Zechariah 8

1 And the word of Yahweh of hosts came, saying:

The word of the LORD of Armies came to me.

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

The LORD of Armies says: “I am jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I am jealous for her with great wrath.”

3 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.

The LORD says: “I have returned to Zion, and will dwell in the middle of Jerusalem. Jerusalem shall be called ‘The City of Truth;’ and the mountain of the LORD of Armies, ‘The Holy Mountain.’”

4 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:

The LORD of Armies says: “Old men and old women will again dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, every man with his staff in his hand because of their old age.

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

The streets of the city will be full of boys and girls playing in its streets.”

6 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.

The LORD of Armies says: “If it is marvellous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in those days, should it also be marvellous in my eyes?” says the LORD of Armies.

7 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;

The LORD of Armies says: “Behold, I will save my people from the east country and from the west country.

8 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.

I will bring them, and they will dwell within Jerusalem. They will be my people, and I will be their God, in truth and in righteousness.”

9 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: —

The LORD of Armies says: “Let your hands be strong, you who hear in these days these words from the mouth of the prophets who were in the day that the foundation of the house of the LORD of Armies was laid, even the temple, that it might be built.

10 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.

For before those days there was no wages for man nor any wages for an animal, neither was there any peace to him who went out or came in, because of the adversary. For I set all men everyone against his neighbour.

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

But now I will not be to the remnant of this people as in the former days,” says the LORD of Armies.

12 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.

“For the seed of peace and the vine will yield its fruit, and the ground will give its increase, and the heavens will give their dew. I will cause the remnant of this people to inherit all these things.

13 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.

It shall come to pass that, as you were a curse amongst the nations, house of Judah and house of Israel, so I will save you, and you shall be a blessing. Don’t be afraid. Let your hands be strong.”

14 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,

For the LORD of Armies says: “As I thought to do evil to you when your fathers provoked me to wrath,” says the LORD of Armies, “and I didn’t repent,

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

so again I have thought in these days to do good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. Don’t be afraid.

16 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;

These are the things that you shall do: speak every man the truth with his neighbour. Execute the judgement of truth and peace in your gates,

17 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.

and let none of you devise evil in your hearts against his neighbour, and love no false oath; for all these are things that I hate,” says the LORD.

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

The word of the LORD of Armies came to me.

19 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.

The LORD of Armies says: “The fasts of the fourth, fifth, seventh, and tenth months shall be for the house of Judah joy, gladness, and cheerful feasts. Therefore love truth and peace.”

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

The LORD of Armies says: “Many peoples and the inhabitants of many cities will yet come.

21 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!

The inhabitants of one will go to another, saying, ‘Let’s go speedily to entreat the favour of the LORD, and to seek the LORD of Armies. I will go also.’

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

Yes, many peoples and strong nations will come to seek the LORD of Armies in Jerusalem and to entreat the favour of the LORD.”

23 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.

The LORD of Armies says: “In those days, ten men out of all the languages of the nations will take hold of the skirt of him who is a Jew, saying, ‘We will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.’”