Zechariah

Ten Promises

The word of the Lord, the God of hosts, was given to me this way: 

“I am fiercely jealous for Zion 

and filled with intense anger 

for her sake. 

The Lord declares: 

I will return to Zion 

And dwell in her midst. 

Jerusalem will be called 

the city of faithfulness 

and the mountain of holiness.” 

he Lord, the God of hosts, says: 

“Old men and women will once again 

sit in the squares, 

each with a stick in hand 

because of their age. 

The squares of the city will be filled 

with girls and boys playing.”

The Lord, God of hosts, declares: 

“If that seems impossible 

To those who have returned from exile, 

will it also be impossible for me?”

—word of the Lord.

The Lord, God of hosts, declares: 

“See, I am going to save my people, 

bringing them from the east 

and from the west; 

and they will live in Jerusalem. 

They will be my people, 

And I shall be their God, 

in truth and justice.”

The Lord, God of hosts, declares: 

“In these days, you have just heard 

the words of the prophets, 

because, on this day, 

the foundation stone is laid 

for the reconstruction of the temple. 

Now do not be discouraged. 

Before that time, 

There was no compensation 

for man or animal, 

nor was there any relief 

from hardship for those 

who came and went, 

because I had set everyone 

against each other. 

But from now on 

I will treat this people differently.

The Lord says: 

“I am sowing peace. 

The vine will produce its fruit, 

the earth its crops, 

the heavens their dew; 

and I will give all these things 

to the remnant of this people.”

So it will happen that, 

just as you were a curse 

among the nations, 

now I will save you, 

Judah and Israel, 

and make you a blessing. 

Have no fear 

and let your hands be strong!”

This is what the Lord, 

God of hosts, says: 

“Just as I resolved to do you harm 

because your fathers angered me 

and I did not relent, 

so now, in these days, 

I am determined to deal kindly 

with Jerusalem and Judah. 

Have no fear! 

This is what you must do: 

Speak honestly to one another; 

let those who judge bring peace 

through truthful words, 

and do not plot evil in your heart 

against one another. 

Refrain from false oaths, 

for it is what I detest”

—word of the Lord.

The word of the Lord 

came to me, saying: 

“This is what you will say for my sake: 

From now on, the fasts of the fourth, 

fifth, seventh, and tenth months 

will be days of joy, 

happy feast days. 

Only, be peacemakers 

and sincere people.”

The Lord, the God of hosts, speaks: 

“Peoples will come from other nations, 

Including those from major cities.

The inhabitants of one town 

will talk with those of another and say: 

‘Come, let us go and seek 

the favor of the Lord, and I, too, 

will seek the Lord.’ 

Many great peoples 

and powerful nations 

will come seeking the Lord, 

God of hosts, 

in Jerusalem and will pray to him.”

The Lord, the God of hosts, 

assures you: 

“In those days, ten men 

from different languages 

spoken in various lands 

will grab of a Jew 

by the hem of his garment and say: 

‘We, too, want to go with you, 

for we have heard 

that God is with you.’”