Zechariah 8:1-23 CEV

[1] The LORD All-Powerful said to me: [2] I love Zion so much that her enemies make me angry. [3] I will return to Jerusalem and live there on Mount Zion. Then Jerusalem will be known as my faithful city, and Zion will be known as my holy mountain. [4] Very old people with walking sticks will once again sit around in Jerusalem, [5] while boys and girls play in the streets. [6] This may seem impossible for my people who are left, but it isn't impossible for me, the LORD All-Powerful. [7] I will save those who were taken to lands in the east and the west, [8] and I will bring them to live in Jerusalem. They will be my people, and I will be their God, faithful to bring about justice. [9] I am the LORD All-Powerful! So don't give up. Think about the message my prophets spoke when the foundation of my temple was laid. [10] Before that time, neither people nor animals were rewarded for their work, and no one was safe anywhere, because I had turned them against each other. [11] My people, only a few of you are left, and I promise not to punish you as I did before. [12] Instead, I will make sure that your crops are planted in peace and your vineyards are fruitful, that your fields are fertile and the dew falls from the sky. [13] People of Judah and Israel, you have been a curse to the nations, but I will save you and make you a blessing to them. So don't be afraid or lose courage. [14] When your ancestors made me angry, I decided to punish you with disasters, and I didn't hold back. [15] Now you no longer need to be afraid. I have decided to treat Jerusalem and Judah with kindness. [16] But you must be truthful with each other, and in court you must give fair decisions that lead to peace. [17] Don't ever plan evil things against others or tell lies under oath. I, the LORD, hate such things. [18] The LORD All-Powerful told me to say: [19] People of Judah, I, the LORD, demand that whenever you go without food as a way of worshiping me, it should become a time of celebration. No matter if it's the fourth month, the fifth month, the seventh month, or the tenth month, you should have a joyful festival. So love truth and live at peace. [20] I tell you that people will come here from cities everywhere. [21] Those of one town will go to another and say, "We're going to ask the LORD All-Powerful to treat us with kindness. Come and join us." [22] Many people from strong nations will come to Jerusalem to worship me and to ask me to treat them with kindness. [23] When this happens, ten people from nations with different languages will grab a Jew by his clothes and say, "Let us go with you. We've heard that God is on your side." I, the LORD All-Powerful, have spoken!