Zec 8 | NASB2020 | STEP | Then the word of the Lord of armies came , saying ,

Zechariah 8

The Coming Peace and Prosperity of Zion

1 Then the word of the Lord of armies came, saying, 2 “The Lord of armies says this: ‘I am ^aexceedingly jealous for Zion, yes, with great wrath I am jealous for her.’ 3 The Lord says this: ‘I will return to Zion and ^bdwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the City of ^cTruth, and the mountain of the Lord of armies will be called the Holy Mountain.’ 4 The Lord of armies says this: ‘ ^dOld men and old women will again sit in the public squares of Jerusalem, each person with his staff in his hand because of ^{▼▼Lit the multitude of days}age. 5 And the public squares of the city will be filled with ^fboys and girls playing in its squares.’ 6 The Lord of armies says this: ‘If it is ^gtoo difficult in the sight of the remnant of this people in those days, will it also be ^htoo 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 ^{▼▼Lit sunrise
,} ^jeast and from the land of the ^{▼▼Lit setting sun}west; 8 and I will ^lbring them back and they will ^mlive in the midst of Jerusalem; and they shall be ⁿMy people, and I will be their God in ^{▼▼Or faithfulness}truth and righteousness.’

9 “The Lord of armies says this: ‘Let your hands be ^pstrong, you who are listening in these days to these words from the mouth of the ^qprophets, 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 ^rno wage for man nor any wage for animal; and for him who went out or came in there was no ^{▼▼Or security
,} ^tpeace because of ^{▼▼Lit the adversary}his enemies, and I ^vsent all the people against one another. 11 But now I will ^wnot ^{▼▼Lit be to the}treat the remnant of this people as in the former days,’ declares the Lord of armies. 12 ‘For there will be ^ythe seed of peace: the vine will yield its fruit, the land will yield its produce, and the heavens will provide their ^zdew; and I will give to the remnant of this people ^aaall these things as an inheritance. 13 And it will come about that just as you were a ^abcurse among the nations, house of Judah and house of Israel, so I will save you that you may become a ^acblessing. Do not fear; let your ^adhands be strong.’

14 “For this is what the Lord of armies says: ‘Just as I ^aedetermined to do harm to you when your fathers provoked Me to anger,’ says the Lord of armies, ‘and I have not ^afrelented, 15 so I have again determined in these days to ^agdo good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. ^ahDo not fear! 16 These are the things which you shall do: speak the ^aitruth to one another; ^ajjudge with truth and judgment for peace at your ^{▼▼I.e., the place where court was held}gates. 17 Also let none of you ^aldevise evil in your heart against another, and do not love ^{▼▼Lit a false oath
,} ^anperjury; for all these things are what I ^aohate,’ 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 ^apfourth, the fast of the ^aqfifth, the fast of the ^arseventh, and the fast of the ^astenth months will become ^atjoy, jubilation, and ^{▼▼Or goodly}cheerful festivals for the house of Judah; so ^avlove truth and peace.’

20 “The Lord of armies says this: ‘It will yet turn out that ^awpeoples 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 ^axplead for the favor of the Lord, and to seek the Lord of armies; ^{▼▼Or let me go too}I also will go.” 22 So ^azmany peoples and mighty nations will come to seek the Lord of armies in Jerusalem, and to ^baplead for the favor of the Lord.’ 23 The Lord of armies says this: ‘In those days ten people from all the ^{▼▼Lit languages of the nations}nations will ^{▼▼Lit grasp, and they will grasp
,} ^bdgrasp the ^{▼▼Lit hem of a garment}garment of a Jew, saying, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.”’”