⁷ “The Lord of armies says this: ‘If you ^(A)walk in My ways and perform My service, then you will both ^(B)govern My house and be in charge of My ^(C)courtyards, and I will grant you ^[a]free access among these who are standing here.

^15 (A)Those who are far away will come and ^[a]build the temple of the Lord.” Then you will ^(B)know that the Lord of armies has sent me to you. And it will take place if you completely ^(C)obey ^[b]the Lord your God.

⁹ “This is what the Lord of armies has said: ‘^(A)Dispense true justice and practice ^(B)kindness and compassion each to his brother; ¹⁰ and ^(C)do not oppress the widow or the ^[a]orphan, the stranger or the poor; and do ^(D)not devise evil in your hearts against one another.’ ¹¹ But they ^(E)refused to pay attention, and ^[b](F)turned a stubborn shoulder and ^[c](G)plugged their ears from hearing. ¹² They also made their ^(H)hearts as hard as ^(I)a diamond ^[d]so that they could not hear the Law and the ^(J)words which the Lord of armies had sent by His Spirit through the ^(K)former prophets; therefore great ^(L)wrath came from the Lord of armies. ¹³ And just as ^(M)He called and they would not listen, so ^(N)they called and I would not listen,” says the Lord of armies; ¹⁴ “but I ^[e](O)scattered them with a ^(P)storm wind among all the nations whom they did not know. So the land was ^(Q)desolated behind them ^[f]so that ^(R)no one went back and forth, since they ^(S)made the pleasant land desolate.”

¹⁴ “For this is what the Lord of armies says: ‘Just as I ^(A)determined to do harm to you when your fathers provoked Me to anger,’ says the Lord of armies, ‘and I have not ^(B)relented, ¹⁵ so I have again determined in these days to ^(C)do good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. ^(D)Do not fear! ¹⁶ These are the things which you shall do: speak the ^(E)truth to one another; ^(F)judge with truth and judgment for peace at your ^[a]gates. ¹⁷ Also let none of you ^(G)devise evil in your heart against another, and do not love ^[b](H)perjury; for all these things are what I ^(I)hate,’ declares the Lord.”