From those places the songs of people giving thanks will be heard. The sound of great joy will come from there. I will cause there to be more of my people. There will not be fewer of them. I will bring them honor. People will have respect for them.

必有感谢和欢乐的声音从其中发出，我要使他们增多，不致减少；使他们尊荣，不致卑微。

必有感谢和欢乐的声音从其中发出，我使他们增多，不致减少；使他们尊荣，不致卑微。

必有感谢和欢乐的声音从其中发出，我使他们增多，不致减少；使他们尊荣，不致卑微。

那里必传出感谢和欢乐的声音。我必使他们的人口增加，不再减少；我必使他们得享尊荣，不再受歧视。

必有感谢的歌声，和欢笑的声音从其中发出来。我必使他们人数增多，不会减少；我必使他们得尊荣，不再被人轻看。

必有感謝和歡樂的聲音從其中發出，我要使他們增多，不致減少；使他們尊榮，不致卑微。

必有感謝和歡樂的聲音從其中發出，我使他們增多，不致減少；使他們尊榮，不致卑微。

必有感謝和歡樂的聲音從其中發出，我使他們增多，不致減少；使他們尊榮，不致卑微。

那裡必傳出感謝和歡樂的聲音。我必使他們的人口增加，不再減少；我必使他們得享尊榮，不再受歧視。

必有感謝的歌聲，和歡笑的聲音從其中發出來。我必使他們人數增多，不會減少；我必使他們得尊榮，不再被人輕看。

必有感謝的詩歌從其中發出，也必有嬉嬉笑鬧者的聲音；我必使他們增多，不致減少；使他們尊榮，不致微小。

稱謝歡樂之聲、由是而出、我將使之繁衍、而不少減、加以尊榮、致不卑微、

揄揚懽忭之聲、由是而起、我使之繁衍、不復減損、顯其尊榮、不復衰微。

感謝歡樂之聲、必出於其中、我使之蕃衍、不致減少、使之尊榮、不致卑微、

From them will come songs of thanksgiving and the sound of rejoicing. I will add to their numbers, and they will not be decreased; I will bring them honor, and they will not be disdained.

Out of them shall come songs of thanksgiving, and the voices of those who celebrate. I will multiply them, and they shall not be few; I will make them honored, and they shall not be small.

There will be joy and songs of thanksgiving, and I will multiply my people, not diminish them; I will honor them, not despise them.

Thanksgiving will come out of them, a sound of rejoicing. I will multiply them, and they will not decrease; I will honor them, and they will not be insignificant.

From them will come a song of thanksgiving And the voices of those who celebrate; And I will multiply them and they will not decrease; I will honor them and they will not be insignificant.

Then out of them shall proceed thanksgiving And the voice of those who make merry; I will multiply them, and they shall not diminish; I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small.

And out of them shall proceed thanksgiving and the voice of them that make merry: and I will multiply them, and they shall not be few; I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small.

Thanksgiving will come out of them, a sound of celebration. I will multiply them, and they will not decrease; I will honor them, and they will not be insignificant.

And out of them shall proceed thanksgiving and the voice of them that make merry: and I will multiply them, and they shall not be few; I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small.

Out of those places you will hear songs of thanksgiving and the sounds of laughter and merriment. I will increase their number and they will not dwindle away. I will bring them honor and they will no longer be despised.

Thanksgiving will proceed out of them with the voice of those who make merry. I will multiply them, and they will not be few; I will also glorify them, and they will not be small.

Those the Lord has saved will return to their land. They will sing as they enter the city of Zion. Joy that lasts forever will be like beautiful crowns on their heads. They will be filled with gladness and joy. Sorrow and sighing will be gone.

Here is what I will do for my servant David. And here is what I will do for the Levites who serve me. I will make their children after them as many as the stars in the sky. And I will make them as many as the grains of sand on the seashore. It will be impossible to count them.”

Those the Lord has saved will return to their land. They will sing as they enter the city of Zion. Joy that lasts forever will be like beautiful crowns on their heads. They will be filled with gladness and joy. Sorrow and sighing will be gone.

The smallest family among you will become a tribe. The smallest tribe will become a mighty nation. I am the Lord. When it is the right time, I will act quickly.”

The Lord and King says,“ Once again I will answer Israel’s prayer. Here is what I will do for them. I will multiply them as if they were sheep.

