Zechariah 8
New American Standard Bible
The Coming Peace and Prosperity of Zion
8 Then the word of the Lord of armies came, saying, 2 “The Lord of armies says this: ‘I am (A)exceedingly jealous for Zion, yes, with great wrath I am jealous for her.’ 3 The Lord says this: ‘I will return to Zion and (B)dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the City of (C)Truth, and the mountain of the Lord of armies will be called the Holy Mountain.’ 4 The Lord of armies says this: ‘(D)Old men and old women will again sit in the public squares of Jerusalem, each person with his staff in his hand because of [a]age. 5 And the public squares of the city will be filled with (E)boys and girls playing in its squares.’ 6 The Lord of armies says this: ‘If it is (F)too difficult in the sight of the remnant of this people in those days, will it also be (G)too difficult in My sight?’ declares the Lord of armies. 7 The Lord of armies says this: ‘Behold, I am going to save My people from the land of the [b](H)east and from the land of the [c]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 [d]truth and righteousness.’
9 “The Lord of armies says this: ‘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 armies was laid, so that the temple might be built. 10 For before those days there was (N)no wage for man nor any wage for animal; and for him who went out or came in there was no [e](O)peace because of [f]his enemies, and I (P)sent all the people against one another. 11 But now I will (Q)not [g]treat the remnant of this people as in the former days,’ declares the Lord of armies. 12 ‘For there will be (R)the seed of peace: the vine will yield its fruit, the land will yield its produce, and the heavens will provide their (S)dew; and I will give to the remnant of this people (T)all these things as an inheritance. 13 And it will come about that just as you were a (U)curse among the nations, 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 this is what the Lord of armies says: ‘Just as I (X)determined to do harm to you when your fathers provoked Me to anger,’ says the Lord of armies, ‘and I have not (Y)relented, 15 so I have again determined 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 shall do: speak the (AB)truth to one another; (AC)judge with truth and judgment for peace at your [h]gates. 17 Also let none of you (AD)devise evil in your heart against another, and do not love [i](AE)perjury; for all these things are what I (AF)hate,’ declares the Lord.”
18 Then the word of the Lord of armies came to me, saying, 19 “The Lord of armies says this: ‘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, jubilation, and [j]cheerful festivals for the house of Judah; so (AL)love truth and peace.’
20 “The Lord of armies says this: ‘It will yet turn out that (AM)peoples will come, that is, the inhabitants of many cities. 21 The inhabitants of one city will go to another, saying, “Let’s go at once to (AN)plead for the favor of the Lord, and to seek the Lord of armies; [k]I also will go.” 22 So (AO)many peoples and mighty nations will come to seek the Lord of armies in Jerusalem, and to (AP)plead for the favor of the Lord.’ 23 The Lord of armies says this: ‘In those days ten people from all the [l]nations will [m](AQ)grasp the [n]garment of a Jew, saying, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.”’”
Footnotes
- Zechariah 8:4 Lit the multitude of days
- Zechariah 8:7 Lit sunrise
- Zechariah 8:7 Lit setting sun
- Zechariah 8:8 Or faithfulness
- Zechariah 8:10 Or security
- Zechariah 8:10 Lit the adversary
- Zechariah 8:11 Lit be to the
- Zechariah 8:16 I.e., the place where court was held
- Zechariah 8:17 Lit a false oath
- Zechariah 8:19 Or goodly
- Zechariah 8:21 Or let me go too
- Zechariah 8:23 Lit languages of the nations
- Zechariah 8:23 Lit grasp, and they will grasp
- Zechariah 8:23 Lit hem of a garment
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.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible