7During the fourth year that Darius was king, a message came to me from the Lord. It was the fourth day of the ninth month. That’s the month of Kislev.

²The people of Bethel wanted to ask the Lord to show them his favor. So they sent Sharezer and Regem-Melech and their men. ³They went to the prophets and priests at the Lord’s temple. They asked them, “Should we sob and go without eating in the fifth month? That’s what we’ve done for many years.”

⁴Then the message came to me from the Lord who rules over all. He said, ⁵“Ask the priests and all of the people in the land a question for me. Say to them, ‘You sobbed and fasted in the fifth and seventh months. You did it for the past 70 years. But did you really do it for me? ⁶And when you were eating and drinking, weren’t you just enjoying good food for yourselves?

⁷“ ‘Didn’t I tell you the same thing through the earlier prophets? That was when Jerusalem and the towns around it were at rest and enjoyed success. People lived in the Negev Desert and the western hills at that time.’ ”

⁸Another message came to me from the Lord. ⁹He rules over all. He says to his people, “Treat everyone fairly. Show faithful love and tender concern to one another. ¹⁰Do not take advantage of widows. Do not mistreat children whose fathers have died. Do not crush strangers or poor people. Do not make evil plans against one another.”

¹¹But they refused to pay attention to the Lord. They were stubborn. They turned their backs and covered up their ears. ¹²They made their hearts as hard as the hardest stone. They wouldn’t listen to the law. They wouldn’t pay attention to the Lord’s messages.

So the Lord who rules over all was very angry. After all, his Spirit had spoken to his people through the earlier prophets.

¹³“When I called, they did not listen,” says the Lord. “So when they called, I would not listen. ¹⁴I used a windstorm to scatter them among all of the nations. They were strangers there. The land they left behind became dry and empty. No one could even travel through it. That is how they turned the pleasant land into a dry and empty desert.”

The Lord Promises to Bless Jerusalem

8Another message came to me from the Lord who rules over all. He said, ²“I am very jealous for my people in Zion. In fact, I am burning with jealousy for them.”

³He continued, “I will return to Zion. I will live among my people in Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called The City of Truth. And my mountain will be called The Holy Mountain.”

⁴He continued, “Once again old men and women will sit in the streets of Jerusalem. All of them will be using canes because they are old. ⁵The city streets will be filled with boys and girls. They will be playing there.”

⁶He continued, “All of that might seem wonderful to the people who are living at that time. But it will not seem wonderful to me.”

⁷He continued, “I will save my people. I will gather them from the countries of the east and the west. ⁸I will bring them back to live in Jerusalem. They will be my people. I will be their faithful God. I will keep my promises to them.”

⁹The Lord who rules over all says to his people, “Listen to the words that were spoken by the prophets Haggai and Zechariah. They spoke to you when the work on my temple started up again. Let your hands be strong so that you can rebuild the temple.

¹⁰“Before the work was started again, there was no pay for the people or food for the animals. People could not go about their business safely because of their enemies. I had turned all of them against one another. ¹¹But now I will not punish you who are living at this time. I will not treat you as I treated your people before you,” announces the Lord who rules over all.

¹²“Your seeds will grow well. Your vines will bear fruit. The ground will produce crops for you. And the heavens will drop their dew on your land. I will give all of those things to those who are still left alive here.

¹³“Judah and Israel, in the past the nations called down curses on you. But now I will save you. You will be a blessing to others. Do not be afraid. Let your hands be strong so that you can do my work.”

¹⁴The Lord who rules over all says, “Years ago your people made me angry. So I decided to bring trouble on them. I did not show them any pity. ¹⁵But now I plan to do good things to Jerusalem and Judah again. So do not be afraid.

¹⁶“Here is what you must do. Speak the truth to one another. Make true and wise decisions in your courts. ¹⁷Do not make evil plans against your neighbors. When you take an oath to tell the truth, do not lie. Many people love to do that. But I hate all of those things,” announces the Lord.

¹⁸Another message came to me from the Lord who rules over all. He said, ¹⁹“You have established special times to go without eating. They are your fasts in the fourth, fifth, seventh and tenth months. They will become days of joy. They will be happy times for Judah. It will happen if you take delight in telling the truth and bringing about peace.”

²⁰He continued, “Many nations will still come to you. And those who live in many cities will also come. ²¹The people who live in one city will go to another city. They will say, ‘Let’s go right away to ask the Lord to show us his favor. Let’s look to him as our God. We ourselves are going.’ ²²Large numbers of people and nations will come to Jerusalem. They will look to me. They will ask me to show them my favor.”

²³He continued, “At that time many men from all nations and languages will take hold of one Jew. They will grab hold of the hem of his robe. And they will say, ‘We want to go to Jerusalem with you. We’ve heard that God is with you.’ ”

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