Speak the truth ( AJ ) to each other, and render true and sound judgment ( AK ) in your courts; ( AL ) 17 do not plot evil ( AM ) against each other, and do not love to swear falsely. ( AN ) I hate all this,” declares the Lord .
18 The word of the Lord Almighty came to me.
19 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “The fasts of the fourth, ( AO ) fifth, ( AP ) seventh ( AQ ) and tenth ( AR ) months will become joyful ( AS ) and glad occasions and happy festivals for Judah. Therefore love truth ( AT ) and peace.”
20 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Many peoples and the inhabitants of many cities will yet come, 21 and the inhabitants of one city will go to another and say, ‘Let us go at once to entreat ( AU ) the Lord and seek ( AV ) the Lord Almighty. I myself am going.’ 22 And many peoples and powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to seek the Lord Almighty and to entreat him.” ( AW )
23 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “In those days ten people from all languages and nations will take firm hold of one Jew by the hem of his robe and say, ‘Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you.’” ( AX )
