New Living Translation NLT
The Message Bible MSG
1 Then another message came to me from the LORD of Heaven’s Armies:
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And then these Messages from God-of-the-Angel-Armies: A Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies:
2 “This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says: My love for Mount Zion is passionate and strong; I am consumed with passion for Jerusalem!
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"I am zealous for Zion - I care! I'm angry about Zion - I'm involved!"
3 “And now the LORD says: I am returning to Mount Zion, and I will live in Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the Faithful City; the mountain of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies will be called 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 “This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says: Once again old men and women will walk Jerusalem’s streets with their canes and will sit together in the city squares.
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A Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies:
5 And the streets of the city will be filled with boys and girls at play.
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And boys and girls will fill the public parks, laughing and playing - a good city to grow up in."
6 “This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says: All this may seem impossible to you now, a small remnant of God’s people. But is it impossible for me? says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.
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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 “This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says: You can be sure that I will rescue my people from the east and from the west.
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A Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies:
8 I will bring them home again to live safely in Jerusalem. They will be my people, and I will be faithful and just toward them as their God.
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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 “This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says: Be strong and finish the task! Ever since the laying of the foundation of the Temple of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, you have heard what the prophets have been saying about completing the building.
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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 Before the work on the Temple began, there were no jobs and no money to hire people or animals. No traveler was safe from the enemy, for there were enemies on all sides. I had turned everyone against each other.
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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 treat the remnant of my people as I treated them before, says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.
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"But things have changed. I'm taking the side of my core of surviving people:
12 For I am planting seeds of peace and prosperity among you. The grapevines will be heavy with fruit. The earth will produce its crops, and the heavens will release the dew. Once more I will cause the remnant in Judah and Israel to inherit these blessings.
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Sowing and harvesting will resume, Vines will grow grapes, Gardens will flourish, Dew and rain will make everything green.
13 Among the other nations, Judah and Israel became symbols of a cursed nation. But no longer! Now I will rescue you and make you both a symbol and a source of blessing. So don’t be afraid. Be strong, and get on with rebuilding the Temple!
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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 this is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says: I was determined to punish you when your ancestors angered me, and I did not change my mind, says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.
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A Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies:
15 But now I am determined to bless Jerusalem and the people of Judah. So 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 But this is what you must do: Tell the truth to each other. Render verdicts in your courts that are just and that lead to 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 Don’t scheme against each other. Stop your love of telling lies that you swear are the truth. I hate all these things, 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 Here is another message that came to me from the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.
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Again I received a Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies:
19 “This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says: The traditional fasts and times of mourning you have kept in early summer, midsummer, autumn, and winter are now ended. They will become festivals of joy and celebration for the people of Judah. So 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 “This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says: People from nations and cities around the world will travel to Jerusalem.
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A Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies:
21 The people of one city will say to the people of another, ‘Come with us to Jerusalem to ask the LORD to bless us. Let’s worship the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. I’m determined to go.’
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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 powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to seek the LORD of Heaven’s Armies and to ask for his blessing.
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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 “This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says: In those days ten men from different nations and languages of the world will clutch at the sleeve of one Jew. And they will say, ‘Please let us walk 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.'"
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by
Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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.