Zechariah 7–8

Chapter 7

¹And it came to pass in the fourth year of king Darius, that the word of Jehovah came unto Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, even in Chislev, ²when Bethel had sent Sherezer and Regem-melech, and his men, to supplicate Jehovah, ³and to speak unto the priests that were in the house of Jehovah of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done now so many years? ⁴And the word of Jehovah of hosts came unto me, saying, ⁵Speak unto all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and in the seventh month, even those seventy years, did ye really fast unto me, even unto me? ⁶And when ye ate, and when ye drank, was it not you that were eating and drinking? ⁷Are not these the words that Jehovah cried by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and at peace, and her cities round about her, when the south and the lowland were inhabited?

⁸And the word of Jehovah came unto Zechariah, saying, ⁹Thus speaketh Jehovah of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and shew loving-kindness and mercies one to another, ¹⁰and oppress not the widow and the fatherless, the stranger and the afflicted; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart. ¹¹But they refused to hearken, and turned a rebellious shoulder, and made their ears heavy, that they should not hear. ¹²And they made their heart as an adamant, that they should not hear the law, and the words that Jehovah of hosts sent by his Spirit by the hand of the former prophets: therefore was there great wrath from Jehovah of hosts. ¹³And it came to pass, like as he called, and they would not hear, so they called, and I would not hear, saith Jehovah of hosts; ¹⁴and I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations whom they knew not, and the land was desolate after them, so that no one passed through nor returned; and they laid the pleasant land desolate.

Chapter 8

¹And the word of Jehovah of hosts came unto me, saying, ²Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: I am jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I am jealous for her with great fury. ³Thus saith Jehovah: I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem; and Jerusalem shall be called, The city of truth; and the mountain of Jehovah of hosts, The holy mountain. ⁴Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: There shall yet old men and old women sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each one with his staff in his hand for multitude of days. ⁵And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof. ⁶Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: If it be wonderful in the eyes of the remnant of this people in those days, should it also be wonderful in mine eyes? saith Jehovah of hosts. ⁷Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Behold, I will save my people from the east country and from the west country; ⁸and I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem; and they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in truth and in righteousness.

⁹Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Let your hands be strong, ye that hear in these days these words by the mouth of the prophets, that were in the day that the foundation of the house of Jehovah of hosts was laid, that the temple might be built. ¹⁰For before those days there was no hire for man, nor any hire for beast; and there was no peace for him that went out or that came in, because of the distress: for I let loose all men, every one against his neighbour. ¹¹But now I will not be unto the remnant of this people as in the former days, saith Jehovah of hosts; ¹²for the seed shall be prosperous, the vine shall give its fruit, and the ground shall give its produce, and the heavens shall give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things. ¹³And it shall come to pass, like 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 ye not, let your hands be strong. ¹⁴For thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Like as I thought to do you evil when your fathers provoked me to wrath, saith Jehovah of hosts, and I repented not; ¹⁵so again have I thought in these days to do good unto Jerusalem and to the house of Judah: fear ye not. ¹⁶These are the things that ye shall do: Speak truth every one with his neighbour; execute truth and the judgment of peace in your gates; ¹⁷and 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 Jehovah.

¹⁸And the word of Jehovah of hosts came unto me, saying, ¹⁹Thus saith Jehovah 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 gatherings. Love ye then truth and peace. ²⁰Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Yet again shall there come peoples, and the inhabitants of many cities; ²¹and the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, Let us go speedily to supplicate Jehovah, and to seek Jehovah of hosts: I will go also. ²²And many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek Jehovah of hosts in Jerusalem, and to supplicate Jehovah. ²³Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: In those days shall ten men take hold, out of all languages of the nations, shall even 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.