26 The Lord sends his servants to tell messages to the people. And the Lord makes those messages true. The Lord sends messengers to tell the people the things they should do. And the Lord shows their advice is good.
26 that confirmeth the word of his servant, and performeth the counsel of his messengers; that saith to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be inhabited; and to the cities of Judah, Ye shall be built, and I will raise up the decayed places thereof:
26 [The Lord] Who confirms the word of His servant and performs the counsel of His messengers, Who says of Jerusalem, She shall [again] be inhabited, and of the cities of Judah, They shall [again] be built, and I will raise up their ruins,
26 that confirmeth the word of his servant, and performeth the counsel of his messengers; that saith of Jerusalem, She shall be inhabited; and of the cities of Judah, They shall be built, and I will raise up the waste places thereof;
26 But who confirms the word of my servant, and fulfills the predictions of my messengers; who says about Jerusalem, “It will be resettled”; and who says about the cities of Judah, “They will be rebuilt, and I will restore their ruins”;
26 I lift up the word of my servant, and I fulfill the counsel of my messengers. I say to Jerusalem, "You shall be inhabited," and to the cities of Judah, "You shall be rebuilt," and I will lift up its deserts.
The prophets were my servants. I used them to tell your ancestors about my laws and teachings. And your ancestors finally learned their lesson. They said, ‘The Lord All-Powerful did the things he said he would do. He punished us for the way we lived and for all the bad things we did.’ So they came back to God.”
The Lord says:\par “Jacob’s {\cf2\super [243]} people are now in captivity.\par But they will come back.\par And I will have pity on Jacob’s houses.\par The city {\cf2\super [244]} is now only an empty hill\par covered with ruined buildings.\par But the city will be built again on its hill.\par And the king’s house will be built again\par where it should be.\par
In the beginning,\par I said some things would happen,\par and those things happened!\par And now, before it happens,\par I am telling you about some things\par that will happen in the future.”\par
Hanani and the men with him said, “Nehemiah, those Jews that escaped captivity and are in the land of Judah are in much trouble. Those people are having many problems and are full of shame. Why? Because the wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.”
So the priests, Levites, and some of the other people moved to Jerusalem and the area around it. This group included the \{temple\} singers, gatekeepers, and the temple servants. The other people of Israel settled in their own home towns.
I tell you the truth. Nothing will disappear from the law until heaven and earth are gone. The law will not lose even the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter until all has happened.
At that time, I will make the family leaders of Judah like a fire burning in a forest. They will destroy their enemies like fire burning straw. They will destroy the enemy all around them. And the people in Jerusalem will again be able to sit back and relax.”
I will bring my people, Israel,\par back from captivity.\par They will build the ruined cities again.\par And they will live in those cities.\par They will plant fields of grapes,\par and drink the wine they produce.\par They will plant gardens,\par and eat the crops they produce.\par
“Learn these things, Daniel. Understand these things! From the time that the message went out to go back and build Jerusalem again until the time for the chosen king {\cf2\super [109]} to come will be seven weeks. {\cf2\super [110]} Then Jerusalem will be built again. There will again be places for people to meet together in Jerusalem. And there will be a ditch around the city to protect it. Jerusalem will be built for 62 weeks. {\cf2\super [111]} But there will be many troubles during that time.
The Lord my Master says these things, “\{At that time, people will remember\} that I spoke about you in the past. They will remember that I used my servants the prophets of Israel. They will remember that the prophets of Israel spoke for me in the past and said that I would bring you to fight against them.”
There will be many, many people living on you. The whole family of Israel—all of them—will live there. The cities will have people living in them. The destroyed places will be built like new.
But even though I was afraid, I said to the king, “May the king live forever! I am sad because the city where my ancestors {\cf2\super [5]} are buried lies in ruins. And the gates of that city have been destroyed by fire.”
Jesus said to them, “Remember when I was with you before? I said that everything written about me must happen—everything written in the law of Moses, the books of the prophets, {\cf2\super [396]} and the Psalms.”
People will use their money and buy fields. They will sign and seal their agreements. People will witness the people signing their deeds. {\cf2\super [275]} People will again buy fields in the land where the family group of Benjamin lives. They will buy fields in the area around Jerusalem. They will buy fields in the towns of the land of Judah, in the hill country, in the western foothills, and in the area of the southern desert. That will happen because I will bring your people back home.” This message is from the Lord.
Israel, my bride, I will build you again.\par You will be a country again.\par You will pick up your tambourines again.\par You will dance with all the other people\par that are having fun.\par
Your cities have been destroyed for many, many years. But new cities will be built, and the foundations of these cities will continue for many, many years. You will be called “The One Who Fixes Fences.” And you will be called, “The One Who Builds Roads and Houses.”
Why? Because you will grow very much.\par Your children will get people\par from many nations,\par Your children will again live in the cities\par that were destroyed.\par
“At that time, the old cities that were destroyed will be built again. Those cities will be made new like they were in the beginning. The cities that were destroyed for many, many years will be made like new.
The Lord will save Zion. {\cf2\super [404]} \par The Lord will rebuild the cities of Judah.\par The people who own the land\par will live there again!\par
Zion, {\cf2\super [374]} you have good news to tell.\par Go up on a high mountain\par and shout the good news!\par Jerusalem, you have good news to tell.\par Don’t be afraid, speak loudly!\par
In all the world, my servant {\cf2\super [383]} \par is the most blind!\par The messenger I send \{to the world\}\par is the most deaf.\par The one I made the Agreement with\par —the servant of the Lord—\par is the most blind.\par
The Lord says,\par “There will be a special time\par when I show my kindness.\par At that time I will answer your prayers.\par There will be a special day\par when I save you.\par At that time I will help you.\par I will protect you.\par And you will be the proof that I have\par an Agreement with the people.\par The country is destroyed now,\par but you will give that land back\par to the people who own it.\par
Jerusalem, your destroyed buildings\par will be happy again.\par You will all rejoice together.\par Why? Because the Lord will be kind\par to Jerusalem.\par The Lord will rescue his people.\par
In the same way, my words leave my mouth,\par and they don’t come back until they make things happen.\par My words make the things happen that I want to happen.\par My words succeed in doing the things I send them to do.\par
Today I have put you in charge\par of nations and kingdoms.\par You will pull up and tear down.\par You will destroy and overthrow.\par You will build up and plant.”\par
“God said those things would happen to us and our leaders—and he made them happen. He made terrible things happen to us. No other city suffered the way Jerusalem suffered.
The angel also said,\par “The Lord All-Powerful says,\par ‘My towns will be rich again.\par I will comfort Zion.\par I will again choose Jerusalem\par to be my special city.’”\par
Then the people ran out to the Aramean camp and took valuable things from there. {There was plenty of things for everyone.} So it happened just like the Lord said. A person could buy a basket [85] of fine flour or two baskets [86] of barley for only one shekel. [87]
Elisha had said, “A person will be able to buy a basket [89] of fine flour or two baskets [90] of barley for only one shekel [91] in the market place by the city gates of Samaria.”
But the prophet that preaches that we will have peace must be tested to see if he truly was sent by the Lord. If the message of that prophet comes true, then people can know that he truly was sent by the Lord.”