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The Lord Wants Kindness and Mercy

Zechariah received a message from the Lord in the fourth year that Darius[a] was the king of Persia. This was on the fourth day of the ninth month (Kislev). The people of Bethel sent Sharezer, Regem-Melech, and his men to ask the Lord a question. They went to the prophets and to the priests at the Temple of the Lord All-Powerful. They asked them this question: “For many years we have shown our sadness for the destruction of the Temple. In the fifth month of each year, we have had a special time of crying and fasting. Should we continue to do this?”

I received this message from the Lord All-Powerful: “Tell the priests and the other people in this country this: ‘For seventy years you fasted and showed your sadness in the fifth month and in the seventh month. But was that fasting really for me? And when you ate and drank, was that for me? No, it was for your own good. The Lord used the earlier prophets to say the same thing long ago. That was when Jerusalem was still a rich city filled with people and there were still people living in the surrounding towns, in the Negev, and in the western foothills.’”

This is the Lord’s message to Zechariah:
“This is what the Lord All-Powerful said:
‘You must do what is right and fair.
    You must be kind and
    show mercy to each other.
10 Don’t hurt widows and orphans,
    strangers, or poor people.
Don’t even think of doing bad things to each other!’”

11 But they refused to listen
    and refused to do what he wanted.
They closed their ears so that they
    could not hear what God said.
12 They were very stubborn
    and would not obey the law.
The Lord All-Powerful used his Spirit
    and sent messages to his people through the prophets.
But the people would not listen,
    so the Lord All-Powerful became very angry.
13 So the Lord All-Powerful said,
“I called to them,
    and they did not answer.
So now, if they call to me,
    I will not answer.
14 I will bring the other nations against them like a storm.
    They didn’t know those nations,
but the country will be destroyed
    after those nations pass through.
This pleasant country will be destroyed.”

The Lord Promises to Bless Jerusalem

This is a message from the Lord All-Powerful. The Lord All-Powerful says, “I have a very strong love for Mount Zion. I love her so much that I became angry when she was not faithful to me.” The Lord says, “I have come back to Zion, and I am living in Jerusalem. Jerusalem will be called Faithful City. The mountain of the Lord All-Powerful will be called Holy Mountain.”

The Lord All-Powerful says, “Old men and women will again be seen in the public places in Jerusalem. People will live so long that they will need their walking sticks. And the city will be filled with children playing in the streets.” The Lord All-Powerful says, “The survivors will think it is wonderful, and so will I!”

The Lord All-Powerful says, “Look, I am rescuing my people from countries in the east and west. I will bring them back here, and they will live in Jerusalem. They will be my people, and I will be their good and faithful God.”

The Lord All-Powerful says, “Be strong! You people are hearing the same message today that the prophets gave when the Lord All-Powerful first laid the foundations to rebuild his Temple. 10 Before that time, people didn’t have the money to hire workers or to rent animals. And it was not safe for people to come and go. There was no relief from all the troubles. I had turned everyone against their neighbor. 11 But it is not like that now. It will not be like that for the survivors.” This is what the Lord All-Powerful said.

12 “These people will plant in peace. Their grapevines will produce grapes. The land will give good crops, and the skies will give rain. I will give all these things to my people. 13 People began using the names Israel and Judah in their curses. But I will save Israel and Judah, and their names will become a blessing. So don’t be afraid. Be strong!”

14 The Lord All-Powerful says, “Your ancestors made me angry, so I decided to destroy them. I decided not to change my mind.” This is what the Lord All-Powerful said. 15 “But now I have changed my mind. And in the same way I have decided to be good to Jerusalem and to the people of Judah. So don’t be afraid! 16 But you must do this: Tell the truth to your neighbors. When you make decisions in your cities, be fair and do what is right. Do what brings peace. 17 Don’t make secret plans to hurt your neighbors. Don’t make false promises. You must not enjoy doing these things, because I hate them!” This is what the Lord said.

18 I received this message from the Lord All-Powerful. 19 The Lord All-Powerful says, “You have special days of sadness and fasting in the fourth month, the fifth month, the seventh month, and the tenth month.[b] These days of sadness must be changed into days of happiness. They will be good and happy festivals. And you must love truth and peace.”

20 The Lord All-Powerful says,
“In the future, people from many cities will come to Jerusalem.
21 People from different cities will greet each other and say,
    ‘We are going to worship the Lord All-Powerful.’
And the other person will say,
    ‘I would like to go with you!’”

22 Many people and many powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to find the Lord All-Powerful and to worship him. 23 The Lord All-Powerful says, “At that time many foreigners speaking different languages will come to a Jewish man, take hold of the hem of his robe, and ask, ‘We heard that God is with you. Can we come with you to worship him?’”

