וַיְהִי דְּבַר־ה' צְבָאוֹת לֵאמֹר

The word of the Lord of hosts was, saying:The following prophecies contain words of comfort and encouragement for Israel. The beginning of the construction of the Temple in the prophet’s lifetime inspired his vision of the future good of the land, the world as a whole, and people’s lives in general.

כֹּה אָמַר ה' צְבָאוֹת קִנֵּאתִי לְצִיּוֹן קִנְאָה גְדוֹלָה וְחֵמָה גְדוֹלָה קִנֵּאתִי לָהּ

So said the Lord of hosts: I became zealous for Zion with great zealousness of love. Due to My fierce love of Jerusalem, I will take special care of the city. I have been zealous for it with great fury. I will fight Jerusalem’s enemies, and I will destroy them speedily and with great might.

כֹּה אָמַר ה' שַׁבְתִּי אֶל־צִיּוֹן וְשָׁכַנְתִּי בְּתוֹךְ יְרוּשָׁלִָם וְנִקְרְאָה יְרוּשָׁלִַם עִיר הָאֱמֶת וְהַר־ה' צְבָאוֹת הַר הַקֹּדֶשׁ

So said the Lord: I have returned to Zion, and I will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem; Jerusalem will be called the city of truth, and the mountain of the Lord of hosts will be called the holy mountain.

כֹּה אָמַר ה' צְבָאוֹת עֹד יֵשְׁבוּ זְקֵנִים וּזְקֵנוֹת בִּרְחֹבוֹת יְרוּשָׁלִָם וְאִישׁ מִשְׁעַנְתּוֹ בְּיָדוֹ מֵרֹב יָמִים

So said the Lord of hosts: There will once more be days of tranquility, peace, and welfare, when old men and old women will again sit in the squares of Jerusalem, to warm themselves in the sun, and to chat together, each man with his cane in his hand due to advanced old age. This refers to individuals who are too old to walk without the aid of a cane or the like. In a place where conditions are hard, people do not live long lives. In the quiet, safe surroundings depicted here, elderly men and women will be able to relax without worry and without suffering from illness.

וּרְחֹבוֹת הָעִיר יִמָּלְאוּ יְלָדִים וִילָדוֹת מְשַׂחֲקִים בִּרְחֹבֹתֶיהָ

Not only will people of advanced years returning from exile sit peacefully in the streets of Jerusalem, but new life will develop in the capital: The squares of the city will be filled with boys and girls playing in its squares. This is a description of a place where peace and general welfare prevail, and life proceeds with tranquility.

כֹּה אָמַר ה' צְבָאוֹת כִּי יִפָּלֵא בְּעֵינֵי שְׁאֵרִית הָעָם הַזֶּה בַּיָּמִים הָהֵם גַּם־בְּעֵינַי יִפָּלֵא נְאֻם ה' צְבָאוֹת

In Zechariah’s time, Jerusalem was a small, poor city, and the lives of the residents were difficult in all respects. So said the Lord of hosts: If it will be wondrous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in those days, so it also will be wondrous in My eyes as well – the utterance of the Lord of hosts. It is wondrous how Jerusalem will thrive with life and be blessed and calm. Jerusalem will be so dramatically transformed that everyone will marvel at it, including God. This statement about God is highly unusual, but this prophecy is so full of life, inner joy, and emotion that the prophet goes beyond the normal limits of acceptable expression.

כֹּה אָמַר ה' צְבָאוֹת הִנְנִי מוֹשִׁיעַ אֶת־עַמִּי מֵאֶרֶץ מִזְרָח וּמֵאֶרֶץ מְבוֹא הַשָּׁמֶשׁ

So said the Lord of hosts: Behold, I am saving My people from the land of the east and from the land of the setting sun. At that time, there was already a Jewish Diaspora in many countries, though not all of them were well known. God will return Israel to its land.

וְהֵבֵאתִי אֹתָם וְשָׁכְנוּ בְּתוֹךְ יְרוּשָׁלִָם וְהָיוּ־לִי לְעָם וַאֲנִי אֶהְיֶה לָהֶם לֵאלֹהִים בֶּאֱמֶת וּבִצְדָקָה

I will bring them, and they will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem; they will be My people, and I will be their God, in truth and in righteousness. Unlike the period of the First Temple, when the prophets had to repeatedly castigate Israel for the lack of truth and righteousness in their midst, in the era of the future redemption, people will come and rebuild Jerusalem sincerely and in the appropriate manner.

