10 Before that time there was no compensation for man or animal, nor was there any relief from adversity for those who came and went, because I had pitted everybody – each one – against everyone else.
11 But I will be different now to this remnant of my people from the way I was in those days,’ says the Lord who rules over all,
12 ‘for there will be a peaceful time of sowing, the vine will produce its fruit and the ground its yield, and the skies will rain down dew. Then I will allow the remnant of my people to possess all these things.
13 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!’
14 “For the Lord who rules over all says, ‘As I had planned to hurt you when your fathers made me angry,’ says the Lord who rules over all, ‘and I was not sorry,
15 so, to the contrary, I have planned in these days to do good to Jerusalem and Judah – do not fear!
16 These are the things you must do: Speak the truth, each of you, to one another. Practice true and righteous judgment in your courts.