The Complete Jewish Bible CJB
The Bible in Basic English BBE
1 A message came from ADONAI-Tzva'ot:
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And the word of the Lord of armies came to me, saying,
2 "ADONAI-Tzva'ot says, 'I am extremely jealous on Tziyon's behalf, and I am jealous for her with great fury.'
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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 ADONAI says, 'I am returning to Tziyon, and I will live in Yerushalayim. Then Yerushalayim will be called Truth City, ADONAI-Tzva'ot's Mountain, the Mountain of the Holy One.
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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 ADONAI-Tzva'ot says, 'Old men and old women will once again sit in the open places of Yerushalayim, each one with his cane in his hand, because of their great age.
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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 The city's open places will also be full of boys and girls playing there.'
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And the open spaces of the town will be full of boys and girls playing in its open spaces.
6 ADONAI-Tzva'ot says, 'This may seem amazing to the survivors in those days, but must it also seem amazing to me?' says ADONAI-Tzva'ot.
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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 ADONAI-Tzva'ot says, 'I will save my people from lands east and west;
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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 I will bring them back, and they will live in Yerushalayim. They will be my people; and I will be their God, with faithfulness and justice.'
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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 "ADONAI-Tzva'ot says, 'Take courage, you who are hearing only now, in these days, these words spoken by the prophets when the foundation was being laid for rebuilding the temple, the house of ADONAI-Tzva'ot.
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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 prior to that time, there were wages neither for people nor for animals; moreover, it was unsafe for anyone to go out or come in, because of the enemy; for I set all people each against the other.
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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 from now on, I will not treat the remnant of this people as I did before,' says ADONAI-Tzva'ot.
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But now I will not be to the rest of this people as I was in the past, says the Lord of armies.
12 'Now they will sow in peace, the vine will give its fruit, the ground will produce its yield, the sky will give its dew, and I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things.
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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 House of Y'hudah and house of Isra'el, just as you were formerly a curse among the nations, so now I will save you; and you will be a blessing. Don't be afraid, but take courage!'
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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 ADONAI-Tzva'ot says, 'Just as I resolved to do you harm when your forefathers provoked me,' ADONAI-Tzva'ot says, 'and I did not relent;
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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 now, I resolve to do good to Yerushalayim and to the house of Y'hudah. Don't be afraid!
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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 you are to do: speak the truth to each other; in your courts, administer justice that is true and conducive to peace;
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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 don't plot harm against each other; and don't love perjury; for all these are things I hate,' says ADONAI."
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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 This word of ADONAI-Tzva'ot came to me:
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And the word of the Lord of armies came to me, saying,
19 "ADONAI-Tzva'ot says, 'The fast days of the fourth, fifth, seventh and tenth months are to become times of joy, gladness and cheer for the house of Y'hudah. Therefore, love truth and peace.'
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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 "ADONAI-Tzva'ot says, 'In the future, peoples and inhabitants of many cities will come;
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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 the inhabitants of one city will travel to another and say, "We must go to ask ADONAI's favor and consult ADONAI-Tzva'ot. I'll go too."
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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 Yes, many peoples and powerful nations will come to consult ADONAI-Tzva'ot in Yerushalayim and to ask ADONAI's favor.'
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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 ADONAI-Tzva'ot says, 'When that time comes, ten men will take hold - speaking all the languages of the nations - will grab hold of the cloak of a Jew and say, "We want to go with you, because we have heard that God is with you."'"
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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.
Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.