Zechariah 8:13

King James Version

And it shall come to pass, that as ye were a curse among the heathen, 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.

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
People began using the names Israel and Judah in their curses. But I will save Israel and Judah, and their names will become a blessing. So don't be afraid. Be strong!"

New American Standard Bible
'And it will come about that just as you were a curse among the nations, house of Judah and house of Israel, so I will save you that you may become a blessing. Do not fear; let your hands be strong.'

New Century Version
Judah and Israel, your names have been used as curses in other nations. But I will save you, and you will become a blessing. So don't be afraid; work hard."

Update Bible Version
And it shall come to pass that, as you were a curse among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so I will save you, and you shall be a blessing. Don't be afraid, [but] let your hands be strong.

Webster's Bible Translation
And it shall come to pass, [that] as ye were a curse among the heathen, O house of Judah, and house of Israel; so will I save you, and ye shall be a blessing: fear not, let your hands be strong.

Amplified Bible
'And as you have been a curse among the nations, O house of Judah (Southern Kingdom) and house of Israel (Northern Kingdom), so I will save you, that you may be a blessing. Fear not; let your hands be strong.'

English Standard Version
And as you have been a byword of cursing among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so will I save you, and you shall be a blessing. Fear not, but let your hands be strong."

World English Bible
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."

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And it schal be, as the hous of Juda and hous of Israel weren cursyng in hethene men, so Y schal saue you, and ye schulen be blessyng. Nyle ye drede, be youre hondis coumfortid;

English Revised Version
And 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.

Berean Standard Bible
As you have been a curse among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so I will save you, and you will be a blessing. Do not be afraid; let your hands be strong."

Contemporary English Version
People of Judah and Israel, you have been a curse to the nations, but I will save you and make you a blessing to them. So don't be afraid or lose courage.

American Standard Version
And 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.

Bible in Basic English
And it will come about that, as you were a curse among the nations, O children of Judah and children of Israel, so I will give you salvation and you will be a blessing: have no fear and let your hands be strong.

Complete Jewish Bible
House of Y'hudah and house of Isra'el, just as you were formerly a curse among the nations, so now I will save you; and you will be a blessing. Don't be afraid, but take courage!'

Darby Translation
And it shall come to pass, like 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 ye not, let your hands be strong.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And 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.

King James Version (1611)
And it shall come to passe, that as yee were a curse among the heathen, O house of Iudah, and house of Israel; so will I saue you, and ye shalbe a blessing: feare not, but let your handes bee strong.

New Living Translation
Among the other nations, Judah and Israel became symbols of a cursed nation. But no longer! Now I will rescue you and make you both a symbol and a source of blessing. So don't be afraid. Be strong, and get on with rebuilding the Temple!

New Life Bible
O people of Judah and Israel, just as you were a curse among the nations, I will save you and make you something good. Do not be afraid. Let your hands be strong.'

New Revised Standard
Just as you have been a cursing among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so I will save you and you shall be a blessing. Do not be afraid, but let your hands be strong.

Geneva Bible (1587)
And it shal come to passe, that as ye were a curse among the heathen, O house of Iudah, and house of Israel, so wil I deliuer you, & ye shalbe a blessing: feare not, but let your hands be strong.

George Lamsa Translation
And it shall come to pass that as you were a curse among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so will I save you, and you shall be a blessing; so let your hands be strong, fear not.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And it shall come to pass that - Just as ye had become a curse among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, So, will I save you, and ye shall become a blessing, - Do not fear, let your hands, be strong.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And it shall come to pass, that as you were a curse among the Gentiles, O house of Juda, and house of Israel: so will I save you, and you shall be a blessing: fear not, let your hands be strengthened.

Revised Standard Version
And as you have been a byword of cursing among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so will I save you and you shall be a blessing. Fear not, but let your hands be strong."

