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Zechariah 8

What Happens in This Chapter

God speaks to the prophet Zechariah after the people have come back from exile and begun rebuilding the temple. God says he will return to Jerusalem and live there, and he pictures old people and children safe in its streets and good crops for the people who are left. He tells them to be strong, to speak the truth, and to judge fairly. He says their days of fasting will turn into glad feasts, and that people from many nations will come to Jerusalem to seek him.

Plain reading written for kids. Short sentences, everyday words, one idea at a time.

Again the word of the LORD of hosts came to me, saying,

1The LORD who rules over all spoke to me again. He said:

2Thus saith the LORD of hosts; I was jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I was jealous for her with great fury.

2This is what the LORD who rules over all says. "I care about Zion, my city, very much. I want her for my own, and my feelings are strong."

The old word here is "jealous." It does not mean God is envious. It means he loves Zion (another name for Jerusalem) deeply and wants her to be his own.

3Thus saith the LORD; I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; and the mountain of the LORD of hosts the holy mountain.

3This is what the LORD says. "I am coming back to Zion. I will live right in Jerusalem. People will call Jerusalem the City of Truth. They will call my mountain the Holy Mountain."

4Thus saith the LORD of hosts; There shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, and every man with his staff in his hand for very age.

4This is what the LORD who rules over all says. "Old men and old women will sit in the streets of Jerusalem again. Each one will hold a walking stick, because they are very old."

5And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof.

5"And the streets of the city will be full of boys and girls playing there."

6Thus saith the LORD of hosts; If it be marvellous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these days, should it also be marvellous in mine eyes? saith the LORD of hosts.

6This is what the LORD who rules over all says. "The few people left may think this could never happen. But should it seem impossible to me?"

7Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will save my people from the east country, and from the west country;

7This is what the LORD who rules over all says. "Look, I will save my people. I will bring them from the land in the east and the land in the west."

8And 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.

8"I will bring them home to live in Jerusalem. They will be my people, and I will be their God. I will always be true and fair to them."

9Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Let your hands be strong, ye that hear in these days these words by the mouth of the prophets, which were in the day that the foundation of the house of the LORD of hosts was laid, that the temple might be built.

9This is what the LORD who rules over all says. "Be strong, all of you who hear these words now. Prophets spoke them, men who told people what God said. They spoke when workers laid the first stones for God's temple."

10For before these days there was no hire for man, nor any hire for beast; neither was there any peace to him that went out or came in because of the affliction: for I set all men every one against his neighbour.

10"Before that time, no one earned any pay. Even the work animals earned nothing. No one was safe going out or coming home, because enemies were near. I turned every person against his neighbor."

11But now I will not be unto the residue of this people as in the former days, saith the LORD of hosts.

11"But now I will not treat the people who are left the way I did before," says the LORD who rules over all.

12For the seed shall be prosperous; the vine shall give her fruit, and the ground shall give her increase, and the heavens shall give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things.

12"Seeds will grow well. Grapevines will give their grapes. The ground will give its food. The sky will give its dew. I will give all these things to the people who are left."

13And it shall come to pass, that as ye were a curse among the heathen, O house of Judah, and house of Israel; so will I save you, and ye shall be a blessing: fear not, but let your hands be strong.

13"Other nations used your name as a curse, people of Judah and Israel. Now I will save you, and your name will be a blessing. Do not be afraid. Be strong."

14For thus saith the LORD of hosts; As I thought to punish you, when your fathers provoked me to wrath, saith the LORD of hosts, and I repented not:

14This is what the LORD who rules over all says. "Long ago your fathers made me very angry. I decided to punish them, and I did not change my mind."

15So again have I thought in these days to do well unto Jerusalem and to the house of Judah: fear ye not.

15"Now I have decided to do good again to Jerusalem and to Judah. Do not be afraid."

16These are the things that ye shall do; Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates:

16"Here is what you must do. Tell your neighbor the truth. When you judge a case in your town, be honest and make peace."

17And let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbour; and love no false oath: for all these are things that I hate, saith the LORD.

17"Do not plan to hurt your neighbor. Do not make promises you know are lies. I hate all these things," says the LORD.

18And the word of the LORD of hosts came unto me, saying,

18Then the LORD who rules over all spoke to me again. He said:

19Thus saith the LORD 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 the truth and peace.

19This is what the LORD who rules over all says. "The people of Judah go without food on sad days in four months of the year. Those sad days will turn into glad and happy feasts. So love the truth, and love peace."

The KJV calls these days "fasts." A fast was a day when people went without food to show they were sad. These four fasts remembered sad things that had happened to Jerusalem.

20Thus saith the LORD of hosts; It shall yet come to pass, that there shall come people, and the inhabitants of many cities:

20This is what the LORD who rules over all says. "The day is coming when many people will travel here. They will come from many cities."

21And the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, Let us go speedily to pray before the LORD, and to seek the LORD of hosts: I will go also.

21"The people of one city will go to another city. They will say, 'Let us go right now to ask the LORD for help. Let us go and look for him. I am going too.'"

22Yea, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the LORD.

22"Many peoples and strong nations will come to Jerusalem. They will look for the LORD and ask him for help."

23Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.

23This is what the LORD who rules over all says. "In those days ten men will come from many nations. They will speak many different languages. Each one will take hold of the edge of a Jewish man's coat. They will say, 'We want to go with you. We have heard that God is with you.'"

The KJV says the men take hold of a man's "skirt." It means the loose edge or corner of his long robe, not a woman's skirt.

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