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Promised Blessings for Jerusalem
Then another message came to me from the LORD of Heaven’s Armies:
Then another message came to me from the LORD of Heaven’s Armies:
Jerusalem, Holy City of the Future
Again the word of the Lord of hosts came, saying,
Again the word of the Lord of hosts came, saying,
“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!
“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.
“Thus says the Lord:
‘I will return to Zion,
And dwell in the midst of Jerusalem.
Jerusalem shall be called the City of Truth,
The Mountain of the Lord of hosts,
The Holy Mountain.’
‘I will return to Zion,
And dwell in the midst of Jerusalem.
Jerusalem shall be called the City of Truth,
The Mountain of the Lord of hosts,
The Holy Mountain.’
“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.
And the streets of the city will be filled with boys and girls at play.
The streets of the city
Shall be full of boys and girls
Playing in its streets.’
Shall be full of boys and girls
Playing in its streets.’
“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.
“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.
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.
I will bring them back,
And they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem.
They shall be My people
And I will be their God,
In truth and righteousness.’
And they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem.
They shall be My people
And I will be their God,
In truth and righteousness.’
“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.
“Thus says the Lord of hosts:
‘Let your hands be strong,
You who have been hearing in these days
These words by the mouth of the prophets,
Who spoke in the day the foundation was laid
For the house of the Lord of hosts,
That the temple might be built.
‘Let your hands be strong,
You who have been hearing in these days
These words by the mouth of the prophets,
Who spoke in the day the foundation was laid
For the house of the Lord of hosts,
That the temple might be built.
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.
For before these days
There were no wages for man nor any hire for beast;
There was no peace from the enemy for whoever went out or came in;
For I set all men, everyone, against his neighbor.
There were no wages for man nor any hire for beast;
There was no peace from the enemy for whoever went out or came in;
For I set all men, everyone, against his neighbor.
“But now I will not treat the remnant of my people as I treated them before, says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.
But now I will not treat the remnant of this people as in the former days,’ says the Lord of hosts.
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.
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!
And it shall come to pass
That just as you were a curse among the nations,
O house of Judah and house of Israel,
So I will save you, and you shall be a blessing.
Do not fear,
Let your hands be strong.’
That just as you were a curse among the nations,
O house of Judah and house of Israel,
So I will save you, and you shall be a blessing.
Do not fear,
Let your hands be strong.’
“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.
But now I am determined to bless Jerusalem and the people of Judah. So don’t be afraid.
So again in these days
I am determined to do good
To Jerusalem and to the house of Judah.
Do not fear.
I am determined to do good
To Jerusalem and to the house of Judah.
Do not fear.
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.
These are the things you shall do:
Speak each man the truth to his neighbor;
Give judgment in your gates for truth, justice, and peace;
Speak each man the truth to his neighbor;
Give judgment in your gates for truth, justice, and peace;
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.”
Here is another message that came to me from the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.
Then the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying,
“Thus says the Lord of hosts:
‘The fast of the fourth month,
The fast of the fifth,
The fast of the seventh,
And the fast of the tenth,
Shall be joy and gladness and cheerful feasts
For the house of Judah.
Therefore love truth and peace.’
‘The fast of the fourth month,
The fast of the fifth,
The fast of the seventh,
And the fast of the tenth,
Shall be joy and gladness and cheerful feasts
For the house of Judah.
Therefore love truth and peace.’
“This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says: People from nations and cities around the world will travel to Jerusalem.
“Thus says the Lord of hosts:
‘Peoples shall yet come,
Inhabitants of many cities;
‘Peoples shall yet come,
Inhabitants of many cities;
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.’
The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying,
“Let us continue to go and pray before the Lord,
And seek the Lord of hosts.
I myself will go also.”
“Let us continue to go and pray before the Lord,
And seek the Lord of hosts.
I myself will go also.”
Many peoples and powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to seek the LORD of Heaven’s Armies and to ask for his blessing.
Yes, many peoples and strong nations
Shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem,
And to pray before the Lord.’
Shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem,
And to pray before the Lord.’
“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.’”