¹ The word of Yahweh of Armies came to me.

² Thus says Yahweh of Armies: "I am jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I am jealous for her with great wrath."

³ Thus says Yahweh: "I have returned to Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Jerusalem shall be called 'The City of Truth;' and the mountain of Yahweh of Armies, 'The Holy mountain.'"

⁴ Thus says Yahweh of Armies: "Old men and old women will again dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, every man with his staff in his hand for very age.

⁵ The streets of the city will be full of boys and girls playing in its streets."

⁶ Thus says Yahweh of Armies: "If it is marvelous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in those days, should it also be marvelous in my eyes?" says Yahweh of Armies.

⁷ Thus says Yahweh of Armies: "Behold, I will save my people from the east country, and from the west country;

⁸ and I will bring them, and they will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem; and they will be my people, and I will be their God, in truth and in righteousness."

⁹ Thus says Yahweh of Armies: "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 Armies was laid, even the temple, that it might be built.

¹⁰ For before those days there was no wages for man, nor any wages for an 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.

¹¹ But now I will not be to the remnant of this people as in the former days," says Yahweh of Armies.

¹² "For the seed of peace and the vine will yield its fruit, and the ground will give its increase, and the heavens will give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to inherit all these things.

¹³ 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. Let your hands be strong."

¹⁴ For thus says Yahweh of Armies: "As I thought to do evil to you, when your fathers provoked me to wrath," says Yahweh of Armies, "and I didn't repent;

¹⁵ so again have I thought in these days to do good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. Don't be afraid.

¹⁶ These are the things that you shall do: speak every man the truth with his neighbor. Execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates,

¹⁷ 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.

¹⁸ The word of Yahweh of Armies came to me.

¹⁹ Thus says Yahweh of Armies: "The fasts of the fourth fifth, seventh, and tenth months shall be for the house of Judah joy and gladness, and cheerful feasts. Therefore love truth and peace."

²⁰ Thus says Yahweh of Armies: "Many peoples, and the inhabitants of Many cities will yet come;

²¹ and the inhabitants of one shall go to another, saying, 'Let us go speedily to entreat the favor of Yahweh, and to seek Yahweh of Armies. I will go also.'

²² Yes, many peoples and strong nations will come to seek Yahweh of Armies in Jerusalem, and to entreat the favor of Yahweh."

²³ Thus says Yahweh of Armies: "In those days, ten men will take hold, out of all the languages of the nations, they will 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.'"

¹ My son, if you have become collateral for your neighbor, if you have struck your hands in pledge for a stranger;

² You are trapped by the words of your mouth. You are ensnared with the words of your mouth.

³ Do this now, my son, and deliver yourself, since you have come into the hand of your neighbor. Go, humble yourself. Press your plea with your neighbor.

⁴ Give no sleep to your eyes, nor slumber to your eyelids.

⁵ Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the snare of the fowler.

⁶ Go to the ant, you sluggard. Consider her ways, and be wise;

⁷ which having no chief, overseer, or ruler,

⁸ provides her bread in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest.

⁹ How long will you sleep, sluggard? When will you arise out of your sleep?

¹⁰ A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:

¹¹ so your poverty will come as a robber, and your scarcity as an armed man.

¹² A worthless person, a man of iniquity, is he who walks with a perverse mouth;

¹³ who winks with his eyes, who signals with his feet, who motions with his fingers;

¹⁴ in whose heart is perverseness, who devises evil continually, who always sows discord.

¹⁵ Therefore his calamity will come suddenly. He will be broken suddenly, and that without remedy.

¹⁶ There are six things which Yahweh hates; yes, seven which are an abomination to him:

¹⁷ haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood;

¹⁸ a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are swift in running to mischief,

¹⁹ a false witness who utters lies, and he who sows discord among brothers.

²⁰ My son, keep your father's commandment, and don't forsake your mother's teaching.

²¹ Bind them continually on your heart. Tie them around your neck.

²² When you walk, it will lead you. When you sleep, it will watch over you. When you awake, it will talk with you.

²³ For the commandment is a lamp, and the law is light. Reproofs of instruction are the way of life,

²⁴ to keep you from the immoral woman, from the flattery of the wayward wife's tongue.

²⁵ Don't lust after her beauty in your heart, neither let her captivate you with her eyelids.

²⁶ For a prostitute reduces you to a piece of bread. The adulteress hunts for your precious life.

²⁷ Can a man scoop fire into his lap, and his clothes not be burned?

²⁸ Or can one walk on hot coals, and his feet not be scorched?

²⁹ So is he who goes in to his neighbor's wife. Whoever touches her will not be unpunished.

³⁰ Men don't despise a thief, if he steals to satisfy himself when he is hungry:

³¹ but if he is found, he shall restore seven times. He shall give all the wealth of his house.

³² He who commits adultery with a woman is void of understanding. He who does it destroys his own soul.

³³ He will get wounds and dishonor. His reproach will not be wiped away.

³⁴ For jealousy arouses the fury of the husband. He won't spare in the day of vengeance.

³⁵ He won't regard any ransom, neither will he rest content, though you give many gifts.