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And it shal come to passe, that like as ye were a curse among the heathen O ye house of Iuda and ye house of Israel, euen so wyll I deliuer you, that ye shal be a blessing: feare not, but let your handes be strong:

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And it shall come to pass, as ye were a curse among the nations, O house of Juda, and house of Israel; so will I save you, and ye shall be a blessing: be of good courage, and strengthen your hands.

Good News Translation
People of Judah and Israel! In the past foreigners have cursed one another by saying, ‘May the same disasters fall on you that fell on Judah and Israel!' But I will save you, and then those foreigners will say to one another, ‘May you receive the same blessings that came to Judah and Israel!' So have courage and don't be afraid."

Christian Standard Bible®
As you have been a curse among the nations, house of Judah and house of Israel, so I will save you, and you will be a blessing. Don’t be afraid; let your hands be strong.”

Hebrew Names Version
It shall come to pass that, as you were a curse among the nations, house of Yehudah and house of Yisra'el, so will I save you, and you shall be a blessing. Don't be afraid. Let your hands be strong."

Lexham English Bible
And then, just as you were a curse among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so will I save you, and you will be a blessing. You must not be afraid; let your hands be strong!'"

Literal Translation
And it shall be, as you were a curse among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so I will save you, and you shall be a blessing. Do not fear; let your hands be made strong.

Young's Literal Translation
And it hath come to pass, As ye have been a reviling among nations, O house of Judah, and house of Israel, So I save you, and ye have been a blessing, Do not fear, let your hands be strong.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And it shall come to passe, that like as ye were a curse amonge the Heithen (O ye house of Iuda and ye house of Israel) Euen so wil I delyuer you, that ye shalbe a blessynge: feare not, but let youre hodes be stronge.

THE MESSAGE
Rebuilding the Temple And then these Messages from God -of-the-Angel-Armies: A Message from God -of-the-Angel-Armies: "I am zealous for Zion—I care! I'm angry about Zion—I'm involved!" God 's Message: "I've come back to Zion, I've moved back to Jerusalem. Jerusalem's new names will be Truth City, and Mountain of God -of-the-Angel-Armies, and Mount Holiness." A Message from God -of-the-Angel-Armies: "Old men and old women will come back to Jerusalem, sit on benches on the streets and spin tales, move around safely with their canes—a good city to grow old in. And boys and girls will fill the public parks, laughing and playing—a good city to grow up in." A Message from God -of-the-Angel-Armies: "Do the problems of returning and rebuilding by just a few survivors seem too much? But is anything too much for me? Not if I have my say." A Message from God -of-the-Angel-Armies: "I'll collect my people from countries to the east and countries to the west. I'll bring them back and move them into Jerusalem. They'll be my people and I'll be their God. I'll stick with them and do right by them." A Message from God -of-the-Angel-Armies: "Get a grip on things. Hold tight, you who are listening to what I say through the preaching of the prophets. The Temple of God -of-the-Angel-Armies has been reestablished. The Temple is being rebuilt. We've come through a hard time: You worked for a pittance and were lucky to get that; the streets were dangerous; you could never let down your guard; I had turned the world into an armed camp. "But things have changed. I'm taking the side of my core of surviving people: Sowing and harvesting will resume, Vines will grow grapes, Gardens will flourish, Dew and rain will make everything green. "My core survivors will get everything they need—and more. You've gotten a reputation as a bad-news people, you people of Judah and Israel, but I'm coming to save you. From now on, you're the good-news people. Don't be afraid. Keep a firm grip on what I'm doing."

New English Translation
And it will come about that just as you (both Judah and Israel) were a curse to the nations, so I will save you and you will be a blessing. Do not be afraid! Instead, be strong!'

New King James Version
And it shall come to pass That just as you were a curse among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, So I will save you, and you shall be a blessing. Do not fear, Let your hands be strong.'

New American Standard Bible (1995)
'It will come about that just as you were a curse among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so I will save you that you may become a blessing. Do not fear; let your hands be strong.'

