Sep 21 Zech 1-7
A Call to
Repentance
1 In the
eighth month of the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah the son of
Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying, 2 “The Lord has been very angry with your
fathers. 3 Therefore
say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of
hosts: “Return to Me,” says the Lord of
hosts, “and I will return to you,” says the Lord of hosts. 4 “Do not be like your
fathers, to whom the former prophets preached, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Turn now from your
evil ways and your evil deeds.”’ But they did not hear nor heed Me,” says
the Lord.
5 “Your fathers, where are they?
And the prophets, do they live forever?
6 Yet surely My words and My statutes,
Which I commanded My servants the prophets,
Did they not overtake your fathers?
And the prophets, do they live forever?
6 Yet surely My words and My statutes,
Which I commanded My servants the prophets,
Did they not overtake your fathers?
“So they
returned and said:
‘Just as
the Lord of hosts
determined to do to us,
According to our ways and according to our deeds,
So He has dealt with us.’”’”
According to our ways and according to our deeds,
So He has dealt with us.’”’”
Vision of
the Horses
7 On the
twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, which is the month Shebat, in the
second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came
to Zechariah the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet: 8 I saw by night, and behold,
a man riding on a red horse, and it stood among the myrtle trees in the hollow;
and behind him were horses: red, sorrel, and white. 9 Then I said, “My lord,
what are these?” So the angel who talked with me said to me,
“I will show you what they are.”
10 And the
man who stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, “These are the
ones whom the Lord has
sent to walk to and fro throughout the earth.”
11 So they
answered the Angel of the Lord,
who stood among the myrtle trees, and said, “We have walked to and fro
throughout the earth, and behold, all the earth is resting quietly.”
The Lord Will Comfort Zion
12 Then the
Angel of the Lord answered
and said, “O Lord of
hosts, how long will You not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of
Judah, against which You were angry these seventy years?”
13 And
the Lord answered the
angel who talked to me, with good and comforting
words. 14 So the
angel who spoke with me said to me, “Proclaim, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts:
“I am
zealous for Jerusalem
And for Zion with great zeal.
15 I am exceedingly angry with the nations at ease;
For I was a little angry,
And they helped—but with evil intent.”
And for Zion with great zeal.
15 I am exceedingly angry with the nations at ease;
For I was a little angry,
And they helped—but with evil intent.”
16 ‘Therefore thus says
the Lord:
“I am
returning to Jerusalem with mercy;
My house shall be built in it,” says the Lord of hosts,
“And a surveyor’s line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem.”’
My house shall be built in it,” says the Lord of hosts,
“And a surveyor’s line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem.”’
17 “Again proclaim, saying,
‘Thus says the Lord of
hosts:
“My
cities shall again spread out through prosperity;
The Lord will again comfort Zion,
And will again choose Jerusalem.”’”
The Lord will again comfort Zion,
And will again choose Jerusalem.”’”
Vision of
the Horns
18 Then I
raised my eyes and looked, and there were four horns. 19 And I said to the angel who
talked with me, “What are these?”
So he answered me, “These are the horns that have
scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.”
20 Then
the Lord showed me four
craftsmen. 21 And I
said, “What are these coming to do?”
So he said, “These are the horns that scattered
Judah, so that no one could lift up his head; but the craftsmen[a] are
coming to terrify them, to cast out the horns of the nations that lifted
up their horn against the land of Judah to scatter it.”
Vision of
the Measuring Line
2 Then I
raised my eyes and looked, and behold, a man with a measuring line in his
hand. 2 So I
said, “Where are you going?”
And he said to me, “To measure Jerusalem, to see what is its
width and what is its length.”
3 And
there was the angel who talked with me, going out; and another
angel was coming out to meet him, 4 who said to him, “Run,
speak to this young man, saying: ‘Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns
without walls, because of the multitude of men and livestock in it. 5 For I,’ says the Lord, ‘will be a wall of fire all around
her, and I will be the glory in her midst.’”
Future
Joy of Zion and Many Nations
6 “Up, up!
Flee from the land of the north,” says the Lord;
“for I have spread you abroad like the four winds of heaven,” says the Lord. 7 “Up, Zion! Escape, you who
dwell with the daughter of Babylon.”
8 For thus
says the Lord of hosts:
“He sent Me after glory, to the nations which plunder you; for he who touches
you touches the apple of His eye. 9 For surely I will shake My
hand against them, and they shall become spoil for their servants. Then you
will know that the Lord of
hosts has sent Me.
10 “Sing and
rejoice, O daughter of Zion! For behold, I am coming and I will dwell in your
midst,” says the Lord. 11 “Many nations shall be
joined to the Lord in
that day, and they shall become My people. And I will dwell in your midst. Then
you will know that the Lord of
hosts has sent Me to you. 12 And the Lord will take possession of Judah
as His inheritance in the Holy Land, and will again choose Jerusalem. 13 Be silent, all flesh,
before the Lord, for He is
aroused from His holy habitation!”
