Chapter 8

  The word of Yahweh of Hosts came [to me], saying,  

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  Thus says Yahweh of Hosts: I am jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I am jealous for her with great wrath.  

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  Thus says Yahweh: I am returned to Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called The city of truth; and the mountain of Yahweh of Hosts, The holy mountain.  

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  Thus says Yahweh of Hosts: There shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, every man with his staff in his hand for very age.  

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  The streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets of it.  

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  Thus says Yahweh of Hosts: If it be marvelous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in those days, should it also be marvelous in my eyes? says Yahweh of Hosts.  

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  Thus says Yahweh of Hosts: Behold, I will save my people from the east country, and from the west country;  

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  and I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem; and they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in truth and in righteousness.  

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  Thus says Yahweh of Hosts: Let your hands be strong, you who hear in these days these words from the mouth of the prophets who were in the day that the foundation of the house of Yahweh of Hosts was laid, even the temple, that it might be built.  

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  For before those days there was no hire for man, nor any hire for animal; neither was there any peace to him who went out or came in, because of the adversary: for I set all men everyone against his neighbor.  

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  But now I will not be to the remnant of this people as in the former days, says Yahweh of Hosts.  

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  For [there shall be] the seed of peace; the vine shall give its fruit, and the ground shall give its increase, and the sky shall give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to inherit all these things.  

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  It shall come to pass that, as you were a curse among the nations, house of Judah and house of Israel, so will I save you, and you shall be a blessing. Don't be afraid, [but] let your hands be strong.  

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  For thus says Yahweh of hosts: As I thought to do evil to you, when your fathers provoked me to wrath, says Yahweh of Hosts, and I didn't repent;  

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  so again have I thought in these days to do good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah: don't you fear.  

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  These are the things that you shall do: speak you every man the truth with his neighbor; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates;  

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  and let none of you devise evil in your hearts against his neighbor; and love no false oath: for all these are things that I hate, says Yahweh.  

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  The word of Yahweh of Hosts came to me, saying,  

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  Thus says Yahweh of Hosts: The fast of the fourth [month], and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall be to the house of Judah joy and gladness, and cheerful feasts; therefore love truth and peace.  

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  Thus says Yahweh of Hosts: [It shall] yet [happen], that there shall come peoples, and the inhabitants of many cities;  

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  and the inhabitants of one [city] shall go to another, saying, Let us go speedily to entreat the favor of Yahweh, and to seek Yahweh of Hosts: I will go also.  

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  Yes, many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek Yahweh of Hosts in Jerusalem, and to entreat the favor of Yahweh.  

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  Thus says Yahweh of Hosts: In those days [it shall happen], that ten men shall take hold, out of all the languages of the nations, they shall take hold of the skirt of him who is a Jew, saying, We will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.  

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