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10 “You are saying, ‘Our country is an ·empty desert [ruin], without people or animals.’ But this is what the Lord says: It is now quiet in the streets of Jerusalem and in the towns of Judah, without people or animals, but ·it will be noisy there soon [L there will once more be heard…]! 11 ·There will be [L …the] sounds of joy and gladness and the happy sounds of brides and bridegrooms. There will be the sounds of people bringing to the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord their offerings of thanks to the Lord. They will say,

‘Praise the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts],
    because the Lord is good!
    His ·love [loyalty] continues forever!’

They will say this because I will ·again do good things for Judah [restore the fortunes of the land], as I did in the beginning,” says the Lord.

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10 “This is what the Lord says: ‘Yet again there will be heard in this place, of which you say, “It is a (A)waste, without man and without animal,” that is, in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem that are (B)deserted, without man and without inhabitant and without animal, 11 the voice of (C)joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the groom and the voice of the bride, the voice of those who say,

(D)Give thanks to the Lord of armies,
For the Lord is good,
For His mercy is everlasting,”

as they bring a (E)thanksgiving offering into the house of the Lord. For I will restore the fortunes of the land as they were at first,’ says the Lord.

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