Zechariah 8
English Standard Version
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: (A)I am jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I am jealous for her with great wrath. 3 Thus says the Lord: (B)I have returned to Zion and (C)will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, (D)and Jerusalem shall be called the faithful city, (E)and the mountain of the Lord of hosts, the holy mountain. 4 Thus says the Lord of hosts: (F)Old men and old women shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with staff in hand because of great age. 5 And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets. 6 Thus says the Lord of hosts: (G)If it is marvelous in the sight of the remnant of this people in those days, (H)should it also be marvelous in my sight, declares the Lord of hosts? 7 Thus says the Lord of hosts: Behold, (I)I will save my people (J)from the east country and from the west country, 8 and I will bring them to dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. (K)And they shall be my people, and I will be their God, (L)in faithfulness and in righteousness.”
9 Thus says the Lord of hosts: (M)“Let your hands be strong, you who in these days have been hearing these words from the mouth of (N)the prophets who were present on (O)the day that the foundation of the house of the Lord of hosts was laid, that the temple might be built. 10 For before those days (P)there was no wage for man or any wage for beast, neither was there any safety from the foe for him who went out or came in, for I set every man against his neighbor. 11 But now I will not deal with the remnant of this people as in the former days, declares the Lord of hosts. 12 (Q)For there shall be a sowing of peace. The vine shall give its fruit, and the ground shall give its produce, (R)and the heavens shall give their dew. (S)And I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things. 13 And as (T)you have been a byword of cursing among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, (U)so will I save you, and (V)you shall be a blessing. (W)Fear not, but (X)let your hands be strong.”
14 For thus says the Lord of hosts: (Y)“As I purposed to bring disaster to you when your fathers provoked me to wrath, and I did not relent, says the Lord of hosts, 15 so again have I purposed in these days to bring good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah; (Z)fear not. 16 These are the things that you shall do: (AA)Speak the truth to one another; (AB)render in your gates judgments (AC)that are true and make for peace; 17 (AD)do not devise evil in your hearts against one another, and (AE)love no false oath, for all these things I hate, declares the Lord.”
18 And the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying, 19 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: The fast of the (AF)fourth month and the fast of the (AG)fifth and the fast of the (AH)seventh and the fast of the (AI)tenth shall be to the house of Judah (AJ)seasons of joy and gladness and cheerful feasts. Therefore love (AK)truth and peace.
20 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: Peoples shall yet come, even the inhabitants of many cities. 21 The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, (AL)‘Let us go at once (AM)to entreat the favor of the Lord and to seek the Lord of hosts; I myself am going.’ 22 (AN)Many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem and (AO)to entreat the favor of the Lord. 23 Thus says the Lord of hosts: In those days (AP)ten men (AQ)from the nations of every tongue shall take hold of the robe of a Jew, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for (AR)we have heard that God is with you.’”
Zechariah 8
Common English Bible
8 The word from the Lord of heavenly forces came to me:[a]
2 The Lord of heavenly forces proclaims:
I care passionately about Zion; I burn with passion for her. 3 The Lord proclaims: I have returned to Zion; I will settle in Jerusalem. Jerusalem will be called the city of truth; the mountain of the Lord of heavenly forces will be the holy mountain.
4 The Lord of heavenly forces proclaims:
Old men and old women will again dwell in the plazas of Jerusalem. Each of them will have a staff in their hand because of their great age. 5 The city will be full of boys and girls playing in its plazas.
6 The Lord of heavenly forces proclaims:
Even though it may seem to be a miracle for the few remaining among this people in these days, should it seem to be a miracle for me? says the Lord of heavenly forces.
7 The Lord of heavenly forces proclaims:
I’m about to deliver my people from the land of the east and the land of the west. 8 I’ll bring them back so they will dwell in Jerusalem. They will be my people, and I will be their God—in truth and in righteousness.
9 The Lord of heavenly forces proclaims:
Be strong, you who are now hearing these words from the mouths of the prophets spoken on the day when the foundations for the house of the Lord of heavenly forces were laid. 10 Before this time, there were no wages for people or animals; there was no relief from distress about going out or coming in, because I set everyone against their own neighbor. 11 But now, unlike those earlier days, I’ll be with the few remaining among this people, says the Lord of heavenly forces.
12 The seed is healthy:
the vine will give its fruit.
The land will give its produce;
the heavens will give its dew.
I will give the remnant of this people all these things.
13 Just as you were a curse among the nations, house of Judah and house of Israel,
so now I will deliver you; you will be a blessing.
Don’t fear, but be strong.
14 The Lord of heavenly forces proclaims:
Just as I planned evil against you when your ancestors angered me, says the Lord of heavenly forces, and did not relent, 15 so now I have changed course and again plan to do good to Jerusalem and the house of Judah. Don’t be afraid.
16 These are the things you should do: Speak the truth to each other; make truthful, just, and peaceable decisions within your gates. 17 Don’t plan evil for each other. Don’t adore swearing falsely, for all of these are things that I hate, says the Lord.
18 The word of the Lord of heavenly forces came to me:
19 The Lord of heavenly forces proclaims:
The fasts of the fourth, fifth, seventh, and tenth months will become times of joy and gladness, pleasant feasts for the house of Judah. Love truth and peace!
20 The Lord of heavenly forces proclaims:
Peoples will still come, the inhabitants of many cities. 21 The inhabitants of one city will go to another saying, “Let’s go and seek the favor of the Lord, and look for the Lord of heavenly forces. I’m going too.” 22 Many peoples and mighty nations will come to seek the Lord of heavenly forces in Jerusalem and to seek the favor of the Lord.
23 The Lord of heavenly forces proclaims:
In those days ten men from nations with entirely different languages will grab hold of a Judean’s clothes and say, “Let’s go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.”
Footnotes
- Zechariah 8:1 Heb lacks to me.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible