A Call for Justice and Mercy
1 In the fourth year of King rDarius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, which is Chislev. 2 Now the people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regem-melech and their men to entreat the favor of the Lord, 3 saying to the priests of the house of the Lord of hosts and the prophets, “Should I weep and abstain in the sfifth month, as I have done for so many years?”
4 Then the word of the Lord of hosts came to me: 5 “Say to all the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you tfasted and mourned in the fifth month and in the seventh, for uthese seventy years, was it for me that you fasted? 6 And when you eat and when you drink, do you not eat for yourselves and drink for yourselves? 7 Were not these the words that the Lord proclaimed by the vformer prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and prosperous, with her cities around her, and the South and the lowland were inhabited?’”
8 And the word of the Lord came to Zechariah, saying, 9 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, wRender xtrue judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another, 10 do not oppress the ywidow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you zdevise evil against another in your heart.” 11 But they refused to pay attention and turned a astubborn shoulder and stopped their ears that they might not hear.1 12 They made their hearts bdiamond-hard lest they should hear the law and the words that the Lord of hosts had sent by his Spirit through the former prophets. Therefore great anger came from the Lord of hosts. 13 c“As dI2 called, and they would not hear, so ethey called, and I would not hear,” says the Lord of hosts, 14 “and I fscattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations that they had not known. Thus the land they left was desolate, so that no one went to and fro, and the gpleasant land was made desolate.”
The Coming Peace and Prosperity of Zion
1 And the word of the Lord of hosts came, saying, 2 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: hI am jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I am jealous for her with great wrath. 3 iThus says the Lord: I have returned to Zion and will jdwell in the midst of Jerusalem, and Jerusalem shall be called the faithful city, and the mountain of the Lord of hosts, the holy mountain. 4 Thus says the Lord of hosts: Old men and old women shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with staff in hand because of great age. 5 And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets. 6 Thus says the Lord of hosts: If it is marvelous in the sight of the remnant of this people in those days, kshould it also be marvelous in my sight, declares the Lord of hosts? 7 Thus says the Lord of hosts: Behold, I will save my people from the east country and from the west country, 8 and I will bring them to dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in faithfulness and in righteousness.”
9 Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Let your hands lbe strong, you who in these days have been hearing these words from the mouth of the prophets who were present on the day that the mfoundation of the house of the Lord of hosts was laid, that the temple might be built. 10 For before those days there was nno wage for man or any wage for beast, neither was there any safety from the foe for him who went out or came in, for I set every man against his neighbor. 11 But now I will not deal with the remnant of this people as in the former days, declares the Lord of hosts. 12 For there shall be a sowing of peace. oThe vine shall give its fruit, and the ground shall give its produce, and the heavens shall give their pdew. And I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things. 13 And as you have been a qbyword of cursing among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so will I save you, and ryou shall be a blessing. Fear not, but let your hands be strong.”
14 For thus says the Lord of hosts: “As I spurposed to bring disaster to you when your fathers provoked me to wrath, and I did not relent, says the Lord of hosts, 15 so again have I purposed in these days to bring good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah; fear not. 16 These are the things that you shall do: tSpeak the truth to one another; render in your gates judgments that are utrue and make for peace; 17 do not vdevise evil in your hearts against one another, and love no wfalse oath, for all these things I hate, declares the Lord.”
18 And the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying, 19 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: The xfast of the yfourth month and the fast of the zfifth and the fast of the aseventh and the fast of the btenth shall be to the house of Judah seasons of joy and gladness and cheerful feasts. Therefore love truth and peace.
20 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: Peoples shall yet come, even the inhabitants of many cities. 21 The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, ‘Let us go at once to entreat the favor of the Lord and to seek the Lord of hosts; I myself am going.’ 22 cMany peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the favor of the Lord. 23 Thus says the Lord of hosts: dIn those days ten men from the nations of every tongue shall take hold of the robe of a Jew, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.’”