Vision of
the High Priest
3 Then he
showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right
hand to oppose him. 2 And the Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem
rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?”
3 Now
Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and was standing before the Angel.
4 Then He
answered and spoke to those who stood before Him, saying, “Take away the filthy
garments from him.” And to him He said, “See, I have removed your iniquity from
you, and I will clothe you with rich robes.”
5 And I
said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.”
So they put a clean turban on his head, and they put the clothes
on him. And the Angel of the Lord stood
by.
The Coming
Branch
6 Then the
Angel of the Lord admonished
Joshua, saying, 7 “Thus
says the Lord of hosts:
‘If you
will walk in My ways,
And if you will keep My command,
Then you shall also judge My house,
And likewise have charge of My courts;
I will give you places to walk
Among these who stand here.
And if you will keep My command,
Then you shall also judge My house,
And likewise have charge of My courts;
I will give you places to walk
Among these who stand here.
8 ‘Hear, O Joshua, the high
priest,
You and your companions who sit before you,
For they are a wondrous sign;
For behold, I am bringing forth My Servant the BRANCH.
9 For behold, the stone
That I have laid before Joshua:
Upon the stone are seven eyes.
Behold, I will engrave its inscription,’
Says the Lord of hosts,
‘And I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.
10 In that day,’ says the Lord of hosts,
‘Everyone will invite his neighbor
Under his vine and under his fig tree.’”
You and your companions who sit before you,
For they are a wondrous sign;
For behold, I am bringing forth My Servant the BRANCH.
9 For behold, the stone
That I have laid before Joshua:
Upon the stone are seven eyes.
Behold, I will engrave its inscription,’
Says the Lord of hosts,
‘And I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.
10 In that day,’ says the Lord of hosts,
‘Everyone will invite his neighbor
Under his vine and under his fig tree.’”
Vision of
the Lampstand and Olive Trees
4 Now the
angel who talked with me came back and wakened me, as a man who is wakened out
of his sleep. 2 And he
said to me, “What do you see?”
So I said, “I am looking, and there is a
lampstand of solid gold with a bowl on top of it, and on the stand seven
lamps with seven pipes to the seven lamps. 3 Two olive trees are by
it, one at the right of the bowl and the other at its left.” 4 So I answered and spoke to
the angel who talked with me, saying, “What are these, my
lord?”
5 Then the
angel who talked with me answered and said to me, “Do you not know what these
are?”
And I said, “No, my lord.”
6 So he
answered and said to me:
“This is the
word of the Lord to
Zerubbabel:
‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’
Says the Lord of hosts.
7 ‘Who are you, O great mountain?
Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain!
And he shall bring forth the capstone
With shouts of “Grace, grace to it!”’”
‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’
Says the Lord of hosts.
7 ‘Who are you, O great mountain?
Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain!
And he shall bring forth the capstone
With shouts of “Grace, grace to it!”’”
8 Moreover the word of
the Lord came to me,
saying:
9 “The hands of Zerubbabel
Have laid the foundation of this temple;[b]
His hands shall also finish it.
Then you will know
That the Lord of hosts has sent Me to you.
10 For who has despised the day of small things?
For these seven rejoice to see
The plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel.
They are the eyes of the Lord,
Which scan to and fro throughout the whole earth.”
Have laid the foundation of this temple;[b]
His hands shall also finish it.
Then you will know
That the Lord of hosts has sent Me to you.
10 For who has despised the day of small things?
For these seven rejoice to see
The plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel.
They are the eyes of the Lord,
Which scan to and fro throughout the whole earth.”
11 Then I answered and said to
him, “What are these two olive trees—at the right of the
lampstand and at its left?” 12 And I further answered and
said to him, “What are these two olive branches that drip into
the receptacles[c] of
the two gold pipes from which the golden oil drains?”
13 Then he
answered me and said, “Do you not know what these are?”
And I said, “No, my lord.”
14 So he
said, “These are the two anointed ones, who stand beside the
Lord of the whole earth.”
Vision of
the Flying Scroll
5 Then I
turned and raised my eyes, and saw there a flying scroll.
2 And he
said to me, “What do you see?”
So I answered, “I see a flying scroll. Its length is twenty
cubits and its width ten cubits.”
3 Then he
said to me, “This is the curse that goes out over the face of
the whole earth: ‘Every thief shall be expelled,’ according to this
side of the scroll; and, ‘Every perjurer shall be expelled,’
according to that side of it.”
4 “I will send out the
curse,” says the Lord of
hosts;
“It shall enter the house of the thief
And the house of the one who swears falsely by My name.
It shall remain in the midst of his house
And consume it, with its timber and stones.”
“It shall enter the house of the thief
And the house of the one who swears falsely by My name.
It shall remain in the midst of his house
And consume it, with its timber and stones.”
Vision of
the Woman in a Basket
5 Then the
angel who talked with me came out and said to me, “Lift your eyes now, and see
what this is that goes forth.”
