October 11

Zechariah 1:1 — 6:15

Zechariah

1 In the eighth month in the second year of Darius the word of Jehovah occurred to Zechariah the son of Berechiah the son of Iddo the prophet, saying: 2 “Jehovah grew indignant at YOUR fathers—very much so.
      3 “And you must say to them, ‘This is what Jehovah of armies has said: “‘Return to me,’ is the utterance of Jehovah of armies, ‘and I shall return to YOU,’ Jehovah of armies has said.”

      4 “‘Do not become like YOUR fathers to whom the former prophets called, saying: “This is what Jehovah of armies has said, ‘Return, please, from YOUR bad ways and from YOUR bad dealings.’”’
        “‘But they did not listen, and they paid no attention to me,’ is the utterance of Jehovah.

5 “‘As for YOUR fathers, where are they? And as for the prophets, was it to time indefinite that they continued to live? 6 However, as regards my words and my regulations that I commanded my servants, the prophets, did they not catch up with YOUR fathers?’ So they returned and said: ‘According to what Jehovah of armies had in mind to do to us, according to our ways and according to our dealings, that is how he has done with us.’”

7 On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, that is, the month Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of Jehovah occurred to Zechariah the son of Berechiah the son of Iddo the prophet, saying: 8 “I saw [in] the night, and, look! a man riding on a red horse, and he was standing still among the myrtle trees that were in the deep place; and behind him there were horses red, bright red, and white.”

 9 And so I said: “Who are these, my lord?”
         At that the angel who was speaking with me said to me: “I myself shall show you who these very ones are.”

10 Then the man who was standing still among the myrtle trees answered and said: “These are the ones whom Jehovah has sent forth to walk about in the earth.” 11 And they proceeded to answer the angel of Jehovah who was standing among the myrtle trees and to say: “We have walked about in the earth, and, look! the whole earth is sitting still and having no disturbance.”

12 So the angel of Jehovah answered and said: “O Jehovah of armies, how long will you yourself not show mercy to Jerusalem and to the cities of Judah, whom you have denounced these seventy years?”

13 And Jehovah proceeded to answer the angel who was speaking with me, with good words, comforting words; 14 and the angel who was speaking with me went on to say to me: “Call out, saying, ‘This is what Jehovah of armies has said: “I have been jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with great jealousy. 15 With great indignation I am feeling indignant against the nations that are at ease; because I, for my part, felt indignant to only a little extent, but they, for their part, helped toward calamity.”’

16 “Therefore this is what Jehovah has said, ‘“I shall certainly return to Jerusalem with mercies. My own house will be built in her,” is the utterance of Jehovah of armies, “and a measuring line itself will be stretched out over Jerusalem.”’

17 “Call out further, saying, ‘This is what Jehovah of armies has said: “My cities will yet overflow with goodness; and Jehovah will yet certainly feel regrets over Zion and yet actually choose Jerusalem.”’”

18 And I proceeded to raise my eyes and see; and, look! there were four horns. 19 So I said to the angel who was speaking with me: “What are these?” In turn he said to me: “These are the horns that dispersed Judah, Israel and Jerusalem.”

20 Furthermore, Jehovah showed me four craftsmen. 21 At that I said: “What are these coming to do?”
        And he went on to say: “These are the horns that dispersed Judah to such an extent that no one at all raised his head; and these others will come to set them trembling, to cast down the horns of the nations that are lifting up a horn against the land of Judah, in order to disperse her.”

2 And I proceeded to raise my eyes and see; and, look! there was a man, and in his hand a measuring rope. 2 So I said: “Where are you going?”
       In turn he said to me: “To measure Jerusalem, in order to see what her breadth amounts to and what her length amounts to.”

3 And, look! the angel who was speaking with me was going forth, and there was another angel going forth to meet him. 4 Then he said to him: “Run, speak to the young man over there, saying, ‘“As open rural country Jerusalem will be inhabited, because of the multitude of men and domestic animals in the midst of her. 5 And I myself shall become to her,” is the utterance of Jehovah, “a wall of fire all around, and a glory is what I shall become in the midst of her.”’”

