Zechariah 8

1 And the word of the Lord of armies came to me, saying,

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

2 These are the words of the Lord of armies: I am angry about the fate of Zion, I am angry about her with great wrath.

Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: I have been jealous for Zion with great jealousy, And with great wrath have I been jealous for her.

3 This is what the Lord has said: I have come back to Zion, and will make my living-place in Jerusalem: and Jerusalem will be named The town of good faith; and the mountain of the Lord of armies The holy mountain.

Thus saith Jehovah: I have returned to Zion, And I will dwell in Jerusalem; And Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth, And the mountain of Jehovah of hosts the holy mountain.

4 This is what the Lord of armies has said: There will again be old men and old women seated in the open spaces of Jerusalem, every man with his stick in his hand because he is so old.

Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: There shall yet old men and old women dwell In the streets of Jerusalem, Every one with his staff in his hand for great age.

5 And the open spaces of the town will be full of boys and girls playing in its open spaces.

And the streets of the city shall be full Of boys and girls playing in her streets.

6 This is what the Lord of armies has said: If this is a wonder to the rest of this people, is it a wonder to me? says the Lord of armies.

Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: If it be difficult in the eyes Of the residue of this people in these days, Is it therefore difficult in my eyes, Saith Jehovah of hosts?

7 This is what the Lord of armies has said: See, I will be the saviour of my people from the east country, and from the west country;

Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Behold, I will save my people From the land of the rising, and from the land of the setting sun.

8 And I will make them come and be living in Jerusalem and they will be to me a people and I will be to them a God, in good faith and in righteousness.

And I will bring them, and they shall dwell in Jerusalem; And they shall be my people, And I will be their God, In truth and in righteousness.

9 This is what the Lord of armies has said: Let your hands be strong, you who are now hearing these words from the mouths of the prophets, that is to say, in the days when the base of the house of the Lord of armies has been put in place for the building of the house, that is the Temple.

Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Let your hands be strong, Ye that hear in these days These words by the mouth of the prophets, Who were in the day when the foundation of the house of Jehovah of hosts was laid, The temple, that it might be built.

10 For before those days there was no payment for a man's work, or for the use of a beast, and there was no peace for him who went out or him who came in, because of the attacker: for I had every man turned against his neighbour.

For before these days There was no recompense for men, Nor was there any recompense for beasts; Nor to him that went out, nor to him that came in, was there security from the enemy; For I set all men one against another.

11 But now I will not be to the rest of this people as I was in the past, says the Lord of armies.

But now I will not be as in former days Toward the residue of this people, Saith Jehovah of hosts.

12 For I will let the seed of peace be planted; the vine will give her fruit and the land will give her increase and the heavens will give their dew; and I will give to the rest of this people all these things for their heritage.

For the seed shall be prosperous; The vine shall yield its fruit, And the earth shall yield her increase, And the heavens shall yield their dew; And I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these.

13 And it will come about that, as you were a curse among the nations, O children of Judah and children of Israel, so I will give you salvation and you will be a blessing: have no fear and let your hands be strong.

And it shall be, that as ye were a curse among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, So will I save you, and ye shall be a blessing. Fear not; let your hands be strong!

14 For this is what the Lord of armies has said: As it was my purpose to do evil to you when your fathers made me angry, says the Lord of armies, and my purpose was not changed:

For thus saith Jehovah of hosts: As I thought to do you evil, When your fathers provoked me to anger, Saith Jehovah of hosts, And I repented not,

15 So in these days it is again my purpose to do good to Jerusalem and to the children of Judah: have no fear.

So have I again thought in these days To do good to Jerusalem, And to the house of Judah. Fear ye not!

16 These are the things which you are to do: Let every man say what is true to his neighbour; and let your judging give peace in your towns.

These are the things which ye shall do: Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbor; Judge according to truth, and for peace in your gates;

17 Let no one have any evil thought in his heart against his neighbour; and have no love for false oaths: for all these things are hated by me, says the Lord.

And meditate not evil against one another in your hearts, And love not a false oath! For all these are things which I hate, saith Jehovah.

18 And the word of the Lord of armies came to me, saying,

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

19 This is what the Lord of armies has said: The times of going without food in the fourth month and in the fifth and the seventh and the tenth months, will be for the people of Judah times of joy and happy meetings; so be lovers of good faith and of peace.

Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: The fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth month, And the fast of the seventh month, and the fast of the tenth month, Shall be to the house of Judah for joy and gladness, And cheerful festivals. But love ye truth and peace!

20 This is what the Lord of armies has said: It will again come about that when peoples and those living in great towns come,

Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: It shall yet come to pass, that many nations shall come, And the inhabitants of many cities;

21 And the people of one town go to another and say, Let us certainly go with a request for grace from the Lord, and to give worship to the Lord of armies, then I will go with you.

And the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, “Let us go speedily to pray before Jehovah, And to seek Jehovah of hosts! I will go also!”

22 And great peoples and strong nations will come to give worship to the Lord of armies in Jerusalem and to make requests for grace from the Lord.

Then shall come many nations and mighty kingdoms, To seek Jehovah of hosts in Jerusalem, And to pray before Jehovah.

23 This is what the Lord of armies has said: In those days, ten men from all the languages of the nations will put out their hands and take a grip of the skirt of him who is a Jew, saying, We will go with you, for it has come to our ears that God is with you.

Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: In those days shall ten men of all languages of the nations take hold, They 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.”