He also said, “This is their resemblance
throughout the earth: 7 Here is a
lead disc lifted up, and this is a woman sitting inside the
basket”; 8 then he
said, “This is Wickedness!” And he thrust her down into the
basket, and threw the lead cover[e] over
its mouth. 9 Then I
raised my eyes and looked, and there were two women, coming
with the wind in their wings; for they had wings like the wings of a stork, and
they lifted up the basket between earth and heaven.
10 So I said
to the angel who talked with me, “Where are they carrying the basket?”
11 And he
said to me, “To build a house for it in the land of Shinar;[f] when
it is ready, the basket will be set there on its base.”
Vision of
the Four Chariots
6 Then I
turned and raised my eyes and looked, and behold, four chariots were coming
from between two mountains, and the mountains were mountains
of bronze. 2 With the
first chariot were red horses, with the second chariot black
horses, 3 with the
third chariot white horses, and with the fourth chariot dappled
horses—strong steeds. 4 Then I answered and said to
the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?”
5 And the
angel answered and said to me, “These are four spirits of
heaven, who go out from their station before the Lord of all
the earth. 6 The one
with the black horses is going to the north country, the white are going after
them, and the dappled are going toward the south country.” 7 Then the strong steeds went
out, eager to go, that they might walk to and fro throughout the earth. And He
said, “Go, walk to and fro throughout the earth.” So they walked to and fro
throughout the earth. 8 And He called to me, and
spoke to me, saying, “See, those who go toward the north country have given
rest to My Spirit in the north country.”
The
Command to Crown Joshua
9 Then the
word of the Lord came to
me, saying: 10 “Receive the
gift from the captives—from Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah, who have
come from Babylon—and go the same day and enter the house of Josiah the son of
Zephaniah. 11 Take the
silver and gold, make an elaborate crown, and set it on the
head of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest. 12 Then speak to him, saying,
‘Thus says the Lord of
hosts, saying:
“Behold,
the Man whose name is the BRANCH!
From His place He shall branch out,
And He shall build the temple of the Lord;
13 Yes, He shall build the temple of the Lord.
He shall bear the glory,
And shall sit and rule on His throne;
So He shall be a priest on His throne,
And the counsel of peace shall be between them both.”’
From His place He shall branch out,
And He shall build the temple of the Lord;
13 Yes, He shall build the temple of the Lord.
He shall bear the glory,
And shall sit and rule on His throne;
So He shall be a priest on His throne,
And the counsel of peace shall be between them both.”’
14 “Now the elaborate crown
shall be for a memorial in the temple of the Lord for Helem,[g] Tobijah,
Jedaiah, and Hen the son of Zephaniah. 15 Even those from afar shall
come and build the temple of the Lord.
Then you shall know that the Lord of
hosts has sent Me to you. And this shall come to pass if you
diligently obey the voice of the Lord your
God.”
Obedience
Better than Fasting
7 Now in
the fourth year of King Darius it came to pass that the word
of the Lord came to
Zechariah, on the fourth day of the ninth month,
Chislev, 2 when the
people[h] sent
Sherezer,[i] with
Regem-Melech and his men, to the house of God,[j] to
pray before the Lord, 3 and to
ask the priests who were in the house of the Lord of hosts, and the prophets,
saying, “Should I weep in the fifth month and fast as I have done for so many
years?”
4 Then the
word of the Lord of
hosts came to me, saying, 5 “Say to all the people of
the land, and to the priests: ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and
seventh months during those seventy years, did you really fast
for Me—for Me? 6 When you
eat and when you drink, do you not eat and drink for yourselves? 7 Should
you not have obeyed the words which the Lord proclaimed through the former
prophets when Jerusalem and the cities around it were inhabited and prosperous,
and the South[k] and
the Lowland were inhabited?’”
Disobedience
Resulted in Captivity
8 Then the
word of the Lord came to
Zechariah, saying, 9 “Thus
says the Lord of hosts:
‘Execute
true justice,
Show mercy and compassion
Everyone to his brother.
10 Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless,
The alien or the poor.
Let none of you plan evil in his heart
Against his brother.’
Show mercy and compassion
Everyone to his brother.
10 Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless,
The alien or the poor.
Let none of you plan evil in his heart
Against his brother.’
11 “But they refused to heed,
shrugged their shoulders, and stopped their ears so that they could not
hear. 12 Yes, they
made their hearts like flint, refusing to hear the law and the words which
the Lord of hosts had
sent by His Spirit through the former prophets. Thus great wrath came from
the Lord of hosts. 13 Therefore it
happened, that just as He proclaimed and they would not hear,
so they called out and I would not listen,” says the Lord of hosts. 14 “But I scattered them with
a whirlwind among all the nations which they had not known. Thus the land
became desolate after them, so that no one passed through or returned; for they
made the pleasant land desolate.”
No comments:
Post a Comment