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¹³And it shall come to pass that, as ye were a curse among the nations, 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. ¹⁴For thus saith the Lord of hosts: As I purposed to do evil unto you, when your fathers provoked Me, saith the Lord of hosts, and I repented not; 15 so again do I purpose in these days to do good unto Jerusalem and to the house of Judah; fear ye not. ¹⁶These are the things that ye shall do: Speak ye every man the truth with his neighbour; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates; ¹⁷and let none of you devise evil in your hearts against his neighbour; and love no false oath; for all these are things that I hate, saith the Lord.'

¹⁸And the word of the Lord of hosts came unto me, saying: ¹⁹'Thus 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 seasons; therefore love ye truth and peace. ²⁰Thus saith the Lord of hosts: It shall yet come to pass, that there shall come peoples, and the inhabitants of many cities; ²¹and the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying: Let us go speedily to entreat the favour of the Lord, and to seek the Lord of hosts; I will go also. ²²Yea, many peoples and mighty nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, and to entreat the favour of the Lord. ²³Thus saith the Lord of hosts: In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold, out of all the languages of the nations, shall even 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.'

9The burden of the word of the Lord.

In the land of Hadrach,

And in Damascus shall be His resting-place;

For the Lord's is the eye of man

And all the tribes of Israel.

²And Hamath also shall border thereon;

Tyre and Zidon, for she is very wise.

³AndTyre did build herself a stronghold,

And heaped up silver as the dust,

And fine gold as the mire of the streets.

⁴Behold, the Lord will impoverish her,

And He will smite her power into the sea;

And she shall be devoured with fire.

⁵Ashkelon shall see it, and fear,

Gaza also, and shall be sore pained,

And Ekron, for her expectation shall be ashamed;

And the king shall perish from Gaza,

And Ashkelon shall not be inhabited.

⁶And a bastard shall dwell in Ashdod,

And I will cut off the pride of the Philistines.

⁷And I will take away his blood out of his mouth,

And his detestable things from between his teeth,

And he also shall be a remnant for our God;

And he shall be as a chief in Judah,

And Ekron as a Jebusite.

⁸And I will encamp about My house against the army,

That none pass through or return;

And no oppressor shall pass through them any more;

For now have I seen with Mine eyes.

 

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