6 “Hey there! Hey there! Flee, then, YOU people, from the land of the north,” is the utterance of Jehovah.
        “For in the direction of the four winds of the heavens I have spread YOU people abroad,” is the utterance of Jehovah.

7 “Hey there, Zion! Make your escape, you who are dwelling with the daughter of Babylon. 8 For this is what Jehovah of armies has said, ‘Following after [the] glory he has sent me to the nations that were despoiling YOU people; for he that is touching YOU is touching my eyeball. 9 For here I am waving my hand against them, and they will have to become spoil to their slaves.’ And YOU people will certainly know that Jehovah of armies himself has sent me.

10 “Cry out loudly and rejoice, O daughter of Zion; for here I am coming, and I will reside in the midst of you,” is the utterance of Jehovah. 11 “And many nations will certainly become joined to Jehovah in that day, and they will actually become my people; and I will reside in the midst of you.” And you will have to know that Jehovah of armies himself has sent me to you. 12 And Jehovah will certainly take possession of Judah as his portion upon the holy ground, and he must yet choose Jerusalem. 13 Keep silence, all flesh, before Jehovah, for he has aroused himself from his holy dwelling.

3 And he proceeded to show me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of Jehovah, and Satan standing at his right hand in order to resist him. 2 Then [the angel of] Jehovah said to Satan: “Jehovah rebuke you, O Satan, yes, Jehovah rebuke you, he who is choosing Jerusalem! Is this one not a log snatched out of the fire?”

3 Now as for Joshua, he happened to be clothed in befouled garments and standing before the angel. 4 Then he answered and said to those standing before him: “Remove the befouled garments from upon him.” And he went on to say to him: “See, I have caused your error to pass away from upon you, and there is a clothing of you with robes of state.”

5 At that I said: “Let them put a clean turban upon his head.” And they proceeded to put the clean turban upon his head and to clothe him with garments; and the angel of Jehovah was standing by. 6 And the angel of Jehovah began to bear witness to Joshua, saying: 7 “This is what Jehovah of armies has said, ‘If it is in my ways that you will walk, and if it is my obligation that you will keep, then also it will be you that will judge my house and also keep my courtyards; and I shall certainly give you free access among these who are standing by.’

8 “‘Hear, please, O Joshua the high priest, you and your companions who are sitting before you, for they are men [serving] as portents; for here I am bringing in my servant Sprout! 9 For, look! the stone that I have put before Joshua! Upon the one stone there are seven eyes. Here I am engraving its engraving,’ is the utterance of Jehovah of armies, ‘and I will take away the error of that land in one day.’

10 “‘In that day,’ is the utterance of Jehovah of armies, ‘YOU will call, each one to the other, while under [the] vine and while under [the] fig tree.’”


4 And the angel who was speaking with me proceeded to come back and wake me up, like a man that is awakened from his sleep. 2 Then he said to me: “What are you seeing?”

So I said: “I have seen, and, look! there is a lampstand, all of it of gold, with a bowl on top of it. And its seven lamps are upon it, even seven; and the lamps that are at the top of it have seven pipes. 3 And there are two olive trees alongside it, one on the right side of the bowl and one on its left side.”

4 Then I answered and said to the angel who was speaking with me, saying: “What do these [things] mean, my lord?” 5 So the angel who was speaking with me answered and said to me: “Do you not really know what these things mean?”
       In turn I said: “No, my lord.”

6 Accordingly he answered and said to me: “This is the word of Jehovah to Zerubbabel, saying, ‘“Not by a military force, nor by power, but by my spirit,” Jehovah of armies has said. 7 Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel [you will become] a level land. And he will certainly bring forth the headstone. There will be shoutings to it: “How charming! How charming!”’”

8 And the word of Jehovah continued to occur to me, saying: 9 “The very hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house, and his own hands will finish [it]. And you will have to know that Jehovah of armies himself has sent me to YOU people. 10 For who has despised the day of small things? And they will certainly rejoice and see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel. These seven are the eyes of Jehovah. They are roving about in all the earth.”

11 And I proceeded to answer and say to him: “What do these two olive trees on the right side of the lampstand and on its left side mean?” 12 Then I answered the second time and said to him: “What are the two bunches of twigs of the olive trees that, by means of the two golden tubes, are pouring forth from within themselves the golden [liquid]?”

