Zechariah 8

1 Again the word of YHWH of hosts came to me, saying,

And the word of the Lord Almighty came, saying,

2 Thus saith YHWH of hosts; I was jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I was jealous for her with great fury.

Thus says the Lord Almighty; I have been jealous for Jerusalem and for Sion with great jealousy, and I have been jealous for her with great fury.

3 Thus saith YHWH; I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; and the mountain of YHWH of hosts the holy mountain.

Thus says the Lord; I will return to Sion, and dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a true city, and the mountain of the Lord Almighty a holy mountain.

4 Thus saith YHWH of hosts; There shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, and every man with his staff in his hand for very age.

Thus says the Lord Almighty; There shall yet dwell old men and old women in the streets of Jerusalem, every one holding his staff in his hand for age.

5 And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof.

And the broad places of the city shall be filled with boys and girls playing in the streets thereof.

6 Thus saith YHWH of hosts; If it be marvellous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these days, should it also be marvellous in mine eyes? saith YHWH of hosts.

Thus says the Lord Almighty; If it shall be impossible in the sight of the remnant of this people in those days, shall it also be impossible in my sight? says the Lord Almighty.

7 Thus saith YHWH of hosts; Behold, I will save my people from the east country, and from the west country;

Thus says the Lord Almighty; Behold, I [will] save my people from the east country, and the west country;

8 And I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and they shall be my people, and I will be their Elohim, in truth and in righteousness.

and I will bring them in, and cause [them] to dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and they shall be to me a people, and I will be to them a God, in truth and in righteousness.

9 Thus saith YHWH of hosts; Let your hands be strong, ye that hear in these days these words by the mouth of the prophets, which were in the day that the foundation of the house of YHWH of hosts was laid, that the temple might be built.

Thus says the Lord Almighty; Let your hands be strong, [you that] hear in these days these words out of the mouth of the prophets, from the day that the house of the Lord Almighty was founded, and from the time that the temple was built.

10 For before these days there was no hire for man, nor any hire for beast; neither was there any peace to him that went out or came in because of the affliction: for I set all men every one against his neighbour.

For before those days the wages of men could not be profitable, and there could be no hire of cattle, and there could be no peace by reason of the affliction to him that went out or to him that came in: for I would have let loose all men, every one against his neighbour.

11 But now I will not be unto the residue of this people as in the former days, saith YHWH of hosts.

But now I [will] not do to the remnant of this people according to the former days, says the Lord Almighty.

12 For the seed shall be prosperous; the vine shall give her fruit, and the ground shall give her increase, and the heavens shall give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things.

But I will show peace: the vine shall yield her fruit, and the land shall yield her produce, and the heaven shall give its dew: and I will give as an inheritance all these things to the remnant of my people.

13 And it shall come to pass, that as ye were a curse among the heathen, O house of Judah, and house of Israel; so will I save you, and ye shall be a blessing: fear not, but let your hands be strong.

And it shall come to pass, as you were a curse amongst the nations, O house of Juda, and house of Israel; so will I save you, and you shall be a blessing: be of good courage, and strengthen your hands.

14 For thus saith YHWH of hosts; As I thought to punish you, when your fathers provoked me to wrath, saith YHWH of hosts, and I repented not:

For thus says the Lord Almighty; As I took counsel to afflict you when your fathers provoked me, says the Lord Almighty, and I repented not:

15 So again have I thought in these days to do well unto Jerusalem and to the house of Judah: fear ye not.

so have I prepared and taken counsel in these days to do good to Jerusalem and to the house of Juda: be you of good courage.

16 These are the things that ye shall do; Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates:

These [are] the things which you shall do; speak truth every one with his neighbour; judge truth and peaceful judgement in your gates:

17 And let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbour; and love no false oath: for all these are things that I hate, saith YHWH.

and let none of you devise evil in his heart against his neighbour; and love not a false oath: for all these things I hate, says the Lord Almighty.

18 And the word of YHWH of hosts came unto me, saying,

And the word of the Lord Almighty came to me, saying,

19 Thus saith YHWH of hosts; The fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall be to the house of Judah joy and gladness, and cheerful feasts; therefore love the truth and peace.

Thus says the Lord Almighty, The fourth fast, and the fifth fast, and the seventh fast, and the tenth fast, shall be to the house of Juda for joy and gladness, and for good feasts; and you shall rejoice; and love you the truth and peace.

20 Thus saith YHWH of hosts; It shall yet come to pass, that there shall come people, and the inhabitants of many cities:

Thus says the Lord Almighty; Yet shall many peoples come, and the inhabitants of many cities;

21 And the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, Let us go speedily to pray before YHWH, and to seek YHWH of hosts: I will go also.

and the inhabitants of five cities shall come together to one city, saying, Let us go to make supplication to the Lord, and to seek the face of the Lord Almighty; I will go also.

22 Yea, many people and strong nations shall come to seek YHWH of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before YHWH.

And many peoples and many nations shall come to seek earnestly the face of the Lord Almighty in Jerusalem, and to obtain favour of the Lord.

23 Thus saith YHWH of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that Elohim is with you.

Thus says the Lord Almighty; In those days [my word shall be fulfilled] if ten men of all the languages of the nations should take hold—even take hold of the hem of a Jew, saying, We will go with you; for we have heard that God is with you.