Zechariah 8:10

Good News Translation

Before that time no one could afford to hire either men or animals, and no one was safe from enemies. I turned people against one another.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
For prior to those days neither man nor animal had wages. There was no safety from the enemy for anyone who came or went, for I turned everyone against his neighbor.

Hebrew Names Version
For before those days there was no wages for man, nor any wages for an animal; neither was there any shalom to him who went out or came in, because of the adversary. For I set all men everyone against his neighbor.

King James Version (1611)
For before these daies 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, euery one against his neighbour.

King James Version
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.

English Standard Version
For before those days there was no wage for man or any wage for beast, neither was there any safety from the foe for him who went out or came in, for I set every man against his neighbor.

New American Standard Bible
'For before those days there was no wage for man nor any wage for animal; and for him who went out or came in there was no peace because of his enemies, and I sent all the people against one another.

New Century Version
Before that time there was no money to hire people or animals. People could not safely come and go because of the enemies; I had turned everyone against his neighbor.

Amplified Bible
'For before those days there were no wages for man or animal; nor was there any peace or success for him who went out or came in because of his enemies, for I set all men against one another.

Geneva Bible (1587)
For before these dayes 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, euery one against his neighbour.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
'For before those days there was no wage for man or any wage for animal; and for him who went out or came in there was no peace because of his enemies, and I set all men one against another.

Legacy Standard Bible
For before those days there was no wage for man or any wage for animal; and for him who went out or came in there was no peace because of the adversary, and I set all men one against another.

Berean Standard Bible
For before those days neither man nor beast received wages, nor was there safety from the enemy for anyone who came or went, for I had turned every man against his neighbor.

Contemporary English Version
Before that time, neither people nor animals were rewarded for their work, and no one was safe anywhere, because I had turned them against each other.

Complete Jewish Bible
For prior to that time, there were wages neither for people nor for animals; moreover, it was unsafe for anyone to go out or come in, because of the enemy; for I set all people each against the other.

Darby Translation
For before those days there was no hire for man, nor any hire for beast; and there was no peace for him that went out or that came in, because of the distress: for I let loose all men, every one against his neighbour.

Easy-to-Read Version
Before that time, people didn't have the money to hire workers or to rent animals. And it was not safe for people to come and go. There was no relief from all the troubles. I had turned everyone against their neighbor.

George Lamsa Translation
For before those days and before that time there was no wage for man, nor any hire for beast; neither was there any peace to him who went out or came in because of the oppressor; for behold, I incited all men every one against his neighbor.

Lexham English Bible
For before those days there was no wage for people or for animals, and there was no safety from the enemy for those who went out or those who came in, and I sent each person against one another.

Literal Translation
For before those days there was no payment for man, nor was there payment for animal; and there was no peace to him from the adversary who went out or came in. For I sent every man, a man against his neighbor.

American Standard Version
For before those 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 adversary: for I set all men every one against his neighbor.

Bible in Basic English
For before those days there was no payment for a man's work, or for the use of a beast, and there was no peace for him who went out or him who came in, because of the attacker: for I had every man turned against his neighbour.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
For before those 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 adversary; for I set all men every one against his neighbour.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
For before these dayes neither men nor cattaile could winne any thing, neither might any man come in and out in reste for trouble: but I let euery man go against his neighbour.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
For before those days the wages of men could not be profitable, and there could be no hire of cattle, and there could be no peace by reason of the affliction to him that went out or to him that came in: for I would have let loose all men, every one against his neighbour.

English Revised Version
For before those 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 adversary: for I set all men every one against his neighbour.

World English Bible
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.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Sotheli bifore tho daies hire of men was not, nether hire of werk beestis was, nether to man entrynge and goynge out was pees for tribulacioun; and Y lefte alle men, ech ayens his neiybore.

Update Bible Version
For before those days there was no wage for man, nor any wage for beast; neither was there any peace to him that went out or came in, because of the adversary: for I set all of man, every man against his neighbor.

Webster's Bible Translation
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 neighbor.

New English Translation
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.

New King James Version
For before these days There were no wages for man nor any hire for beast; There was no peace from the enemy for whoever went out or came in; For I set all men, everyone, against his neighbor.

New Living Translation
Before the work on the Temple began, there were no jobs and no money to hire people or animals. No traveler was safe from the enemy, for there were enemies on all sides. I had turned everyone against each other.

New Life Bible
Before that time there was no pay for man or animal. No one could come in or go out in peace because of those who hated him. I turned people against one another.

New Revised Standard
For before those days there were no wages for people or for animals, nor was there any safety from the foe for those who went out or came in, and I set them all against one another.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
That, before those days, hire for man, could not be obtained, and, hire for beast, was there none, - and, neither to him who went out nor to him who came in, was there success by reason of the danger, Yea I let all men loose, each one against his neighbour.

