Zechariah 8
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 8
Seven Oracles: Judah and Zion Restored. 1 Then the word of the Lord of hosts came: 2 Thus says the Lord of hosts:
I am intensely jealous for Zion,(A)
stirred to jealous wrath for her.
3 Thus says the Lord:
I have returned to Zion,
and I will dwell within Jerusalem;
Jerusalem will be called the faithful city,[a](B)
and the mountain of the Lord of hosts, the holy mountain.
4 Thus says the Lord of hosts:
Old men and old women will again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with staff in hand because of old age.(C) 5 The city will be filled with boys and girls playing in its streets.
6 Thus says the Lord of hosts:
Even if this should seem impossible in the eyes of the remnant of this people in those days, should it seem impossible in my eyes also?(D)—oracle of the Lord of hosts.
7 Thus says the Lord of hosts:
I am going to rescue my people from the land of the rising sun, and from the land of the setting sun. 8 I will bring them back to dwell within Jerusalem. They will be my people, and I will be their God,(E) in faithfulness and justice.
9 Thus says the Lord of hosts:
Let your hands be strong, you who now hear these words which were spoken by the prophets when the foundation of the house of the Lord of hosts was laid[b] for the building of the temple.(F) 10 For before those days, there were no wages for people, nor hire for animals. Those who came and went were not safe from the enemy, for I set neighbor against neighbor. 11 But now I will not deal with the remnant of this people as in former days—oracle of the Lord of hosts.
12 For there will be a sowing of peace:
the vine will yield its fruit,
the land will yield its crops,
and the heavens[c] will yield their dew.
I will give all these things to the remnant of this people to possess. 13 Just as you became a curse among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so will I save you that you may be a blessing.(G) Do not fear; let your hands be strong.
14 Thus says the Lord of hosts:
Just as I intended to harm you when your ancestors angered me—says the Lord of hosts—and I did not relent, 15 so again in these days I intend to favor Jerusalem and the house of Judah; do not fear! 16 These then are the things you must do: Speak the truth to one another;(H) judge with honesty and complete justice in your gates.[d](I) 17 Let none of you plot evil against another in your heart, nor love a false oath. For all these things I hate—oracle of the Lord.
Three Oracles: Judah and the Nations. 18 The word of the Lord of hosts came to me:
19 Thus says the Lord of hosts:
The fast days of the fourth, the fifth, the seventh, and the tenth months[e](J) will become occasions of joy and gladness, and happy festivals for the house of Judah.(K) So love faithfulness and peace!
20 Thus says the Lord of hosts:
There will yet come peoples and inhabitants of many cities;(L) 21 and the inhabitants of one city will approach those of another, and say, “Come! let us go to implore the favor of the Lord and to seek the Lord of hosts. I too am going.” 22 Many peoples and strong nations will come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem and to implore the favor of the Lord.
23 Thus says the Lord of hosts:
In those days ten people from nations of every language will take hold,(M) yes, will take hold of the cloak of every Judahite and say, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.”
Footnotes
- 8:3 Faithful city: a unique biblical epithet for Jerusalem, signaling the importance of the holy city and its leaders for establishing justice in society (see also vv. 8, 16, 19). Holy mountain: Jerusalem and its Temple, the sacred center of the holy land (2:16) and of the whole world.
- 8:9 When the foundation…was laid: December 18, 520 B.C., the date of the Temple refoundation ceremony, marking the beginning of the project to restore the Temple (see Hg 2:10, 18, 20).
- 8:12 Vine…land…heavens: future prosperity, reversing the hardships of Hg 1:10.
- 8:16 Gates: important gathering places in ancient Near Eastern cities, where legal proceedings were often carried out.
- 8:19 Fast days of the fourth, the fifth, the seventh, and the tenth months: all these fast days were probably held in connection with Jerusalem’s demise. The fasts of the fourth month (commemorating the departure of Judahite leadership from Jerusalem, 2 Kgs 25:3–7) and of the tenth month (marking the beginning of the siege of Jerusalem, 2 Kgs 25:1) were added to the fasts of the fifth and seventh months mentioned in Zec 7:3 and 5 (see notes).
Zechariah 8
King James Version
8 Again the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying,
2 Thus saith the Lord of hosts; I was jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I was jealous for her with great fury.
3 Thus saith the Lord; I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; and the mountain of the Lord of hosts the holy mountain.
4 Thus saith the Lord of hosts; There shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, and every man with his staff in his hand for very age.
5 And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof.
6 Thus saith the Lord of hosts; If it be marvellous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these days, should it also be marvellous in mine eyes? saith the Lord of hosts.
7 Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Behold, I will save my people from the east country, and from the west country;
8 And I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in truth and in righteousness.
9 Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Let your hands be strong, ye that hear in these days these words by the mouth of the prophets, which were in the day that the foundation of the house of the Lord of hosts was laid, that the temple might be built.
10 For before these days there was no hire for man, nor any hire for beast; neither was there any peace to him that went out or came in because of the affliction: for I set all men every one against his neighbour.
11 But now I will not be unto the residue of this people as in the former days, saith the Lord of hosts.
12 For the seed shall be prosperous; the vine shall give her fruit, and the ground shall give her increase, and the heavens shall give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things.
13 And it shall come to pass, that as ye were a curse among the heathen, O house of Judah, and house of Israel; so will I save you, and ye shall be a blessing: fear not, but let your hands be strong.
14 For thus saith the Lord of hosts; As I thought to punish you, when your fathers provoked me to wrath, saith the Lord of hosts, and I repented not:
15 So again have I thought in these days to do well unto Jerusalem and to the house of Judah: fear ye not.
16 These are the things that ye shall do; Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates:
17 And let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbour; and love no false oath: for all these are things that I hate, saith the Lord.
18 And the word of the Lord of hosts came unto me, saying,
19 Thus saith the Lord of hosts; The fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall be to the house of Judah joy and gladness, and cheerful feasts; therefore love the truth and peace.
20 Thus saith the Lord of hosts; It shall yet come to pass, that there shall come people, and the inhabitants of many cities:
21 And the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, Let us go speedily to pray before the Lord, and to seek the Lord of hosts: I will go also.
22 Yea, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the Lord.
23 Thus saith the Lord of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.
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