Parallel Bible results for "zechariah 8"

Zechariah 8

The Bible in Basic English BBE

1 And the word of the Lord of armies came to me, saying,

2 These are the words of the Lord of armies: I am angry about the fate of Zion, I am angry about her with great wrath.

3 This is what the Lord has said: I have come back to Zion, and will make my living-place in Jerusalem: and Jerusalem will be named The town of good faith; and the mountain of the Lord of armies The holy mountain.

4 This is what the Lord of armies has said: There will again be old men and old women seated in the open spaces of Jerusalem, every man with his stick in his hand because he is so old.

5 And the open spaces of the town will be full of boys and girls playing in its open spaces.

6 This is what the Lord of armies has said: If this is a wonder to the rest of this people, is it a wonder to me? says the Lord of armies.

7 This is what the Lord of armies has said: See, I will be the saviour of my people from the east country, and from the west country;

8 And I will make them come and be living in Jerusalem and they will be to me a people and I will be to them a God, in good faith and in righteousness.

9 This is what the Lord of armies has said: Let your hands be strong, you who are now hearing these words from the mouths of the prophets, that is to say, in the days when the base of the house of the Lord of armies has been put in place for the building of the house, that is the Temple.

10 For before those days there was no payment for a man's work, or for the use of a beast, and there was no peace for him who went out or him who came in, because of the attacker: for I had every man turned against his neighbour.

11 But now I will not be to the rest of this people as I was in the past, says the Lord of armies.

12 For I will let the seed of peace be planted; the vine will give her fruit and the land will give her increase and the heavens will give their dew; and I will give to the rest of this people all these things for their heritage.

13 And it will come about that, as you were a curse among the nations, O children of Judah and children of Israel, so I will give you salvation and you will be a blessing: have no fear and let your hands be strong.

14 For this is what the Lord of armies has said: As it was my purpose to do evil to you when your fathers made me angry, says the Lord of armies, and my purpose was not changed:

15 So in these days it is again my purpose to do good to Jerusalem and to the children of Judah: have no fear.

16 These are the things which you are to do: Let every man say what is true to his neighbour; and let your judging give peace in your towns.

17 Let no one have any evil thought in his heart against his neighbour; and have no love for false oaths: for all these things are hated by me, says the Lord.

18 And the word of the Lord of armies came to me, saying,

19 This is what the Lord of armies has said: The times of going without food in the fourth month and in the fifth and the seventh and the tenth months, will be for the people of Judah times of joy and happy meetings; so be lovers of good faith and of peace.

20 This is what the Lord of armies has said: It will again come about that when peoples and those living in great towns come,

21 And the people of one town go to another and say, Let us certainly go with a request for grace from the Lord, and to give worship to the Lord of armies, then I will go with you.

22 And great peoples and strong nations will come to give worship to the Lord of armies in Jerusalem and to make requests for grace from the Lord.

23 This is what the Lord of armies has said: In those days, ten men from all the languages of the nations will put out their hands and take a grip of the skirt of him who is a Jew, saying, We will go with you, for it has come to our ears that God is with you.

Good News Translation GNT

1 The Lord Almighty gave this message to Zechariah:

2 "I have longed to help Jerusalem because of my deep love for her people, a love which has made me angry with her enemies.

3 I will return to Jerusalem, my holy city, and live there. It will be known as the faithful city, and the hill of the Lord Almighty will be called the sacred hill.

4 Once again old men and women, so old that they use canes when they walk, will be sitting in the city squares.

5 And the streets will again be full of boys and girls playing.

6 "This may seem impossible to those of the nation who are now left, but it's not impossible for me.

7 I will rescue my people from the lands where they have been taken,

8 and will bring them back from east and west to live in Jerusalem. They will be my people, and I will be their God, ruling over them faithfully and justly.

9 "Have courage! You are now hearing the same words the prophets spoke at the time the foundation was being laid for rebuilding my Temple.

10 Before that time no one could afford to hire either men or animals, and no one was safe from enemies. I turned people against one another.

11 But now I am treating the survivors of this nation differently.

12 They will plant their crops in peace. Their vines will bear grapes, the earth will produce crops, and there will be plenty of rain. I will give all these blessings to the people of my nation who survive.

13 People of Judah and Israel! In the past foreigners have cursed one another by saying, "May the same disasters fall on you that fell on Judah and Israel!' But I will save you, and then those foreigners will say to one another, "May you receive the same blessings that came to Judah and Israel!' So have courage and don't be afraid."

14 The Lord Almighty says, "When your ancestors made me angry, I planned disaster for them and did not change my mind, but carried out my plans.

15 But now I am planning to bless the people of Jerusalem and Judah. So don't be afraid.

16 These are the things you should do: Speak the truth to one another. In the courts give real justice - the kind that brings peace.

17 Do not plan ways of harming one another. Do not give false testimony under oath. I hate lying, injustice, and violence."

18 The Lord Almighty gave this message to Zechariah:

19 "The fasts held in the fourth, fifth, seventh, and tenth months will become festivals of joy and gladness for the people of Judah. You must love truth and peace."

20 The Lord Almighty says, "The time is coming when people from many cities will come to Jerusalem.

21 Those from one city will say to those from another, "We are going to worship the Lord Almighty and pray for his blessing. Come with us!'

22 Many peoples and powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to worship the Lord Almighty and to pray for his blessing.

23 In those days ten foreigners will come to one Jew and say, "We want to share in your destiny, because we have heard that God is with you.' "