13 So he said to me: “Do you not really know what these [things] mean?”
        In turn I said: “No, my lord.”

14 Accordingly he said: “These are the two anointed ones who are standing alongside the Lord of the whole earth.”

5 Then I raised my eyes again and saw; and, look! a flying scroll. 2 So he said to me: “What are you seeing?”

In turn I said: “I am seeing a flying scroll, the length of which is twenty cubits, and the breadth of which is ten cubits.”

3 Then he said to me: “This is the curse that is going forth over the surface of all the earth, because everyone that is stealing, according to it on this side, has gone free of punishment; and everyone making a sworn oath, according to it on that side, has gone free of punishment. 4 ‘I have caused it to go forth,’ is the utterance of Jehovah of armies, ‘and it must enter into the house of the thief and into the house of the one making a sworn oath in my name falsely; and it must lodge in the midst of his house and exterminate it and its timbers and its stones.’”

5 Then the angel who was speaking with me went forth and said to me: “Raise your eyes, please, and see what this is that is going forth.”

6 So I said: “What is it?”
       In turn he said: “This is the ephah measure that is going forth.” And he went on to say: “This is their aspect in all the earth.” 7 And, look! the circular lid of lead was lifted up; and this is a certain woman sitting in the midst of the ephah. 8 So he said: “This is Wickedness.” And he proceeded to throw her [back] into the midst of the ephah, after which he threw the lead weight upon its mouth.

9 Then I raised my eyes and saw, and here there were two women coming forth, and wind was in their wings. And they had wings like the wings of the stork. And they gradually raised the ephah up between the earth and the heavens. 10 So I said to the angel who was speaking with me: “Where are they taking the ephah?”
     11 In turn he said to me: “In order to build for her a house in the land of Shinar; and it must be firmly established, and she must be deposited there upon her proper place.”

6 Then I raised my eyes again and saw; and, look! there were four chariots coming forth from between two mountains, and the mountains were copper mountains. 2 In the first chariot there were red horses; and in the second chariot, black horses. 3 And in the third chariot there were white horses; and in the fourth chariot, horses speckled, parti-colored.

4 And I proceeded to answer and say to the angel who was speaking with me: “What are these, my lord?”

5 So the angel answered and said to me: “These are the four spirits of the heavens that are going forth after having taken their station before the Lord of the whole earth. 6 As for the one in which the black horses are, they are going forth to the land of the north; and as for the white ones, they must go forth to behind the sea; and as for the speckled ones, they must go forth to the land of the south. 7 And as for the parti-colored ones, they must go forth and keep seeking [where] to go, in order to walk about in the earth.” Then he said: “Go, walk about in the earth.” And they began walking about in the earth.

8 And he proceeded to cry out to me and speak to me, saying: “See, those going forth to the land of the north are the ones that have caused the spirit of Jehovah to rest in the land of the north.”

9 And the word of Jehovah continued to occur to me, saying: 10 “Let there be a taking of something from the exiled people, [even] from Heldai and from Tobijah and from Jedaiah; and you yourself must come in that day, and you must come into the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah [with these] who have come from Babylon. 11 And you must take silver and gold and make a grand crown and put [it] upon the head of Joshua the son of Jehozadak the high priest. 12 And you must say to him,

“‘This is what Jehovah of armies has said: “Here is the man whose name is Sprout. And from his own place he will sprout, and he will certainly build the temple of Jehovah. 13 And he himself will build the temple of Jehovah, and he, for his part, will carry [the] dignity; and he must sit down and rule on his throne, and he must become a priest upon his throne, and the very counsel of peace will prove to be between both of them. 14 And the grand crown itself will come to belong to Helem and to Tobijah and to Jedaiah and to Hen the son of Zephaniah as a memorial in the temple of Jehovah. 15 And those who are far away will come and actually build in the temple of Jehovah.” And YOU people will have to know that Jehovah of armies himself has sent me to YOU. And it must occur—if YOU will without fail listen to the voice of Jehovah YOUR God.’”