Legacy Standard Bible
And it will be that just as you were a curse among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so I will save you that you may become a blessing. Do not fear; let your hands be strong.'

Contextual Overview

⁹ Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Let your hands be strong, ye that hear in these days these words by the mouth of the prophets, which were in the day that the foundation of the house of the Lord of hosts was laid, that the temple might be built. ¹⁰ For before these days there was no hire for man, nor any hire for beast; neither was there any peace to him that went out or came in because of the affliction: for I set all men every one against his neighbour. ¹¹ But now I will not be unto the residue of this people as in the former days, saith the Lord of hosts. ¹² For the seed shall be prosperous; the vine shall give her fruit, and the ground shall give her increase, and the heavens shall give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things. ¹³ And it shall come to pass, that as ye were a curse among the heathen, 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. ¹⁴ For thus saith the Lord of hosts; As I thought to punish you, when your fathers provoked me to wrath, saith the Lord of hosts, and I repented not: ¹⁵ So again have I thought in these days to do well unto Jerusalem and to the house of Judah: fear ye not. ¹⁶ These are the things that ye shall do; Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates: ¹⁷ And let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbour; and love no false oath: for all these are things that I hate, saith the Lord .

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

a curse: Deuteronomy 28:37, Deuteronomy 29:23-28, 1 Kings 9:7, 1 Kings 9:8, 2 Chronicles 7:20-22, Psalms 44:13, Psalms 44:14, Psalms 44:16, Psalms 79:4, Isaiah 65:15, Isaiah 65:16, Jeremiah 24:9, Jeremiah 25:18, Jeremiah 26:6, Jeremiah 29:18, Jeremiah 42:18, Jeremiah 44:12, Jeremiah 44:22, Lamentations 2:15, Lamentations 2:16, Lamentations 4:15, Ezekiel 5:15, Daniel 9:11

O house: Zechariah 1:19, Zechariah 9:13, Zechariah 10:6, 2 Kings 17:18-20, Isaiah 9:20, Isaiah 9:21, Jeremiah 32:30-32, Jeremiah 33:24, Ezekiel 37:11, Ezekiel 37:16-19

ye shall: The consideration that all nations who now worship the true God, and receive the Sacred Scriptures as His word, have derived the whole of their divine knowledge, under God, from Jewish prophets, apostles, and teachers, and that the Saviour "in whom all nations shall be blessed," sprang from that favoured race, emphatically explains what is meant by "ye shall be a blessing." The full accomplishment of this prediction, however, is probably reserved for the future restoration of the Jews. Zechariah 8:20-23, Zechariah 10:6-9, Genesis 12:2, Genesis 12:3, Genesis 26:4, Ruth 4:11, Ruth 4:12, Psalms 72:17, Isaiah 19:24, Isaiah 19:25, Micah 5:7, Zephaniah 3:20, Galatians 3:14, Galatians 3:28, Galatians 3:29, Haggai 2:19

fear not: Zechariah 8:9, Isaiah 35:3, Isaiah 35:4, Isaiah 41:10-16, 1 Corinthians 16:13

Reciprocal: Numbers 5:27 - the woman Deuteronomy 31:6 - Be strong 2 Samuel 16:21 - the hands Isaiah 43:28 - and have Isaiah 61:9 - their seed Ezekiel 34:26 - make them Daniel 10:19 - be strong Zephaniah 3:15 - hath taken Haggai 2:5 - fear Zechariah 8:15 - fear Romans 4:20 - but was Ephesians 6:10 - be

Cross-References

Genesis 7:11
In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And it shall come to pass, [that] as ye were a curse among the heathen,.... Reproached, vilified, and called accursed by them; see Jeremiah 24:9 as true Christians, and real believers in Christ, are by the men of this world, 1 Corinthians 4:12:

