Zechariah 8:14

14 for the Lord of hosts saith these things, As I thought to torment you, when your fathers had stirred me to wrath, saith the Lord, and I had not mercy, (for the Lord of hosts saith these things, As I thought to torment you, when your forefathers had stirred me to anger, saith the Lord, and I had no mercy,)

Zechariah 8:14 Meaning and Commentary

Zechariah 8:14

For thus saith the Lord of hosts
In order to assure them of the truth of what he promised, he observes the fulfilment of what he had threatened, he being as true and faithful in the one as in the other: As I thought to punish you:
determined to do it, by suffering them to be carried captive: when your fathers provoked me to wrath, saith the Lord of hosts;
by their immorality, idolatry, and contempt of his prophets: and I repented not;
the Targum adds, "of my word"; of the resolution he had taken up in his heart, and of the declaration of it by his prophets, that he would punish them; this he did not repent of, revoke, change, and alter, but steadily abode by it, and executed it.

Zechariah 8:14 In-Context

12 but the seed of peace shall be; the vine shall give his fruit, and the earth shall give his burgeoning, and heavens shall give their dew; and I shall make the remnants of this people for to wield all these things. (but they shall sow, or they shall plant, their seeds in peace; the vine shall give its fruit, and the earth shall give its burgeoning, or its produce, and the heavens shall give their dew; and I shall make the remnants of this people to possess all these things, or all that they want.)

13 And it shall be, as ye, the house of Judah, and the house of Israel, were cursing among heathen men, so I shall save you, and ye shall be blessing. Do not ye dread, be your hands strengthened; (And it shall be, that as ye, the house of Judah, and the house of Israel, were examples of a curse among the heathen, so now I shall save you, and ye shall be examples of a blessing. Do not ye fear/Fear not, take courage!)

14 for the Lord of hosts saith these things, As I thought to torment you, when your fathers had stirred me to wrath, saith the Lord, and I had not mercy, (for the Lord of hosts saith these things, As I thought to torment you, when your forefathers had stirred me to anger, saith the Lord, and I had no mercy,)

15 so I converted thought in these days to do well to the house of Judah and to Jerusalem; do not ye dread. (but now turned, I have thought, or I have resolved, in these days to do good to the house of Judah and to Jerusalem; do not ye fear/fear not.)

16 Therefore these be the words which ye shall do; speak ye truth, each man with his neighbour; deem ye truth and the doom of peace in your gates; (And so these be the things which ye shall do; speak ye truth, each person with his neighbour; judge ye truthfully, and give ye the kind of justice that bringeth peace within your gates;)