I will build you up again. Nation of Israel, you will be rebuilt. Once again you will use your tambourines to celebrate. You will go out and dance with joy.

I will signal for my people to come, and I will gather them in. I will set them free. There will be as many of them as before.

Our enemies took us away from Zion. But when the Lord brought us home, it seemed like a dream to us.Our mouths were filled with laughter. Our tongues sang with joy. Then the people of other nations said,“ The Lord has done great things for them.”

Then all the people went away to eat and drink. They shared their food with others. They celebrated with great joy. Now they understood the words they had heard. That’s because everything had been explained to them.

They will come and shout for joy on Mount Zion. They will be joyful because of everything I give them. I give them grain, olive oil and fresh wine. I give them the young animals in their flocks and herds. Israel will be like a garden that has plenty of water. And they will not be sad anymore.Then young women will dance and be glad. And so will the men, young and old alike. I will turn their mourning into gladness. I will comfort them. And I will give them joy instead of sorrow.

At that time I will be like a shield to those who live in Jerusalem. Then even the weakest among them will be great warriors like David. And David’s family line will be like the angel of the Lord who leads them.

In days to come, the people of Israel will sing,“ Lord, we will praise you. You were angry with us. But now your anger has turned away from us. And you have brought us comfort.

I will bend Judah as I bend my bow. I will make Ephraim’s people my arrows. Zion, I will stir up your sons. Greece, they will attack your sons. My people, I will use you as my sword.”Then the Lord will appear over his people. His arrows will flash like lightning. The Lord and King will blow the trumpet of his thunder. He’ll march out like a storm in the south.The Lord who rules over all will be like a shield to his people. They will destroy their enemies. They’ll use slings to throw stones at them. They’ll drink the blood of their enemies as if it were wine. They’ll be full like the bowl that is used for sprinkling the corners of the altar.The Lord their God will save his people on that day. He will be like a shepherd who saves his flock. They will gleam in his land like jewels in a crown.How very beautiful they will be! Grain and fresh wine will make the young men and young women strong.

I will cause many people to live in Israel. The towns will no longer be empty. Their broken- down houses will be rebuilt.I will cause many people and animals to live in you, Israel. They will have many babies. I will cause people to make their homes in your towns, just as I did in the past. I will help you succeed more than ever before. Then you will know that I am the Lord.I will let my people Israel live there again. They will possess you. They will receive you as their own. You will never take their children away from them again.” ’ ”The Lord and King says,“ People say to you mountains,‘ You destroy people. You let your nation’s children be taken away.’But I will not let you destroy people anymore. I will no longer let your nation’s children be taken away,” announces the Lord and King.“ You will not have to listen to the nations laughing at you anymore. People will no longer make fun of you. You will not let your nation fall,” announces the Lord and King.

On that day large numbers of sacrifices were offered. The people were glad because God had given them great joy. The women and children were also very happy. The joyful sound in Jerusalem could be heard far away.At that time some men were put in charge of the storerooms. That’s where all the gifts the people brought were placed. Those gifts included the first shares of their crops. They also included a tenth of everything the Law required. Crops were harvested from the fields around the towns. The people had to bring the shares of those crops that were required by the Law. They gave them to the priests and Levites. That’s because the people of Judah were pleased with the priests and Levites who were serving God.The priests and Levites did everything their God wanted them to do. They made things pure and“ clean.” The musicians and the men who guarded the temple gates also served God. Everything was done just as David and his son Solomon had commanded.A long time ago there had been directors for the musicians. There had also been directors for the songs for giving thanks and praise to God. It was in the time of David and Asaph.

You can be sure that I will comfort Zion’s people. I will look with loving concern on all their destroyed buildings. I will make their deserts like Eden. I will make their dry and empty land like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness will be there. People will sing and give thanks to me.

In days to come, Jacob’s people will put down roots like a vine. Israel will bud and bloom. They will fill the whole world with fruit.

People from the islands are coming to me. The ships of Tarshish are out in front. They are bringing your children back from far away. Your children are bringing their silver and gold with them. They are coming to honor me. I am the Lord your God. I am the Holy One of Israel. I have honored you.

“ You have established special times to go without eating. They are your fasts in the fourth, fifth, seventh and tenth months. They will become days of joy. They will be happy times for Judah. It will happen if you take delight in telling the truth and bringing about peace.”

I will make a covenant with them. It promises to give them peace. The covenant will last forever. I will make them my people. And I will cause there to be many of them. I will put my temple among them forever.