כֹּה־אָמַר ה' צְבָאוֹת תֶּחֱזַקְנָה יְדֵיכֶם הַשֹּׁמְעִים בַּיָּמִים הָאֵלֶּה אֵת הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה מִפִּי הַנְּבִיאִים אֲשֶׁר בְּיוֹם יֻסַּד בֵּית־ה' צְבָאוֹת הַהֵיכָל לְהִבָּנוֹת

So said the Lord of hosts: May your hands be strong and powerful, you who hear, in these days, these words from the mouths of the prophets, that were there to announce to you, on the day on which the foundation of the House of the Lord of hosts was laid, that the time had come for the Sanctuary to be built. In that period, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi were all active, and perhaps other prophets as well. They declare to the people that they are at the beginning of a new era, and should not hesitate to build the Temple.

כִּי לִפְנֵי הַיָּמִים הָהֵם שְׂכַר הָאָדָם לֹא נִהְיָה וּשְׂכַר הַבְּהֵמָה אֵינֶנָּה וְלַיּוֹצֵא וְלַבָּא אֵין־שָׁלוֹם מִן־הַצָּר וַאֲשַׁלַּח אֶת־כָּל־הָאָדָם אִישׁ בְּרֵעֵהוּ

For before those days of construction, there were no sufficient wages for people, and there was no payment for the labor of a beast. All lived under great duress. For those going and coming to and from the city there was no peace or security from the enemy. The roads were not safe, and passersby constantly feared attack. And I set, incited, each person against his neighbor. Jerusalem was full of ruins, and the few people who settled in the city lived in poverty and quarreled with each other.

וְעַתָּה לֹא כַיָּמִים הָרִאשֹׁנִים אֲנִי לִשְׁאֵרִית הָעָם הַזֶּה נְאֻם ה' צְבָאוֹת

But now, I will not be like the early days, toward the remnant of this people – the utterance of the Lord of hosts. Instead, I will begin a new era.

כִּי־זֶרַע הַשָּׁלוֹם הַגֶּפֶן תִּתֵּן פִּרְיָהּ וְהָאָרֶץ תִּתֵּן אֶת־יְבוּלָהּ וְהַשָּׁמַיִם יִתְּנוּ טַלָּם וְהִנְחַלְתִּי אֶת־שְׁאֵרִית הָעָם הַזֶּה אֶת־כָּל־אֵלֶּה

For the seed that I will sow is of peace. Peace will sprout from the ground and blessing will descend from heaven, the vine will yield its fruit, and the land will yield its produce, and the heavens will give their dew. I will bequeath all these to the remnant of this people.

וְהָיָה כַּאֲשֶׁר הֱיִיתֶם קְלָלָה בַּגּוֹיִם בֵּית יְהוּדָה וּבֵית יִשְׂרָאֵל כֵּן אוֹשִׁיעַ אֶתְכֶם וִהְיִיתֶם בְּרָכָה אַל־תִּירָאוּ תֶּחֱזַקְנָה יְדֵיכֶם

It shall be that just as you were a curse among the nations, house of Judah and house of Israel, so I will save you, and you will be a blessing; do not fear, and may your hands be strong to continue building.

כִּי כֹה אָמַר ה' צְבָאוֹת כַּאֲשֶׁר זָמַמְתִּי לְהָרַע לָכֶם בְּהַקְצִיף אֲבֹתֵיכֶם אֹתִי אָמַר ה' צְבָאוֹת וְלֹא נִחָמְתִּי

For so said the Lord of hosts: Just as I devised to do harm to you when your fathers angered Me, declaring through My prophets that Jerusalem would fall and the Temple would be destroyed – said the Lord of hosts – and I did not reconsider, and those prophecies came to pass,

כֵּן שַׁבְתִּי זָמַמְתִּי בַּיָּמִים הָאֵלֶּה לְהֵיטִיב אֶת־יְרוּשָׁלִַם וְאֶת־בֵּית יְהוּדָה אַל־תִּירָאוּ

so too, I have again devised in these days to benefit Jerusalem and the house of Judah; do not fear. The previous period has ended, and a new era has begun.

אֵלֶּה הַדְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר תַּעֲשׂוּ דַּבְּרוּ אֱמֶת אִישׁ אֶת־רֵעֵהוּ אֱמֶת וּמִשְׁפַּט שָׁלוֹם שִׁפְטוּ בְּשַׁעֲרֵיכֶם

Accordingly, these are the things that you shall do: Speak the truth, each person with his neighbor, act honestly in trade and other business dealings; administer truth, justice, and peace, harmony, in your gates, instead of condoning the travesties of justice and the contemptible judges that were widespread in the First Temple period.

