1 ARST Yahweh gave me another message. He said, BSB BSB: Again the word of the LORD of Hosts came to me, saying:
2 ARST “This is what I, Yahweh the Commander of the angel armies, say: I love the people of Jerusalem; I love them very much, and I am very angry with their enemies. BSB BSB: This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “I am jealous for Zion with great zeal; I am jealous for her with great fervor.”
3 ARST So this is what I, Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, say: Some day I will return to Mount Zion and I will live there. At that time, Jerusalem will be called The City of Faithful People, and Mount Zion will be called The Mountain that Belongs to Yahweh.” BSB BSB: This is what the LORD says: “I will return to Zion and dwell in Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the City of Truth, and the mountain of the LORD of Hosts will be called the Holy Mountain.”
4 ARST Yahweh, the Commander of the angel armies, also says this:“Some day old men and old women will again sit along the streets of Jerusalem, each of them holding a cane because of their being very old. BSB BSB: This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Old men and old women will again sit along the streets of Jerusalem, each with a staff in hand because of great age.
5 ARST And the city streets with be full of boys and girls playing.” BSB BSB: And the streets of the city will be filled with boys and girls playing there.”
6 ARST Yahweh, the Commander of the angel armies, also says this:“When those things happen, it will seem marvelous to the people who are still alive, but it certainly will not seem marvelous to me!” BSB BSB: This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “If this is impossible in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these days, should it also be impossible in My eyes?” declares the LORD of Hosts.
7 ARST Yahweh also says this:“I will bring my people back from the land to the east— Babylonia— and from the land to the west— Egypt— to which they had to go. BSB BSB: This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “I will save My people from the land of the east and from the land of the west.
8 ARST I will bring them back to Judah, and they will again live in Jerusalem. They will again worship me as my people, and I will be their God. I will be faithful to them and act toward them in a just manner.” BSB BSB: I will bring them back to dwell in Jerusalem, where they will be My people, and I will be their faithful and righteous God.”
9 ARST Yahweh, the Commander of the angel armies, also says this:“When the foundation for my temple was laid, there were prophets there who gave messages from me. Some of you people heard what those prophets said. So be brave while you are building the temple, in order that you may finish building it. BSB BSB: This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Let your hands be strong, you who now hear these words spoken by the prophets who were present when the foundations were laid to rebuild the temple, the house of the LORD of Hosts.
10 ARST Before you started to rebuild the temple, your fields gave no crops, no return for either man or beast working in them. And people were afraid to go anywhere because I had caused people to be against each other. BSB BSB: For before those days neither man nor beast received wages, nor was there safety from the enemy for anyone who came or went, for I had turned every man against his neighbor.
11 ARST But now I will act differently toward you people who are still alive, differently than I did previously. That is what I, Yahweh, the Commander of the angel armies, say. BSB BSB: But now I will not treat the remnant of this people as I did in the past,” declares the LORD of Hosts.
12 ARST From now on, I will give you peace. Your grapevines will produce grapes, and good crops will grow in your fields. There will be rain from the sky. I will always give all these things to you people who are still alive. BSB BSB: “For the seed will be prosperous, the vine will yield its fruit, the ground will yield its produce, and the skies will give their dew. To the remnant of this people I will give all these things as an inheritance.
13 ARST You people of Judah and Israel, the people of other nations think of you when they speak of what a curse means. But I will rescue you, and I will give you many good things. So do not be afraid; work hard to finish building the temple.” BSB BSB: As you have been a curse among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so I will save you, and you will be a blessing. Do not be afraid; let your hands be strong.”
14 ARST Yahweh, the Commander of the angel armies, also says this:“When your ancestors caused me to become very angry, I did not change my mind about that. Instead, I indeed punished them. BSB BSB: For this is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Just as I resolved to bring disaster upon you when your fathers provoked Me to anger, and I did not relent,” says the LORD of Hosts,
15 ARST But now I will do something different. I am planning to do good things to the people of Jerusalem and other towns in Judah again. So do not be afraid. BSB BSB: “so now I have resolved to do good again to Jerusalem and Judah. Do not be afraid.
16 ARST These are the things that you should do: You should always tell the truth to each other. In the courts, your judges must make decisions according to what is correct and fair. BSB BSB: These are the things you must do: Speak truth to one another, render true and sound judgments in your gates,
17 ARST Do not plan to do evil things to others, and do approve of swearing false accusations against others. I hate all those things.” BSB BSB: do not plot evil in your hearts against your neighbor, and do not love to swear falsely, for I hate all these things,” declares the LORD.
18 ARST Yahweh, the Commander of the angel armies, spoke to me again. BSB BSB: Then the word of the LORD of Hosts came to me, saying,
19 ARST This is what he said:“The times when you people of Judah abstain from food during the fourth, fifth, seventh, and tenth months of each year will become times when you celebrate pleasant and joyful festivals instead. But you must want to speak truthfully and to be peaceful.” BSB BSB: “This is what the LORD of Hosts says: The fasts of the fourth, the fifth, the seventh, and the tenth months will become times of joy and gladness, cheerful feasts for the house of Judah. Therefore you are to love both truth and peace.”
20 ARST Yahweh, the Commander of the angel armies, also says this:“Some day people from many people groups and foreign cities will come here to Jerusalem. BSB BSB: This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Peoples will yet come—the residents of many cities—
21 ARST People from one city will go to the people in another city and say,‘Let us go together to Jerusalem to worship Yahweh and request him to bless us; we ourselves are going.’ BSB BSB: and the residents of one city will go to another, saying: ‘Let us go at once to plead before the LORD and to seek the LORD of Hosts. I myself am going.’
22 ARST And people from many people groups and from powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to worship Yahweh and request him to bless them.” BSB BSB: And many peoples and strong nations will come to seek the LORD of Hosts in Jerusalem and to plead before the LORD.”
23 ARST Yahweh, the Commander of the angel armies, also says this:“At that time, this is what will happen everywhere: For every Jewish person, there will be ten foreigners, people who speak a different language, who will come and grab the fringe of his robe. They will say to him,‘We have heard people say that God is with you. So allow us to go with you to Jerusalem to worship him.’ People from every nation and language will do this.” BSB BSB: This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “In those days ten men from the nations of every tongue will tightly grasp the robe of a Jew, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.’”