Hebrew Names Version HNV
The Message Bible MSG
1 The word of the LORD of Hosts came to me.
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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 Tziyon 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 Tziyon, and will dwell in the midst of Yerushalayim. Yerushalayim shall be called 'The City of Truth;' 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 will again dwell in the streets of Yerushalayim, every man with his staff in his hand for very age.
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A Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies:
5 The streets of the city will 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 eyes of the remnant of this people in those days, should it also be marvelous in my eyes?" says 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, and they will dwell in the midst of Yerushalayim; and they will be my people, and I will be their God, in truth 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 hear in these days these words from the mouth of the prophets who were in the day that the foundation of the house of the LORD of Hosts was laid, even the temple, that it 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 wages for man, nor any wages for an animal; neither was there any shalom to him who went out or came in, because of the adversary. For I set all men everyone 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 be to the remnant of this people as in the former days," says 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 the seed of shalom and the vine will yield its fruit, and the ground will give its increase, and the heavens will give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to inherit 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 It shall come to pass that, as you were a curse among the nations, house of Yehudah and house of Yisra'el, so will I save you, and you shall be a blessing. Don't be afraid. 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 thought to do evil to you, when your fathers provoked me to wrath," says the LORD of Hosts, "and I didn't repent;
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A Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies:
15 so again have I thought in these days to do good to Yerushalayim and to the house of Yehudah. Don't be afraid.
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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 every man the truth with his neighbor. Execute the judgment of truth and shalom in your gates,
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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 and let none of you devise evil in your hearts against his neighbor, and love no false oath: for all these are things that I hate," says 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 The word of the LORD of Hosts came to me.
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Again I received a Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies:
19 Thus says the LORD of Hosts: "The fasts of the fourth fifth, seventh, and tenth months shall be for the house of Yehudah joy and gladness, and cheerful feasts. Therefore love truth and shalom."
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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: "Many peoples, and the inhabitants of many cities will yet come;
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A Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies:
21 and the inhabitants of one shall go to another, saying, 'Let us go speedily to entreat the favor of the LORD, and to seek the LORD of Hosts. I will go also.'
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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 Yes, many peoples and strong nations will come to seek the LORD of Hosts in Yerushalayim, 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 will take hold, out of all the languages of the nations, they will take hold of the skirt of him who is a Yehudi, saying, 'We will 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 Hebrew Names Version is in the public domain.
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.