Douay-Rheims Bible
For before those days there was no hire for men, neither was there hire for beasts, neither was there peace to him that came in, nor to him that went out, because of the tribulation: and I let all men go every one against his neighbour.

Revised Standard Version
For before those days there was no wage for man or any wage for beast, neither was there any safety from the foe for him who went out or came in; for I set every man against his fellow.

Young's Literal Translation
For, before those days there hath been no hiring of man, Yea, a hiring of beasts there is none; And to him who is going out, And to him who is coming in, There is no peace because of the adversary, And I send all men -- each against his neighbour.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
For why? before these dayes nether men ner catel coude wynne eny thinge, nether might eny man come in and out in rest, for trouble: but I let euery man go agaynst his neghboure.

Contextual Overview

⁹ "Have courage! You are now hearing the same words the prophets spoke at the time the foundation was being laid for rebuilding my Temple. ¹⁰ Before that time no one could afford to hire either men or animals, and no one was safe from enemies. I turned people against one another. ¹¹ But now I am treating the survivors of this nation differently. ¹² They will plant their crops in peace. Their vines will bear grapes, the earth will produce crops, and there will be plenty of rain. I will give all these blessings to the people of my nation who survive. ¹³ 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." ¹⁴ The Lord Almighty says, "When your ancestors made me angry, I planned disaster for them and did not change my mind, but carried out my plans. ¹⁵ But now I am planning to bless the people of Jerusalem and Judah. So don't be afraid. ¹⁶ These are the things you should do: Speak the truth to one another. In the courts give real justice—the kind that brings peace. ¹⁷ Do not plan ways of harming one another. Do not give false testimony under oath. I hate lying, injustice, and violence."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

before: Haggai 1:6-11, Haggai 2:16-18

there was no hire for man: or, the hire of man became nothing, etc

neither: Judges 5:6, Judges 5:7, Judges 5:11, 2 Chronicles 15:5-7, Jeremiah 16:16

for: Isaiah 19:2, Amos 3:6, Amos 9:4, Matthew 10:34-36

Reciprocal: Exodus 22:15 - it came for his hire Jeremiah 16:5 - I have Lamentations 3:17 - thou Zechariah 11:6 - deliver

Cross-References

Genesis 7:4
Seven days from now I am going to send rain that will fall for forty days and nights, in order to destroy all the living beings that I have made."

Genesis 7:10
Seven days later the flood came.

Genesis 8:12
Then he waited another seven days and sent out the dove once more; this time it did not come back.

Psalms 40:1
I waited patiently for the Lord 's help; then he listened to me and heard my cry.

Isaiah 8:17
The Lord has hidden himself from his people, but I trust him and place my hope in him.

Isaiah 26:8
We follow your will and put our hope in you; you are all that we desire.

Romans 8:25
But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

For before these days,.... That the temple began to be built:

there was no hire for men, nor any hire for beasts; that turned to any account; the wages earned by the one, and with the other, were as if they were put into a bag with holes, did not prosper with them, or do them any service, Haggai 1:6:

neither [was there any] peace to him that went out or came in, because of the affliction; there was no safety in passing to and fro, nor any peaceable enjoyment of what a man had, because of affliction and oppression by the enemy on every side, and from every quarter:

for I set all men everyone against his neighbour; expressive of the internal divisions and contentions among themselves, which are said to be of the Lord, because he permitted them as a chastisement upon them for their sins.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

There was no hire for man - Literally, “hire for man came not to pass.” It was longed for, waited for and came not. So little was the produce, that neither laborer nor beast of burden were employed to gather it in.

Neither was there peace to him who went out or came in because of the affliction, better, of the adversary - In such an empire as the Persian, there was large scope for actual hostility among the petty nations subject to it, so that they did not threaten revolt against itself, or interfere with the payment of tribute, as in the Turkish Empire now, or in the weak government of Greece. At the rebuilding of the walls, after this time, the Samaritans, “Arabians, Ammonites, Ashdodites conspired to fight against Jerusalem,” and to “slay them” Nehemiah 4:7-11. They are summed up here in the general title used here, “our adversaries”.

For I set - Literally, “and I set.” Domestic confusions and strife were added to hostility from without. Nehemiah’s reformation was, in part, to stop the grinding usury in time of dearth or to lear the king’s taxes, through which men sold lands, vineyards, even their children Nehemiah 5:1-12.

(literally) let them loose, each against his neighbor - in that He left them to their own ways and did not withhold them.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Zechariah 8:10. For before these days there was no hire for man — Previously to this, ye had no prosperity; ye had nothing but civil divisions and domestic broils. I abandoned you to your own spirits, and to your own ways.