וְאִישׁ אֶת־רָעַת רֵעֵהוּ אַל־תַּחְשְׁבוּ בִּלְבַבְכֶם וּשְׁבֻעַת שֶׁקֶר אַל־תֶּאֱהָבוּ כִּי אֶת־כָּל־ אֵלֶּה אֲשֶׁר שָׂנֵאתִי נְאֻם־ה'

Do not think evil in your hearts, each man against his neighbor. In addition to refraining from disputes and lies, try not to think badly of others. In a competitive world, people do not plan only how to perform their own work in the best possible manner, but also how they can harm their competitors. Make every effort to avoid doing this. And do not love a false oath, as I hate all these – the utterance of the Lord. In the new era, God will grant you blessings, and you will improve your behavior. These are words of persuasion and encouragement delivered in a pleasant manner.

וַיְהִי דְּבַר־ה' צְבָאוֹת אֵלַי לֵאמֹר׃

The word of the Lord of hosts was with me, saying:

כֹּה־אָמַר ה' צְבָאוֹת צוֹם הָרְבִיעִי וְצוֹם הַחֲמִישִׁי וְצוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי וְצוֹם הָעֲשִׂירִי יִהְיֶה לְבֵית־יְהוּדָה לְשָׂשׂוֹן וּלְשִׂמְחָה וּלְמֹעֲדִים טוֹבִים וְהָאֱמֶת וְהַשָּׁלוֹם אֱהָבוּ

So said the Lord of hosts: The fast of the fourth month, the Seventeenth of Tamuz; the fast of the fifth month, the Ninth of Av; the fast of the seventh month, meaning the Fast of Gedalya; and the fast of the tenth month, the Tenth of Tevet; each will be for gladness and for joy, and for happy festivals for the house of Judah. This, finally, is the answer to the question of the exiles as to whether a fast which commemorates the destruction of the First Temple should still be observed. Zechariah explains to them that since good times are coming to Israel, these fast days will not be annulled; people will still commemorate them, but in the opposite manner, as days of joy and festivity. Therefore, love truth and peace. The purpose of fast days is for people to come together, to deal with matters of public need, and try to remedy the flaws of society. Consequently, the prophet emphasizes that even when the fast days become days of celebration, it will be necessary to cleave to truth and establish peace between people, rather than engage in raucous pursuits.

כֹּה אָמַר ה' צְבָאוֹת עֹד אֲשֶׁר יָבֹאוּ עַמִּים וְיֹשְׁבֵי עָרִים רַבּוֹת

So said the Lord of hosts: Diverse peoples and the inhabitants of many cities as well will yet come.

וְהָלְכוּ יוֹשְׁבֵי אַחַת אֶל־אַחַת לֵאמֹר נֵלְכָה הָלוֹךְ לְחַלּוֹת אֶת־פְּנֵי ה'וּלְבַקֵּשׁ אֶת־ה' צְבָאוֹת אֵלְכָה גַּם־אָנִי

And the inhabitants of one city will go to the other, saying: Let us go to implore the Lord, to pray before God in His Temple, and to seek the Lord of hosts; and the latter will reply: I, too, will go.

וּבָאוּ עַמִּים רַבִּים וְגוֹיִם עֲצוּמִים לְבַקֵּשׁ אֶת־ה' צְבָאוֹת בִּירוּשָׁלִָם וּלְחַלּוֹת אֶת־פְּנֵי ה'

Many peoples and mighty nations will come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, and to implore the Lord. People will be inspired to come to Jerusalem from various places around the world. The idea that, in the future, nations will gather together and undertake a pilgrimage to Jerusalem appears elsewhere in the book of Zechariah (see 2:15, 14:16). Here, by contrast, it is depicted as beginning with an initiative of individuals. Private people will leave their homes, as they will be inspired to pray before God. In this manner, entire nations will ultimately arrive in Jerusalem.

כֹּה־אָמַר ה' צְבָאוֹת בַּיָּמִים הָהֵמָּה אֲשֶׁר יַחֲזִיקוּ עֲשָׂרָה אֲנָשִׁים מִכֹּל לְשֹׁנוֹת הַגּוֹיִם וְהֶחֱזִיקוּ בִּכְנַף אִישׁ יְהוּדִי לֵאמֹר נֵלְכָה עִמָּכֶם כִּי שָׁמַעְנוּ אֱלֹהִים עִמָּכֶם

So said the Lord of hosts: In those days, ten men of all the languages of the nations of the world will take hold; they will take hold of the corner of the garment of a Judean man, saying: Let us go with you, guide us, lead us, direct us, as we have heard that God is with you. We wish to join you, connect with you, and assist you.