English Standard Version ESV
The Message Bible MSG
1 And the word of the LORD of hosts came, saying,
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And then these Messages from God-of-the-Angel-Armies: A Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies:
2 "Thus says the LORD of hosts: I am jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I am jealous for her with great wrath.
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"I am zealous for Zion - I care! I'm angry about Zion - I'm involved!"
3 Thus says the LORD: I have returned to Zion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, and Jerusalem shall be called the faithful city, and the mountain of the LORD of hosts, the holy mountain.
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"I've come back to Zion, I've moved back to Jerusalem. Jerusalem's new names will be Truth City, and Mountain of God-of-the-Angel-Armies, and Mount Holiness."
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.
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A Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies:
5 And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets.
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And boys and girls will fill the public parks, laughing and playing - a good city to grow up in."
6 Thus says the LORD of hosts: If it is marvelous in the sight of the remnant of this people in those days, should it also be marvelous in my sight, declares the LORD of hosts?
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A Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies: "Do the problems of returning and rebuilding by just a few survivors seem too much? But is anything too much for me? Not if I have my say."
7 Thus says the LORD of hosts: behold, I will save my people from the east country and from the west country,
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A Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies:
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."
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I'll bring them back and move them into Jerusalem. They'll be my people and I'll be their God. I'll stick with them and do right by them."
9 Thus says the LORD of hosts: "Let your hands be 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 foundation of the house of the LORD of hosts was laid, that the temple might be built.
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A Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies:"Get a grip on things. Hold tight, you who are listening to what I say through the preaching of the prophets. The Temple of God-of-the-Angel-Armies has been reestablished. The Temple is being rebuilt.
10 For before those days there was no 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.
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We've come through a hard time: You worked for a pittance and were lucky to get that; the streets were dangerous; you could never let down your guard; I had turned the world into an armed camp.
11 But now I will not deal with the remnant of this people as in the former days, declares the LORD of hosts.
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"But things have changed. I'm taking the side of my core of surviving people:
12 For there shall be a sowing of peace. The vine shall give its fruit, and the ground shall give its produce, and the heavens shall give their dew. And I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things.
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Sowing and harvesting will resume, Vines will grow grapes, Gardens will flourish, Dew and rain will make everything green.
13 And as you have been a byword of cursing among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so will I save you, and you shall be a blessing. Fear not, but let your hands be strong."
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You've gotten a reputation as a bad-news people, you people of Judah and Israel, but I'm coming to save you. From now on, you're the good-news people. Don't be afraid. Keep a firm grip on what I'm doing." Keep Your Lives Simple and Honest
14 For thus says the LORD of hosts: "As I purposed to bring disaster to you when your fathers provoked me to wrath, and I did not relent, says the LORD of hosts,
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A Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies:
15 so again have I purposed in these days to bring good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah; fear not.
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at this time I've decided to bless Jerusalem and the country of Judah. Don't be afraid.
16 These are the things that you shall do: Speak the truth to one another; render in your gates judgments that are true and make for peace;
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And now here's what I want you to do: Tell the truth, the whole truth, when you speak. Do the right thing by one another, both personally and in your courts.
17 do not devise evil in your hearts against one another, and love no false oath, for all these things I hate, declares the LORD."
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Don't cook up plans to take unfair advantage of others. Don't do or say what isn't so. I hate all that stuff. Keep your lives simple and honest." Decree of God.
18 And the word of the LORD of hosts came to me, saying,
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Again I received a Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies:
19 "Thus says the LORD of hosts: The fast of the fourth month and the fast of the fifth and the fast of the seventh and the fast of the tenth shall be to the house of Judah seasons of joy and gladness and cheerful feasts. Therefore love truth and peace.
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"The days of mourning set for the fourth, fifth, seventh, and tenth months will be turned into days of feasting for Judah - celebration and holiday. Embrace truth! Love peace!"
20 "Thus says the LORD of hosts: Peoples shall yet come, even the inhabitants of many cities.
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A Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies:
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.'
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The leaders will confer with one another: 'Shouldn't we try to get in on this? Get in on God's blessings? Pray to God-of-the-Angel-Armies? What's keeping us? Let's go!'
22 Many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the favor of the LORD.
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"Lots of people, powerful nations - they'll come to Jerusalem looking for what they can get from God-of-the-Angel-Armies, looking to get a blessing from God."
23 Thus says the LORD of hosts: In 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.'"
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A Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies: "At that time, ten men speaking a variety of languages will grab the sleeve of one Jew, hold tight, and say, 'Let us go with you. We've heard that God is with you.'"
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.