The Coming Peace and Prosperity of Zion

8 Then the word of the Lord of armies came, saying, ² “The Lord of armies says this: ‘I am ^(A)exceedingly jealous for Zion, yes, with great wrath I am jealous for her.’ ³ The Lord says this: ‘I will return to Zion and ^(B)dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the City of ^(C)Truth, and the mountain of the Lord of armies will be called the Holy Mountain.’ ⁴ The Lord of armies says this: ‘^(D)Old men and old women will again sit in the public squares of Jerusalem, each person with his staff in his hand because of ^[a]age. ⁵ And the public squares of the city will be filled with ^(E)boys and girls playing in its squares.’ ⁶ The Lord of armies says this: ‘If it is ^(F)too difficult in the sight of the remnant of this people in those days, will it also be ^(G)too difficult in My sight?’ declares the Lord of armies. ⁷ The Lord of armies says this: ‘Behold, I am going to save My people from the land of the ^[b](H)east and from the land of the ^[c]west; ⁸ and I will ^(I)bring them back and they will ^(J)live in the midst of Jerusalem; and they shall be ^(K)My people, and I will be their God in ^[d]truth and righteousness.’

⁹ “The Lord of armies says this: ‘Let your hands be ^(L)strong, you who are listening in these days to these words from the mouth of the ^(M)prophets, those who spoke in the day that the foundation of the house of the Lord of armies was laid, so that the temple might be built. ¹⁰ For before those days there was ^(N)no wage for man nor any wage for animal; and for him who went out or came in there was no ^[e](O)peace because of ^[f]his enemies, and I ^(P)sent all the people against one another. ¹¹ But now I will ^(Q)not ^[g]treat the remnant of this people as in the former days,’ declares the Lord of armies. ¹² ‘For there will be ^(R)the seed of peace: the vine will yield its fruit, the land will yield its produce, and the heavens will provide their ^(S)dew; and I will give to the remnant of this people ^(T)all these things as an inheritance. ¹³ And it will come about that just as you were a ^(U)curse among the nations, house of Judah and house of Israel, so I will save you that you may become a ^(V)blessing. Do not fear; let your ^(W)hands be strong.’

¹⁴ “For this is what the Lord of armies says: ‘Just as I ^(X)determined to do harm to you when your fathers provoked Me to anger,’ says the Lord of armies, ‘and I have not ^(Y)relented, ¹⁵ so I have again determined in these days to ^(Z)do good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. ^(AA)Do not fear! ¹⁶ These are the things which you shall do: speak the ^(AB)truth to one another; ^(AC)judge with truth and judgment for peace at your ^[h]gates. ¹⁷ Also let none of you ^(AD)devise evil in your heart against another, and do not love ^[i](AE)perjury; for all these things are what I ^(AF)hate,’ declares the Lord.”

¹⁸ Then the word of the Lord of armies came to me, saying, ¹⁹ “The Lord of armies says this: ‘The fast of the ^(AG)fourth, the fast of the ^(AH)fifth, the fast of the ^(AI)seventh, and the fast of the ^(AJ)tenth months will become ^(AK)joy, jubilation, and ^[j]cheerful festivals for the house of Judah; so ^(AL)love truth and peace.’

²⁰ “The Lord of armies says this: ‘It will yet turn out that ^(AM)peoples will come, that is, the inhabitants of many cities. ²¹ The inhabitants of one city will go to another, saying, “Let’s go at once to ^(AN)plead for the favor of the Lord, and to seek the Lord of armies; ^[k]I also will go.” ²² So ^(AO)many peoples and mighty nations will come to seek the Lord of armies in Jerusalem, and to ^(AP)plead for the favor of the Lord.’ ²³ The Lord of armies says this: ‘In those days ten people from all the ^[l]nations will ^[m](AQ)grasp the ^[n]garment of a Jew, saying, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.”’”