Zechariah 7:8-8

English Standard Version

⁸And the word of the Lord came to Zechariah, saying, ⁹“Thus says the Lord of hosts, ^(A)Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another, ¹⁰^(B)do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, ^(C)or the poor, and ^(D)let none of you devise evil against another in your heart.” ¹¹But ^(E)they refused to pay attention ^(F)and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears that they might not hear.^[a] ¹²^(G)They made their hearts diamond-hard ^(H)lest they should hear the law and the words that the Lord of hosts had sent ^(I)by his Spirit through ^(J)the former prophets. ^(K)Therefore great anger came from the Lord of hosts. ¹³^(L)“As I^[b] called, and they would not hear, ^(M)so they called, and I would not hear,” says the Lord of hosts, ¹⁴^(N)“and I scattered them with a whirlwind among all ^(O)the nations that they had not known. ^(P)Thus the land they left was desolate, ^(Q)so that no one went to and fro, ^(R)and the pleasant land was made desolate.”

The Coming Peace and Prosperity of Zion

8 And the word of the Lord of hosts came, saying, ²“Thus says the Lord of hosts: ^(S)I am jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I am jealous for her with great wrath. ³Thus says the Lord: ^(T)I have returned to Zion and ^(U)will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, ^(V)and Jerusalem shall be called the faithful city, ^(W)and the mountain of the Lord of hosts, the holy mountain. ⁴Thus says the Lord of hosts: ^(X)Old men and old women shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with staff in hand because of great age. ⁵And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets. ⁶Thus says the Lord of hosts: ^(Y)If it is marvelous in the sight of the remnant of this people in those days, ^(Z)should it also be marvelous in my sight, declares the Lord of hosts? ⁷Thus says the Lord of hosts: Behold, ^(AA)I will save my people ^(AB)from the east country and from the west country, ⁸and I will bring them to dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. ^(AC)And they shall be my people, and I will be their God, ^(AD)in faithfulness and in righteousness.”