Zechariah 7:1–9:17
Justice and Mercy, Not Fasting
7 In the fourth year of King Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariaht on the fourth day of the ninth month, the month of Kislev.u 2 The people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regem-Melek, together with their men, to entreatv the Lordw 3 by asking the priests of the house of the Lord Almighty and the prophets, “Should I mournx and fast in the fifthy month, as I have done for so many years?”
4 Then the word of the Lord Almighty came to me: 5 “Ask all the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you fastedz and mourned in the fifth and seventha months for the past seventy years,b was it really for me that you fasted? 6 And when you were eating and drinking, were you not just feasting for yourselves?c 7 Are these not the words the Lord proclaimed through the earlier prophetsd when Jerusalem and its surrounding towns were at reste and prosperous, and the Negev and the western foothillsf were settled?’ ”g
8 And the word of the Lord came again to Zechariah: 9 “This is what the Lord Almighty said: ‘Administer true justice;h show mercy and compassion to one another.i 10 Do not oppress the widowj or the fatherless, the foreignerk or the poor.l Do not plot evil against each other.’m
11 “But they refused to pay attention; stubbornlyn they turned their backso and covered their ears.p 12 They made their hearts as hard as flintq and would not listen to the law or to the words that the Lord Almighty had sent by his Spirit through the earlier prophets.r So the Lord Almighty was very angry.s
13 “ ‘When I called, they did not listen;t so when they called, I would not listen,’u says the Lord Almighty.v 14 ‘I scatteredw them with a whirlwindx among all the nations, where they were strangers. The land they left behind them was so desolate that no one traveled through it.y This is how they made the pleasant land desolate.z’ ”
The Lord Promises to Bless Jerusalem
8 The word of the Lord Almighty came to me.
2 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “I am very jealousa for Zion; I am burning with jealousy for her.”
3 This is what the Lord says: “I will returnb to Zionc and dwell in Jerusalem.d Then Jerusalem will be called the Faithful City,e and the mountainf of the Lord Almighty will be called the Holy Mountain.g”
4 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Once again men and women of ripe old age will sit in the streets of Jerusalem,h each of them with cane in hand because of their age. 5 The city streets will be filled with boys and girls playing there.i”
6 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “It may seem marvelous to the remnant of this people at that time,j but will it seem marvelous to me?k” declares the Lord Almighty.
7 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “I will save my people from the countries of the east and the west.l 8 I will bring them backm to liven in Jerusalem; they will be my people,o and I will be faithful and righteous to them as their God.p”
9 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Now hear these words, ‘Let your hands be strongq so that the temple may be built.’ This is also what the prophetsr said who were present when the foundations was laid for the house of the Lord Almighty. 10 Before that time there were no wagest for people or hire for animals. No one could go about their business safelyu because of their enemies, since I had turned everyone against their neighbor. 11 But now I will not deal with the remnant of this people as I did in the past,”v declares the Lord Almighty.
12 “The seed will grow well, the vine will yield its fruit,w the ground will produce its crops,x and the heavens will drop their dew.y I will give all these things as an inheritancez to the remnant of this people.a 13 Just as you, Judah and Israel, have been a cursea b among the nations, so I will savec you, and you will be a blessing.b d Do not be afraid,e but let your hands be strong.f”
14 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Just as I had determined to bring disasterg on you and showed no pity when your ancestors angered me,” says the Lord Almighty, 15 “so now I have determined to do goodh again to Jerusalem and Judah.i Do not be afraid. 16 These are the things you are to do: Speak the truthj to each other, and render true and sound judgmentk in your courts;l 17 do not plot evilm against each other, and do not love to swear falsely.n I hate all this,” declares the Lord.
18 The word of the Lord Almighty came to me.
19 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “The fasts of the fourth,o fifth,p seventhq and tenthr months will become joyfuls and glad occasions and happy festivals for Judah. Therefore love trutht and peace.”
20 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Many peoples and the inhabitants of many cities will yet come, 21 and the inhabitants of one city will go to another and say, ‘Let us go at once to entreatu the Lord and seekv the Lord Almighty. I myself am going.’ 22 And many peoples and powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to seek the Lord Almighty and to entreat him.”w
23 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “In those days ten people from all languages and nations will take firm hold of one Jew by the hem of his robe and say, ‘Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you.’ ”x
9 A prophecy:y
The word of the Lord is against the land of Hadrak
and will come to rest on Damascusz—
for the eyes of all people and all the tribes of Israel
are on the Lord—a
2 and on Hamatha too, which borders on it,
and on Tyreb and Sidon,c though they are very skillful.
3 Tyre has built herself a stronghold;
she has heaped up silver like dust,
and gold like the dirt of the streets.d
4 But the Lord will take away her possessions
and destroye her power on the sea,
and she will be consumed by fire.f
5 Ashkelong will see it and fear;
Gaza will writhe in agony,
and Ekron too, for her hope will wither.
Gaza will lose her king
and Ashkelon will be deserted.
6 A mongrel people will occupy Ashdod,
and I will put an endh to the pride of the Philistines.
7 I will take the blood from their mouths,
the forbidden food from between their teeth.
Those who are left will belong to our Godi
and become a clan in Judah,
and Ekron will be like the Jebusites.j
8 But I will encampk at my temple
to guard it against marauding forces.l
Never again will an oppressor overrun my people,
for now I am keeping watch.m
9 Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!n
Shout,o Daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you,p
righteous and victorious,q
lowly and riding on a donkey,r
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.s
10 I will take away the chariots from Ephraim
and the warhorses from Jerusalem,
and the battle bow will be broken.t
He will proclaim peaceu to the nations.
His rule will extend from sea to sea
and from the Riverb to the ends of the earth.v
11 As for you, because of the blood of my covenantw with you,
I will free your prisonersx from the waterless pit.y
12 Return to your fortress,z you prisoners of hope;
even now I announce that I will restore twicea as much to you.
13 I will bend Judah as I bend my bowb
and fill it with Ephraim.c
I will rouse your sons, Zion,
against your sons, Greece,d
and make you like a warrior’s sword.e
14 Then the Lord will appear over them;f
his arrow will flash like lightning.g
The Sovereign Lord will sound the trumpet;h
he will march in the stormsi of the south,
15 and the Lord Almighty will shieldj them.
They will destroy
and overcome with slingstones.k
They will drink and roar as with wine;l
they will be full like a bowlm
used for sprinklingc the cornersn of the altar.
16 The Lord their God will save his people on that dayo
as a shepherd saves his flock.
They will sparkle in his land
like jewels in a crown.p
17 How attractive and beautiful they will be!
Grain will make the young men thrive,
and new wine the young women.