Judgment Against Other Nations

This is the Lord’s message against the land of Hadrach and against the city of Damascus. The tribes of Israel are not the only people who know about the Lord. Everyone looks to him for help.[c] This message is also against the city of Hamath near Damascus. And this message is against Tyre and Sidon, even though those people have been so wise and skillful. Tyre is built like a fort. The people there have collected so much silver that it is like dust, and gold is as common as clay. But the Lord will take it all. He will destroy her powerful navy and that city will be destroyed by fire!

The people in Ashkelon will see this and they will be afraid. The people of Gaza will shake with fear, and the people of Ekron will lose all hope when they see this happen. There will be no king left in Gaza. No one will live in Ashkelon anymore. The people in Ashdod will not even know who their real fathers are. The Lord says, “I will completely destroy the proud Philistines. They will no longer eat meat with the blood still in it or any other forbidden food. Any Philistine left alive will become a part of my people; they will be just one more tribe in Judah. The people of Ekron will become a part of my people, as the Jebusites did. I will protect my country. I will not let enemy armies pass through it. I will not let them hurt my people anymore. With my own eyes I have seen how much my people have suffered.”

The Future King

People of Zion,[d] rejoice!
    People of Jerusalem, shout with joy!
Look, your king is coming to you!
    He is the good king who won the victory, but he is humble.
    He is riding on a donkey, on a young donkey born from a work animal.
10 I will take the war chariots away from Ephraim
    and the horse soldiers from Jerusalem.
    I will destroy the bows used in war.

Your king will bring news of peace to the nations.
    He will rule from sea to sea,
    from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth.

The Lord Will Save His People

11 Jerusalem, we used blood to seal your agreement,
    so I am setting your people free from that empty hole in the ground.[e]
12 Prisoners, go home!
    Now you have something to hope for.
I am telling you now,
    I am coming back to you.
13 Judah, I will use you like a bow.
    Ephraim, I will use you like arrows.
Israel, I will use you like a sword
    to fight against the men of Greece.
14 The Lord will appear to them,
    and he will shoot his arrows like lightning.
The Lord God will blow the trumpet,
    and the army will rush forward like a desert dust storm.
15 The Lord All-Powerful will protect them.
    The soldiers will use rocks and slings to defeat the enemy.
They will spill the blood of their enemies.
    It will flow like wine.
    It will be like the blood that is thrown on the corners of the altar!
16 At that time the Lord their God
    will save his people
    like a shepherd saves his sheep.
They will be very precious to him.
    They will be like sparkling jewels in his land.
17 Everything will be good and beautiful!
    There will be a wonderful crop,
but it will not be just the food and wine.
    It will be all the young men and women!

The Lord’s Promises

10 Pray to the Lord for rain in the springtime. The Lord will send the lightning and the rain will fall, and he will make the plants grow in each person’s field.

People use their little statues and magic to learn what will happen in the future, but that is useless. They see visions and tell about their dreams, but it is nothing but worthless lies. So the people are like sheep wandering here and there crying for help, but there is no shepherd to lead them.

The Lord says, “I am very angry with the shepherds. I made them responsible for what happens to my sheep.” (The people of Judah are his flock, and the Lord All-Powerful really does take care of his flock. He cares for them as a soldier cares for his beautiful war horse.)

“The cornerstone, the tent peg, the war bow, and the advancing soldiers will all come from Judah together. They will defeat their enemy—it will be like soldiers marching through mud in the streets. They will fight, and since the Lord is with them, they will defeat even the enemy soldiers riding horses. I will make Judah’s family strong. I will help Joseph’s family win the war. I will bring them back safely and comfort them. It will be as if I never left them. I am the Lord their God, and I will help them. The people of Ephraim will be as happy as soldiers who have too much to drink. Their children will be rejoicing and they, too, will be happy. They will all have a happy time together with the Lord.

“I will whistle for them and call them all together. I really will save them. There will be many people. Yes, I have been scattering my people throughout the nations. But in those faraway places, they will remember me. They and their children will survive, and they will come back. 10 I will bring them back from Egypt and Assyria. I will bring them to the area of Gilead. And since there will not be enough room, I will also let them live in nearby Lebanon. 11 They will go through a sea of troubles, but the waves will be stopped. Even the deepest waters of the Nile River will dry up. I will destroy Assyria’s pride and take away Egypt’s power. 12 I, the Lord, will make my people strong, and they will live for me.” This is what the Lord said.

Footnotes

  1. Zechariah 7:1 the fourth year … Darius This was about 518 B.C.
  2. Zechariah 8:19 days … month These were days when the people remembered the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple. See 2 Kings 25:1-25 and Jer. 41:1-17; 52:1-12.
  3. Zechariah 9:1 The Hebrew text here is hard to understand.
  4. Zechariah 9:9 People of Zion Literally, “Daughter Zion,” meaning the city of Jerusalem. See “Zion” in the Word List.
  5. Zechariah 9:11 empty hole in the ground People stored water in large holes in the ground. People sometimes used those holes as prisons.

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