O house of Judah, and house of Israel; both being carried captive at different times, and were typical of the true and Spiritual Israel of God:

so will I save you, and ye shall be a blessing; be blessed in themselves with the above blessings of plenty and prosperity in outward things; see Haggai 2:19 and a blessing to others, and blessed by them; and all those who are saved in the Lord with an everlasting salvation are blessed with all spiritual blessings in him:

fear not; neither their enemies, nor the accomplishment of these promises:

[but] let your hands be strong; as in Zechariah 8:9.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

As ye were a curse among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so I will save you - The ten tribes bore the name of Israel, in contrast with the two tribes with the name of Judah, not only in the history but in the prophets; as Hosea says, “I will no more have mercy upon the house of Israel, and on the house of Judah I will have mercy” Hosea 1:6-7. Here he unites both; both, in the time of their captivity, were a curse, were held to be a thing accursed, as it is said, “He that is hanged is the curse of God” Deuteronomy 21:23, that is, a thing accursed by Him; and God foretold of Judah, that they should be “a desolation and a curse” 2 Kings 22:10, and by Jeremiah, “I will deliver them to be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth for hurt, a reproach and a proverb, a taunt and a curse in all places whither I shall drive them” ; and in deed, when it was so, “therefore is your land a desolation and an astonishment and a curse without an inhabitant, as at this day” Jeremiah 44:22.

Now the sentence was to be reversed as to both. “As ye were a curse, among the nations, naming each, so I will save you.” There would have been no proportion between the curse and the blessing, unless both had been included under the blessing, as they were under the curse. But Israel had no share in the temporal blessing, not returning from captivity, as Zechariah knew they were not returned hitherto. Therefore the blessings promised must be spiritual. Even a Jewish commentator saw this. “It is possible, that this may have been spoken of the second temple, on condition that they should keep the commandments of the Lord; or, it is still future, referring to the days of the Messiah: and this is proved by the following verse which says, ‘O house of Judah and house of Israel.’ During the second temple the house of Israel did not return.”

And ye shall be a blessing - This is a revival and an application of the original promise to Abraham, “thou shalt be a blessing” Genesis 12:2; which was continued to Jacob, “God give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee and to thy seed with thee” Genesis 28:4. And of the future king, of whom it is said, “Thou gavest him length of days forever and ever,” David says, “Thou hast made him blessings forever” Psalms 21:4, Psalms 21:6, and again, “They shall be blessed in Him” Psalms 72:17). So Isaiah had said of the days of Christ, “In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the land;” Isaiah 19:24; and symbolically of the cluster of grapes, “Destroy it not: for a blessing is in it” Isaiah 65:8; and Ezekiel, “I will make them and the places round about My hill a blessing” Ezekiel 34:26. They were this; for of them, “according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, God blessed forever” Romans 9:5; of them were the Apostles and Evangelists, of them every writer of God’s word, of them those who carried the Gospel throughout the world. Osorius: “Was this fulfilled, when the Jews were under the Persians? or when they paid tribute to the Greeks? or when they trembled, hour by hour, at the mention of the Roman name? Do not all count those who rule much happier than those oppressed by the rule of others? The prediction then was fulfilled, not then, but when Christ, the Sun of Righteousness, shone on the earth, and He chose from the Hebrews lights, through whom to dissipate darkness and illumine the minds of people who were in that darkness. The Jews, when restored from the captivity, seemed born to slavery.” They were reputed to be of slaves the most despised. “But when they had through Christ been put in possession of that most sure liberty, they overthrew, through their empire, the power and tyranny of the evil spirits.”

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Zechariah 8:13. As ye were a curse — Instead of being execrated among the people, ye shall be blessed; instead of being reproached, ye shall be commended. Ye shall be a blessing to all the nations round about. All these promises we may expect to be completely fulfilled when the Jews acknowledge their Messiah.

O house of Judah, and house of Israel — The restoration shall be complete, when both Israel and Judah are brought back.