Zechariah 8

1 Again the word of the LORD of Hosts came to me, saying:

And the word of Yahweh of hosts came, saying:

2 This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “I am jealous for Zion with great zeal; I am jealous for her with great fervor.”

Thus, saith Yahweh of hosts, I am jealous for Zion with a great jealousy, —Yea, with great wrath, am I jealous for her.

3 This is what the LORD says: “I will return to Zion and dwell in Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the City of Truth, and the mountain of the LORD of Hosts will be called the Holy Mountain.”

Thus, saith Yahweh, I have returned unto Zion, and will make my habitation in the midst of Jerusalem, —and Jerusalem, shall be called, The city of fidelity, and the mountain of Yahweh of hosts, The mountain of holiness.

4 This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Old men and old women will again sit along the streets of Jerusalem, each with a staff in hand because of great age.

Thus, saith Yahweh of hosts, Yet shall old men and old women sit in the broadways of Jerusalem, —Yea, each one with his staff in his hand for multitude of days:

5 And the streets of the city will be filled with boys and girls playing there.”

And, the broadways of the city, shall be full of boys and girls, —playing in the broadways thereof.

6 This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “If this is impossible in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these days, should it also be impossible in My eyes?” declares the LORD of Hosts.

Thus, saith Yahweh of hosts, Because it will be marvellous in the eyes of the remnant of this people, in those days, In mine own eyes also, shall it be marvellous? Demandeth Yahweh of hosts.

7 This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “I will save My people from the land of the east and from the land of the west.

Thus, saith Yahweh of hosts, Behold me! saving my people out of the land of the dawn, —and out of the land of the going in of the sun;

8 I will bring them back to dwell in Jerusalem, where they will be My people, and I will be their faithful and righteous God.”

And I will bring them in, and they shall have their habitation in the midst of Jerusalem, —and shall become my people, and, I, will become their God, In faithfulness and in righteousness.

9 This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Let your hands be strong, you who now hear these words spoken by the prophets who were present when the foundations were laid to rebuild the temple, the house of the LORD of Hosts.

Thus, saith Yahweh of hosts, Let your hands be strong, ye who are hearing, in these days, these words, —from the mouth of the prophets who, on the day the house of Yahweh of hosts, was founded, [foretold] that, the temple, should be built: —

10 For before those days neither man nor beast received wages, nor was there safety from the enemy for anyone who came or went, for I had turned every man against his neighbor.

That, before those days, hire for man, could not be obtained, and, hire for beast, was there none, —and, neither to him who went out nor to him who came in, was there success by reason of the danger, Yea I let all men loose, each one against his neighbour.

11 But now I will not treat the remnant of this people as I did in the past,” declares the LORD of Hosts.

But, now, not as in the former days, am I to this remnant of the people, —Declareth Yahweh of hosts;

12 “For the seed will be prosperous, the vine will yield its fruit, the ground will yield its produce, and the skies will give their dew. To the remnant of this people I will give all these things as an inheritance.

For, the seed, shall be secure—the vine, shall yield her fruit, and the land, yield her increase, and the heavens, yield their dew, —and I will cause this remnant of the people to inherit all these things.

13 As you have been a curse among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so I will save you, and you will be a blessing. Do not be afraid; let your hands be strong.”

And it shall come to pass that—Just as ye had become a curse among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, So, will I save you, and ye shall become a blessing, —Do not fear, let your hands, be strong.

14 For this is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Just as I resolved to bring disaster upon you when your fathers provoked Me to anger, and I did not relent,” says the LORD of Hosts,

For, thus, saith Yahweh of hosts, Just as I planned to bring calamity upon you, when your fathers provoked me, saith Yahweh of hosts, —and I relented not,

15 “so now I have resolved to do good again to Jerusalem and Judah. Do not be afraid.

So, have I again planned, in these days, to do good unto Jerusalem, and unto the house of Judah, —Do not fear!

16 These are the things you must do: Speak truth to one another, render true and sound judgments in your gates,

These, are the things which ye shall do: Speak ye the truth, every man with his neighbour, truth and the sentence of peace, pronounce ye in your gates;

17 do not plot evil in your hearts against your neighbor, and do not love to swear falsely, for I hate all these things,” declares the LORD.

And let, no man, devise, the injury of his neighbour, in your heart, and the oath of falsehood, do not love, —for, all these, are things which I hate, declareth Yahweh.

18 Then the word of the LORD of Hosts came to me, saying,

And the word of Yahweh of hosts came unto me, saying:

19 “This is what the LORD of Hosts says: The fasts of the fourth, the fifth, the seventh, and the tenth months will become times of joy and gladness, cheerful feasts for the house of Judah. Therefore you are to love both truth and peace.”

Thus, saith Yahweh of hosts—The fast of the fourth, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the eleventh, shall become to the house of Judah a gladness and a rejoicing, and pleasant appointed meetings, —But, truth and peace, see that ye love.

20 This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Peoples will yet come—the residents of many cities—

Thus, saith Yahweh of hoses, —It shall yet be that there shall come in peoples, and the inhabitants of many cities;

21 and the residents of one city will go to another, saying: ‘Let us go at once to plead before the LORD and to seek the LORD of Hosts. I myself am going.’

And the inhabitants of one city, shall go, unto them of another, saying, Let us be going on to pacify the face of Yahweh, and to seek Yahweh of hosts, —I also, will go!

22 And many peoples and strong nations will come to seek the LORD of Hosts in Jerusalem and to plead before the LORD.”

So shall enter many peoples, and strong nations, to seek Yahweh of hosts in Jerusalem, —and to pacify the face of Yahweh.

23 This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “In those days ten men from the nations of every tongue will tightly grasp the robe of a Jew, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.’”

Thus, saith Yahweh of hosts, In those days, [it shall be] that ten men out of all the tongues of the nations, shall take hold, —yea take hold of the skirt of every one that is a Jew, saying—We will go with you! For we have heard [that], God, is with you.