Obedience and Feasting

The word of the Lord of Armies came: The Lord of Armies says this: “I am extremely jealous(A) for Zion; I am jealous for her with great wrath.” The Lord says this: “I will return to Zion and live in Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the Faithful City;(B) the mountain of the Lord of Armies will be called the Holy Mountain.” The Lord of Armies says this: “Old men and women will again sit along the streets of Jerusalem, each with a staff in hand because of advanced age. The streets of the city will be filled with boys and girls playing in them.” The Lord of Armies says this: “Though it may seem impossible to the remnant of this people in those days, should it also seem impossible to me?”—this is the declaration of the Lord of Armies. The Lord of Armies says this: “I will save my people from the land of the east and the land of the west.[a] I will bring them back(C) to live in Jerusalem. They will be my people, and I will be their faithful and righteous God.”(D)

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Footnotes

  1. 8:7 Lit sunset

God’s Promises to Zion

The word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying: “Thus says the Lord of hosts: I am zealous for Zion with great zeal, and I am zealous for her with great wrath.(A) Thus says the Lord: I will return to Zion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem; Jerusalem shall be called the faithful city, and the mountain of the Lord of hosts shall be called the holy mountain.(B) Thus says the Lord of hosts: Old men and old women shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with staff in hand because of their great age.(C) And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets.(D) Thus says the Lord of hosts: Even though it seems impossible to the remnant of this people in these days, should it also seem impossible to me, says the Lord of hosts?(E) Thus says the Lord of hosts: I will save my people from the east country and from the west country,(F) and I will bring them to live in Jerusalem. They shall be my people and I will be their God, in faithfulness and in righteousness.”(G)

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