Then this city will bring me fame, joy, praise and honor. All the nations on earth will hear about the good things I do for this city. They will see the great success and peace I give it. Then they will be filled with wonder. And they will tremble with fear.”The Lord says,“ You say about this place,‘ It’s a dry and empty desert. It doesn’t have any people or animals in it.’ The towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem are now deserted. So they do not have any people or animals living in them. But happy sounds will be heard there once more.They will be the sounds of joy and gladness. The voices of brides and grooms will fill the streets. And the voices of those who bring thank offerings to my house will be heard there. They will say,“‘ Give thanks to the Lord who rules over all, because he is good. His faithful love continues forever.’ That’s because I will bless this land with great success again. It will be as it was before,” says the Lord.

Burst into songs of joy together, you broken- down buildings in Jerusalem. The Lord has comforted his people. He has set Jerusalem free.

Jerusalem, the nations will see that I have made everything right for you. All their kings will see your glory. You will be called by a new name. I myself will give it to you.You will be like a glorious crown in my strong hand. You will be like a royal crown in my powerful hand.

Here is what the Lord announces.“ The days are coming when I will plant the kingdoms of Israel and Judah again. I will plant them with children and young animals.

Your troubles have come in order to prove that your faith is real. Your faith is worth more than gold. That’s because gold can pass away even when fire has made it pure. Your faith is meant to bring praise, honor and glory to God. This will happen when Jesus Christ returns.

For seven days they celebrated the Feast of Unleavened Bread with joy. That’s because the Lord had filled them with joy. They were glad because he had changed the mind of the king of Persia. So the king had helped them with the work on the house of the God of Israel.

He continued,“ Once again old men and women will sit in the streets of Jerusalem. All of them will be using canes because they are old.The city streets will be filled with boys and girls. They will be playing there.”

How I pray that the God who saves Israel will come out of Zion! God will bless his people with great success again. Then let the people of Jacob be filled with joy! Let Israel be glad!

He said to him,“ Run! Tell that young man Zechariah,‘ Jerusalem will be a city that does not have any walls around it. It will have huge numbers of people and animals in it.

The builders laid the foundation of the Lord’ s temple. Then the priests came. They were wearing their special clothes. They brought their trumpets with them. The Levites who belonged to the family line of Asaph also came. They brought their cymbals with them. The priests and Levites took their places to praise the Lord. They did everything just as King David had required them to.They sang to the Lord. They praised him. They gave thanks to him. They said,“ The Lord is good. His faithful love to Israel continues forever.” All the people gave a loud shout. They praised the Lord. They were glad because the foundation of the Lord’ s temple had been laid.But many of the older priests and Levites and family leaders wept out loud. They had seen the first temple. So when they saw the foundation of the second temple being laid, they wept. Others shouted with joy.No one could tell the difference between the shouts of joy and the sounds of weeping. That’s because the people made so much noise. The sound was heard far away.

You will not need the light of the sun by day anymore. The bright light of the moon will no longer have to shine on you. I will be your light forever. My glory will shine on you. I am the Lord your God.

All the people who had returned from the land of Babylon made booths. They lived in them during the Feast of Booths. They hadn’t celebrated the feast with so much joy for a long time. In fact, they had never celebrated it like that from the days of Joshua, the son of Nun, until that day. So their joy was very great.

I have given them the glory you gave me. I did this so they would be one, just as we are one.

People of Zion, sing! Israel, shout loudly! People of Jerusalem, be glad! Let your hearts be full of joy.The Lord has stopped punishing you. He has made your enemies turn away from you. The Lord is the King of Israel. He is with you. You will never again be afraid that others will harm you.The time is coming when people will say to Jerusalem,“ Zion, don’t be afraid. Don’t give up.The Lord your God is with you. He is the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you. In his love he will no longer punish you. Instead, he will sing for joy because of you.”The Lord says to his people,“ You used to celebrate my appointed feasts in Jerusalem. You are sad because you can’t do that anymore. Other people make fun of you because of that. That sadness was a heavy load for you to carry. But I will remove that load from you.At that time I will punish all those who crushed you. I will save those among you who are disabled. I will gather those who have been taken away. I will give them praise and honor in every land where they have been put to shame.At that time I will gather you together. And I will bring you home. I will give you honor and praise among all the nations on earth. I will bless you with great success again,” says the Lord.