Zechariah
Chapter 8
1 And the word of HaShem of hosts came, saying:
2 'Thus saith HaShem of hosts: I am jealous for Zion with
great jealousy, and I am jealous for her with great fury.
3 Thus saith HaShem: I return unto Zion, and will dwell in
the midst of Jerusalem; and Jerusalem shall be called The city of truth; and the
mountain of HaShem of hosts The holy mountain.
4 Thus saith HaShem of hosts: There shall yet old men and old
women sit in the broad places of Jerusalem, every man with his staff in his hand
for very age.
5 And the broad places of the city shall be full of boys and
girls playing in the broad places thereof.
6 Thus saith HaShem of hosts: If it be marvellous in the eyes
of the remnant of this people in those days, should it also be marvellous in
Mine eyes? saith HaShem of hosts.
7 Thus saith HaShem of hosts: Behold, I will save My people
from the east country, and from the west country;
8 And I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of
Jerusalem; and they shall be My people, and I will be their G-d, in truth and in
righteousness.
9 Thus saith HaShem of hosts: Let your hands be strong, ye
that hear in these days these words from the mouth of the prophets that were in
the day that the foundation of the house of HaShem of hosts was laid, even the
temple, that it might be built.
10 For before those days there was no hire for man, nor any
hire for beast; neither was there any peace to him that went out or came in
because of the adversary; for I set all men every one against his neighbour.
11 But now I will not be unto the remnant of this people as
in the former days, saith HaShem of hosts.
12 For as the seed of peace, the vine shall give her fruit,
and the ground shall give her increase, and the heavens shall give their dew;
and I will cause the remnant of this people to inherit all these things.
13 And it shall come to pass that, as ye were a curse among
the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so will I save you, and ye
shall be a blessing; fear not, but let your hands be strong.
14 For thus saith HaShem of host: As I purposed to do evil
unto you, when your fathers provoked Me, saith HaShem of hosts, and I repented
not;
15 so again do I purpose in these days to do good unto
Jerusalem and to the house of Judah; fear ye not.
16 These are the things that ye shall do: Speak ye every man
the truth with his neighbour; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your
gates;
17 and let none of you devise evil in your hearts against his
neighbour; and love no false oath; for all these are things that I hate, saith
HaShem.'
18 And the word of HaShem of hosts came unto me, saying:
19 'Thus saith HaShem of hosts: The fast of the fourth month,
and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the
tenth, shall be to the house of Judah joy and gladness, and cheerful seasons;
therefore love ye truth and peace.
20 Thus saith HaShem of hosts: It shall yet come to pass,
that there shall come peoples, and the inhabitants of many cities;
21 and the inhabitants of one city shall go to another,
saying: Let us go speedily to entreat the favour of HaShem, and to seek HaShem
of hosts; I will go also.
22 Yea, many peoples and mighty nations shall come to seek
HaShem of hosts in Jerusalem, and to entreat the favour of HaShem.
23 Thus saith HaShem of hosts: In those days it shall come to
pass, that ten men shall take hold, out of all the languages of the nations,
shall even take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying: We will go with
you, for we have heard that G-d is with you.'
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