The Coming Peace and Prosperity of Zion

8 And the word of the Lord of hosts came, saying, ² “Thus says the Lord of hosts: ^(A)I am jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I am jealous for her with great wrath. ³ Thus says the Lord: ^(B)I have returned to Zion and ^(C)will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, ^(D)and Jerusalem shall be called the faithful city, ^(E)and the mountain of the Lord of hosts, the holy mountain. ⁴ Thus says the Lord of hosts: ^(F)Old men and old women shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with staff in hand because of great age. ⁵ And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets. ⁶ Thus says the Lord of hosts: ^(G)If it is marvelous in the sight of the remnant of this people in those days, ^(H)should it also be marvelous in my sight, declares the Lord of hosts? ⁷ Thus says the Lord of hosts: Behold, ^(I)I will save my people ^(J)from the east country and from the west country, ⁸ and I will bring them to dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. ^(K)And they shall be my people, and I will be their God, ^(L)in faithfulness and in righteousness.”

⁹ Thus says the Lord of hosts: ^(M)“Let your hands be strong, you who in these days have been hearing these words from the mouth of ^(N)the prophets who were present on ^(O)the day that the foundation of the house of the Lord of hosts was laid, that the temple might be built. ¹⁰ For before those days ^(P)there was no wage for man or any wage for beast, neither was there any safety from the foe for him who went out or came in, for I set every man against his neighbor. ¹¹ But now I will not deal with the remnant of this people as in the former days, declares the Lord of hosts. ^12 (Q)For there shall be a sowing of peace. The vine shall give its fruit, and the ground shall give its produce, ^(R)and the heavens shall give their dew. ^(S)And I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things. ¹³ And as ^(T)you have been a byword of cursing among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, ^(U)so will I save you, and ^(V)you shall be a blessing. ^(W)Fear not, but ^(X)let your hands be strong.”

¹⁴ For thus says the Lord of hosts: ^(Y)“As I purposed to bring disaster to you when your fathers provoked me to wrath, and I did not relent, says the Lord of hosts, ¹⁵ so again have I purposed in these days to bring good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah; ^(Z)fear not. ¹⁶ These are the things that you shall do: ^(AA)Speak the truth to one another; ^(AB)render in your gates judgments ^(AC)that are true and make for peace; ^17 (AD)do not devise evil in your hearts against one another, and ^(AE)love no false oath, for all these things I hate, declares the Lord.”

¹⁸ And the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying, ¹⁹ “Thus says the Lord of hosts: The fast of the ^(AF)fourth month and the fast of the ^(AG)fifth and the fast of the ^(AH)seventh and the fast of the ^(AI)tenth shall be to the house of Judah ^(AJ)seasons of joy and gladness and cheerful feasts. Therefore love ^(AK)truth and peace.

²⁰ “Thus says the Lord of hosts: Peoples shall yet come, even the inhabitants of many cities. ²¹ The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, ^(AL)‘Let us go at once ^(AM)to entreat the favor of the Lord and to seek the Lord of hosts; I myself am going.’ ^22 (AN)Many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem and ^(AO)to entreat the favor of the Lord. ²³ Thus says the Lord of hosts: In those days ^(AP)ten men ^(AQ)from the nations of every tongue shall take hold of the robe of a Jew, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for ^(AR)we have heard that God is with you.’”