Chapter 8

Promised Blessings for Jerusalem

Then another message came to me from the Lord of Heaven’s Armies: 2 “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: My love for Mount Zion is passionate and strong; I am consumed with passion for Jerusalem!

3 “And now the Lord says: I am returning to Mount Zion, and I will live in Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the Faithful City; the mountain of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will be called the Holy Mountain.

4 “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Once again old men and women will walk Jerusalem’s streets with their canes and will sit together in the city squares. 5 And the streets of the city will be filled with boys and girls at play.

6 “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: All this may seem impossible to you now, a small remnant of God’s people. But is it impossible for me? says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

7 “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: You can be sure that I will rescue my people from the east and from the west. 8 I will bring them home again to live safely in Jerusalem. They will be my people, and I will be faithful and just toward them as their God.

9 “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Be strong and finish the task! Ever since the laying of the foundation of the Temple of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, you have heard what the prophets have been saying about completing the building. 10 Before the work on the Temple began, there were no jobs and no money to hire people or animals. No traveler was safe from the enemy, for there were enemies on all sides. I had turned everyone against each other.

11 “But now I will not treat the remnant of my people as I treated them before, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 12 For I am planting seeds of peace and prosperity among you. The grapevines will be heavy with fruit. The earth will produce its crops, and the heavens will release the dew. Once more I will cause the remnant in Judah and Israel to inherit these blessings. 13 Among the other nations, Judah and Israel became symbols of a cursed nation. But no longer! Now I will rescue you and make you both a symbol and a source of blessing. So don’t be afraid. Be strong, and get on with rebuilding the Temple!

14 “For this is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: I was determined to punish you when your ancestors angered me, and I did not change my mind, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 15 But now I am determined to bless Jerusalem and the people of Judah. So don’t be afraid. 16 But this is what you must do: Tell the truth to each other. Render verdicts in your courts that are just and that lead to peace. 17 Don’t scheme against each other. Stop your love of telling lies that you swear are the truth. I hate all these things, says the Lord.”

18 Here is another message that came to me from the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 19 “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: The traditional fasts and times of mourning you have kept in early summer, midsummer, autumn, and winter* are now ended. They will become festivals of joy and celebration for the people of Judah. So love truth and peace.

20 “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: People from nations and cities around the world will travel to Jerusalem. 21 The people of one city will say to the people of another, ‘Come with us to Jerusalem to ask the Lord to bless us. Let’s worship the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. I’m determined to go.’ 22 Many peoples and powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to seek the Lord of Heaven’s Armies and to ask for his blessing.

23 “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: In those days ten men from different nations and languages of the world will clutch at the sleeve of one Jew. And they will say, ‘Please let us walk with you, for we have heard that God is with you.’ ”

Chapter 9

Judgment against Israel’s Enemies

This is the message* from the Lord against the land of Aram* and the city of Damascus, for the eyes of humanity, including all the tribes of Israel, are on the Lord.

2 Doom is certain for Hamath,

near Damascus,

and for the cities of Tyre and Sidon,

though they are so clever.

3 Tyre has built a strong fortress

and has made silver and gold

as plentiful as dust in the streets!

4 But now the Lord will strip away Tyre’s possessions

and hurl its fortifications into the sea,

and it will be burned to the ground.

5 The city of Ashkelon will see Tyre fall

and will be filled with fear.

Gaza will shake with terror,

as will Ekron, for their hopes will be dashed.

Gaza’s king will be killed,

and Ashkelon will be deserted.

6 Foreigners will occupy the city of Ashdod.

I will destroy the pride of the Philistines.

7 I will grab the bloody meat from their mouths

and snatch the detestable sacrifices from their teeth.

Then the surviving Philistines will worship our God

and become like a clan in Judah.*

The Philistines of Ekron will join my people,

as the ancient Jebusites once did.

8 I will guard my Temple

and protect it from invading armies.

I am watching closely to ensure

that no more foreign oppressors overrun my people’s land.

Zion’s Coming King

9 Rejoice, O people of Zion!*

Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem!

Look, your king is coming to you.

He is righteous and victorious,*

yet he is humble, riding on a donkey—

riding on a donkey’s colt.

10 I will remove the battle chariots from Israel*

and the warhorses from Jerusalem.

I will destroy all the weapons used in battle,

and your king will bring peace to the nations.

His realm will stretch from sea to sea

and from the Euphrates River* to the ends of the earth.*

11 Because of the covenant I made with you,

sealed with blood,

I will free your prisoners

from death in a waterless dungeon.

12 Come back to the place of safety,

all you prisoners who still have hope!

I promise this very day

that I will repay two blessings for each of your troubles.

13 Judah is my bow,

and Israel is my arrow.

Jerusalem* is my sword,

and like a warrior, I will brandish it against the Greeks.*

14 The Lord will appear above his people;

his arrows will fly like lightning!

The Sovereign Lord will sound the ram’s horn

and attack like a whirlwind from the southern desert.

15 The Lord of Heaven’s Armies will protect his people,

and they will defeat their enemies by hurling great stones.

They will shout in battle as though drunk with wine.

They will be filled with blood like a bowl,

drenched with blood like the corners of the altar.

16 On that day the Lord their God will rescue his people,

just as a shepherd rescues his sheep.

They will sparkle in his land

like jewels in a crown.

17 How wonderful and beautiful they will be!

The young men will thrive on abundant grain,

and the young women will flourish on new wine.

Chapter 10

The Lord Will Restore His People

1 Ask the Lord for rain in the spring,

for he makes the storm clouds.

And he will send showers of rain

so every field becomes a lush pasture.

2 Household gods give worthless advice,

fortune-tellers predict only lies,

and interpreters of dreams pronounce

falsehoods that give no comfort.

So my people are wandering like lost sheep;

they are attacked because they have no shepherd.

3 “My anger burns against your shepherds,

and I will punish these leaders.*

For the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has arrived

to look after Judah, his flock.

He will make them strong and glorious,

like a proud warhorse in battle.

4 From Judah will come the cornerstone,

the tent peg,

the bow for battle,

and all the rulers.

5 They will be like mighty warriors in battle,

trampling their enemies in the mud under their feet.

Since the Lord is with them as they fight,

they will overthrow even the enemy’s horsemen.

6 “I will strengthen Judah and save Israel* ;

I will restore them because of my compassion.

It will be as though I had never rejected them,

for I am the Lord their God, who will hear their cries.

7 The people of Israel* will become like mighty warriors,

and their hearts will be made happy as if by wine.

Their children, too, will see it and be glad;

their hearts will rejoice in the Lord.

8 When I whistle to them, they will come running,

for I have redeemed them.

From the few who are left,

they will grow as numerous as they were before.

9 Though I have scattered them like seeds among the nations,

they will still remember me in distant lands.

They and their children will survive

and return again to Israel.

10 I will bring them back from Egypt

and gather them from Assyria.

I will resettle them in Gilead and Lebanon

until there is no more room for them all.

11 They will pass safely through the sea of distress,*

for the waves of the sea will be held back,

and the waters of the Nile will dry up.

The pride of Assyria will be crushed,

and the rule of Egypt will end.

12 By my power* I will make my people strong,

and by my authority they will go wherever they wish.

I, the Lord, have spoken!”