The Coming Peace and Prosperity of Zion

8 Then the word of the Lord of hosts came, saying, ² “Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘I am ^(A)exceedingly jealous for Zion, yes, with great wrath I am jealous for her.’ ³ Thus says the Lord, ‘I will return to Zion and will ^(B)dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the City of ^(C)Truth, and the mountain of the Lord of hosts will be called the Holy Mountain.’ ⁴ Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘^(D)Old men and old women will again sit in the ^[a]streets of Jerusalem, each man with his staff in his hand because of ^[b]age. ⁵ And the ^[c]streets of the city will be filled with ^(E)boys and girls playing in its ^[d]streets.’ ⁶ Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘If it is ^[e](F)too difficult in the sight of the remnant of this people in those days, will it also be ^[f](G)too difficult in My sight?’ declares the Lord of hosts. ⁷ Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Behold, I am going to save My people from the land of the ^[g](H)east and from the land of the ^[h]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 ^[i]truth and righteousness.’

⁹ “Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘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 hosts was laid, to the end that the temple might be built. ¹⁰ For before those days there was ^(N)no wage for man or any wage for animal; and for him who went out or came in there was no ^[j](O)peace because of ^[k]his enemies, and I ^(P)set all men one against another. ¹¹ But now I will ^(Q)not ^[l]treat the remnant of this people as in the former days,’ declares the Lord of hosts. ¹² ‘For there will be ^(R)peace for the seed: the vine will yield its fruit, the land will yield its produce and the heavens will give their ^(S)dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to inherit ^(T)all these things. ¹³ It will come about that just as you were a ^(U)curse among the nations, O 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 thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Just as I ^(X)purposed to do harm to you when your fathers provoked Me to wrath,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘and I have not ^(Y)relented, ¹⁵ so I have again purposed 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 should do: speak the ^(AB)truth to one another; ^(AC)judge with truth and judgment for peace in your ^[m]gates. ¹⁷ Also let none of you ^(AD)devise evil in your heart against another, and do not love ^[n](AE)perjury; for all these are what I ^(AF)hate,’ declares the Lord.”

¹⁸ Then the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying, ¹⁹ “Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘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, gladness, and ^[o]cheerful feasts for the house of Judah; so ^(AL)love truth and peace.’

²⁰ “Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘It will yet be that ^(AM)peoples will come, even the inhabitants of many cities. ²¹ The inhabitants of one will go to another, saying, “Let us go at once to ^(AN)entreat the favor of the Lord, and to seek the Lord of hosts; ^[p]I will also go.” ²² So ^(AO)many peoples and mighty nations will come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem and to ^(AP)entreat the favor of the Lord.’ ²³ Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘In those days ten men from all the ^[q]nations will ^[r](AQ)grasp the ^[s]garment of a Jew, saying, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.”’”

The Words of Agur

30 The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, the ^[a]oracle.

The man declares to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal:

Timothy Charged to Guard His Trust

1 Paul, ^(A)an apostle of ^(B)Christ Jesus ^[a](C)by the will of God, according to the promise of ^(D)life in Christ Jesus,

² To ^(E)Timothy, my beloved ^[b](F)son: ^(G)Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

^3 (H)I thank God, whom I ^(I)serve with a ^(J)clear conscience ^[c]the way my forefathers did, ^(K)as I constantly remember you in my ^[d]prayers night and day, ^4 (L)longing to see you, ^(M)even as I recall your tears, so that I may be filled with joy. ^5 [e]For I am mindful of the ^(N)sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and ^(O)your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well. ⁶ For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh ^(P)the gift of God which is in you through ^(Q)the laying on of my hands. ⁷ For God has not given us a ^(R)spirit of ^[f]timidity, but of power and love and ^[g]discipline.

⁸ Therefore ^(S)do not be ashamed of the ^(T)testimony of our Lord or of me ^(U)His prisoner, but join with me in ^(V)suffering for the ^(W)gospel according to the power of God, ⁹ who has ^(X)saved us and ^(Y)called us with a holy ^(Z)calling, ^(AA)not according to our works, but according to His own ^(AB)purpose and grace which was granted us in ^(AC)Christ Jesus from ^(AD)all eternity, ¹⁰ but ^(AE)now has been revealed by the ^(AF)appearing of our Savior ^(AG)Christ Jesus, who ^(AH)abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, ^11 (AI)for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher. ¹² For this reason I also suffer these things, but ^(AJ)I am not ashamed; for I know ^(AK)whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to ^(AL)guard what I have entrusted to Him ^[h]until ^(AM)that day. ^13 [i](AN)Retain the ^(AO)standard of ^(AP)sound words ^(AQ)which you have heard from me, in the ^(AR)faith and love which are in ^(AS)Christ Jesus. ¹⁴ Guard, through the Holy Spirit who ^(AT)dwells in us, the ^[j](AU)treasure which has been entrusted to you.

¹⁵ You are aware of the fact that all who are in ^[k](AV)Asia ^(AW)turned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes. ¹⁶ The Lord grant mercy to ^(AX)the house of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and ^(AY)was not ashamed of my ^[l](AZ)chains; ¹⁷ but when he was in Rome, he eagerly searched for me and found me— ¹⁸ the Lord grant to him to find mercy from the Lord on ^(BA)that day—and you know very well what services he rendered at ^(BB)Ephesus.