1. The word of the Lord of Hosts came:
2. “The Lord of Hosts says this: I am extremely jealous for Zion; I am jealous for her with great wrath.”
3. The Lord says this: “I will return to Zion and live in Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the Faithful City, the mountain of the Lord of Hosts, and the Holy Mountain.”
4. The Lord of Hosts says this: “Old men and women will again sit along the streets of Jerusalem, each with a staff in hand because of advanced age.
5. The streets of the city will be filled with boys and girls playing in them.”
6. The Lord of Hosts says this: “Though it may seem incredible to the remnant of this people in those days, should it also seem incredible to Me? ” — this is the declaration of the Lord of Hosts.
7. The Lord of Hosts says this: “I will save My people from the land of the east and the land of the west.
8. I will bring them back to live in Jerusalem. They will be My people, and I will be their faithful and righteous God.”
9. The Lord of Hosts says this: “Let your hands be strong, you who now hear these words that the prophets spoke when the foundations were laid for the rebuilding of the temple, the house of the Lord of Hosts.
10. For prior to those days neither man nor beast had wages. There was no safety from the enemy for anyone who came or went, for I turned everyone against his neighbor.
11. But now, I will not treat the remnant of this people as in the former days” — this is the declaration of the Lord of Hosts.
12. “For they will sow in peace: the vine will yield its fruit, the land will yield its produce, and the skies will yield their dew. I will give the remnant of this people all these things as an inheritance.
13. As you have been a curse among the nations, house of Judah and house of Israel, so I will save you, and you will be a blessing. Don’t be afraid; let your hands be strong.”
14. For the Lord of Hosts says this: “As I resolved to treat you badly when your fathers provoked Me to anger, and I did not relent,” says the Lord of Hosts,
15. “so I have resolved again in these days to do what is good to Jerusalem and the house of Judah. Don’t be afraid.