You must say to them: ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts: “Return to me,” declares Yahweh of hosts, “and I will return to you,” says Yahweh of hosts.

“Do not be like your ancestors, to whom the former prophets proclaimed, saying, ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts: “Return from your evil ways and your evil deeds!”’ But they did not hear and they did not pay attention to me,” declares Yahweh.

However, did not my words and my regulations which I commanded my servants the prophets overtake your ancestors? And they repented and said, ‘Yahweh of hosts planned to do with us according to our ways, and according to our deeds so he has dealt with us.’”’”

The angel of Yahweh answered and said, “O Yahweh of hosts, how long will you have no compassion on Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, with which you showed fury these seventy years?”

And the angel who was talking with me said to me, “Proclaim, saying, ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts: “I am very jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion!

Therefore, thus says Yahweh: “I have returned to Jerusalem with compassion. My temple will be built in it,” declares Yahweh of hosts, “and a measuring line will be stretched out over Jerusalem.”’

Proclaim again, saying, ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts: “My cities shall again overflow from prosperity, and Yahweh will comfort Zion again, and he will choose Jerusalem again.”’”

For thus said Yahweh of hosts, after glory he sent me against the nations plundering you: Truly, the one touching you is touching the apple of his eye.

“Yes, look! I am going to wave my hand against them, and they will become plunder for their servants, and you will know that Yahweh of hosts has sent me.

“Many nations will join themselves to Yahweh on that day, and they will be my people, and I will dwell in your midst. And you will know that Yahweh of hosts has sent me to you.

“Thus says Yahweh of hosts: ‘If you will walk in my ways, and if you will keep my requirements, then you will judge my house, and you will also guard my courtyards, and I will give to you passageways among these that are standing here.

For consider, the stone that I set before Joshua, on one stone are seven eyes. Look, I am going to engrave an inscription on it,’ declares Yahweh of hosts, ‘and I will remove the guilt of that land in a single day.

On that day,’ declares Yahweh of hosts, ‘you will invite one another under the vine and under the fig tree.’”

And he answered and said to me, “This is the word of Yahweh to Zerubbabel, saying, ‘Not by strength and not by power, but only by my Spirit,’ says Yahweh of hosts.

“The hands of Zerubbabel have founded this house, and his hands will finish it. And you will know that Yahweh of hosts has sent me to you.

‘I have sent it out,’ declares Yahweh of hosts, ‘and it will go into the house of the thief and into the house of the one swearing falsely by my name, and it will spend the night in that house and will destroy it, with its timber and its stone.’”

And say to him, ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts: “Look, here is a man whose name is Branch, and from his place he will sprout, and he will build the temple of Yahweh.

And those who are far off will come and build the temple of Yahweh, and you will know that Yahweh of hosts has sent me to you. And it will happen if you will listen diligently to the voice of Yahweh your God.”

saying to the priests of the house of Yahweh of hosts and to the prophets, “Should I mourn in the fifth month and keep myself separate as I have done for these many years?”

And the word of Yahweh of hosts came to me, saying,

“Thus says Yahweh of hosts: ‘Judge with trustworthy justice, and show steadfast love and compassion to one another.

They made their hearts adamant in order not to hear the law and the words that Yahweh of hosts had sent by his spirit through the former prophets; therefore great wrath came from Yahweh of hosts.

‘Thus, just as I called and they would not hear, so they will call and I will not hear,’ says Yahweh of hosts.

Yahweh’s Promise to Jerusalem

And the word of Yahweh of hosts came, saying,

“Thus says Yahweh of hosts: ‘I am exceedingly jealous for Zion; I am jealous for it with great wrath.’

Thus says Yahweh: ‘I have returned to Zion, and I will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem; and Jerusalem will be called the faithful city, and the mountain of Yahweh of hosts will be called the holy mountain.’

Thus says Yahweh of hosts: ‘Old men and old women shall again sit in the public squares of Jerusalem, each with staff in hand because of great age.

Thus says Yahweh of hosts: ‘Even if it seems impossible to the remnant of this people in those days, should it also seem impossible to me?’ declares Yahweh of hosts.

Thus says Yahweh of hosts: ‘Look! I am going to save my people from the land of the east, and from the land of the west,

“Thus says Yahweh of hosts: ‘Let your hands be strong, you who are hearing in these days these words from the mouth of the prophets who were present on the day the foundation was laid for the rebuilding of the temple, the house of Yahweh of hosts.

But now I will not deal with the remnant of this people as in the former days,’ declares Yahweh of hosts.

For thus says Yahweh of hosts: “Just as I planned to bring disaster on you when your ancestors provoked me to anger,” says Yahweh of hosts, “and I did not regret it,

And the word of Yahweh of hosts came to me, saying

“Thus says Yahweh of hosts: ‘The fast of the fourth month, the fifth month, the seventh month, and the tenth month will be for the house of Judah jubilation and joy and merry festivals; therefore love truth and peace.’

Thus says Yahweh of hosts: ‘It will happen again that nations and the inhabitants of many cities will come.

And the inhabitants of one city will go to another city, saying, “Let us go immediately to entreat the favor of Yahweh, to seek Yahweh of hosts—I also will go!”

And many peoples and powerful nations will come to seek Yahweh of hosts in Jerusalem, and to entreat the favor of Yahweh.’

Thus says Yahweh of hosts: ‘In those days ten men from all the nations of every language will take hold of the hem of a Judean man, saying, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you!”’”

Yahweh of hosts will defend them, and they will devour and subdue the slingstones; they will drink, they will make noise like wine, and they will be full like the sacrificial basin, drenched like the corners of an altar.

My anger burns against the shepherds, and I will punish the leaders, because Yahweh of hosts watches over his flock, the house of Judah; and he will make them like his majestic horse in war.

And the clans of Judah will say to themselves, “The inhabitants of Jerusalem are a strength to us, through Yahweh of hosts, their God.”

And then, on that day,’ declares Yahweh of hosts, ‘I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, and they will no longer be remembered; and also the prophets and the spirit of uncleanness I will banish from the land.

The Sword Shall Strike the Shepherd

“O sword, awake against my shepherd, against the man who is my associate,” declares Yahweh of hosts. “Strike the shepherd, so that the sheep may be scattered, and I will turn my hand against the small ones.

And then every survivor from all those nations coming against Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the king, Yahweh of hosts, and celebrate the Feast of Booths.

And then whoever of the clans of the earth does not go up to Jerusalem to worship the king, Yahweh of hosts, it will not rain on them.

And every cooking pot in Jerusalem and in Judah will be holy to Yahweh of hosts, and all those who sacrifice will come and will take from them, and will cook in them, and there will be no longer a trader in the house of Yahweh of hosts on that day.