Zechariah 7–8
1 In the fourth year of King Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, which is aChislev.
2 Now the town of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regemmelech and 1their men to 2aseek the favor of the Lord,
3 speaking to the apriests who belong to the house of the Lord of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, “Shall I weep in the bfifth month 1and abstain, as I have done these many years?”
4 Then the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying,
5 “Say to all the people of the land and to the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months 1these aseventy years, was it actually for bMe that you fasted?
6 ‘When you eat and drink, 1do you not eat for yourselves and do you not drink for yourselves?
7 ‘Are not these the words which the Lord aproclaimed by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and 1bprosperous along with its cities around it, and the 2cNegev and the 3foothills were inhabited?’ ”
8 Then the word of the Lord came to Zechariah saying,
9 “Thus has the Lord of hosts said, ‘aDispense true justice and practice bkindness and compassion each to his brother;
10 and ado not oppress the widow or the 1orphan, the 2stranger or the poor; and do bnot devise evil in your hearts against one another.’
11 “But they arefused to pay attention and 1bturned a stubborn shoulder and 2cstopped their ears from hearing.
12 “They made their ahearts like 1bflint 2so that they could not hear the law and the cwords which the Lord of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the dformer prophets; therefore great ewrath came from the Lord of hosts.
13 “And just as aHe called and they would not listen, so bthey called and I would not listen,” says the Lord of hosts;
14 “but I 1ascattered them with a bstorm wind among all the nations whom they have not known. Thus the land is cdesolated behind them 2so that dno one went back and forth, for they emade the pleasant land desolate.”
The Coming Peace and Prosperity of Zion
1 Then the word of the Lord of hosts came, saying,
2 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘I am aexceedingly jealous for Zion, yes, with great wrath I am jealous for her.’
3 “Thus says the Lord, ‘I will return to Zion and will adwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the City of bTruth, and the mountain of the Lord of hosts will be called the Holy Mountain.’
4 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘aOld men and old women will again sit in the 1streets of Jerusalem, each man with his staff in his hand because of 2age.
5 ‘And the 1streets of the city will be filled with aboys and girls playing in its 1streets.’
6 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘If it is 1atoo difficult in the sight of the remnant of this people in those days, will it also be 1btoo difficult in My sight?’ declares the Lord of hosts.
7 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Behold, I am going to save My people from the land of the 1aeast and from the land of the 2west;
8 and I will abring them back and they will blive in the midst of Jerusalem; and they shall be cMy people, and I will be their God in 1truth and righteousness.’
9 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Let your hands be astrong, you who are listening in these days to these words from the mouth of the bprophets, those who spoke in the day that the foundation of the house of the Lord of hosts was laid, to the end that the temple might be built.
10 ‘For before those days there was ano wage for man or any wage for animal; and for him who went out or came in there was no 1bpeace because of 2his enemies, and I cset all men one against another.
11 ‘But now I will anot 1treat the remnant of this people as in the former days,’ declares the Lord of hosts.
12 ‘For there will be apeace for the seed: the vine will yield its fruit, the land will yield its produce and the heavens will give their bdew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to inherit call these things.
13 ‘It will come about that just as you were a acurse among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so I will save you that you may become a bblessing. Do not fear; let your chands be strong.’
14 “For thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Just as I apurposed to do harm to you when your fathers provoked Me to wrath,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘and I have not brelented,
15 so I have again purposed in these days to ado good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. bDo not fear!
16 ‘These are the things which you should do: speak the atruth to one another; bjudge with truth and judgment for peace in your 1gates.
17 ‘Also let none of you adevise evil in your heart against another, and do not love 1bperjury; for all these are what I chate,’ declares the Lord.”
18 Then the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying,
19 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘The fast of the afourth, the fast of the bfifth, the fast of the cseventh and the fast of the dtenth months will become ejoy, gladness, and 1cheerful feasts for the house of Judah; so flove truth and peace.’
20 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘It will yet be that apeoples will come, even the inhabitants of many cities.
21 ‘The inhabitants of one will go to another, saying, “Let us go at once to aentreat the favor of the Lord, and to seek the Lord of hosts; 1I will also go.”
22 ‘So amany peoples and mighty nations will come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem and to bentreat the favor of the Lord.’
23 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘In those days ten men from all the 1nations will 2agrasp the 3garment of a Jew, saying, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.” ’ ”