Zechariah 5; Zechariah 6; Zechariah 7; Zechariah 8; Revelation 19

Zechariah 5

1 I looked again, and this time I saw a scroll flying through the air.

2 The angel asked me what I saw. I answered, "A scroll flying through the air; it is thirty feet long and fifteen feet wide."

3 Then he said to me, "On it is written the curse that is to go out over the whole land. On one side of the scroll it says that every thief will be removed from the land; and on the other side it says that everyone who tells lies under oath will also be taken away.

4 The Lord Almighty says that he will send this curse out, and it will enter the house of every thief and the house of everyone who tells lies under oath. It will remain in their houses and leave them in ruins."

5 The angel appeared again and said, "Look! Something else is coming!"

6 "What is it?" I asked. He replied, "It is a basket, and it stands for the sin of the whole land."

7 The basket had a lid made of lead. As I watched, the lid was raised, and there in the basket sat a woman!

8 The angel said, "This represents wickedness." Then he pushed her down into the basket and put the lid back down.

9 I looked up and saw two women flying toward me with powerful wings like those of a stork. They picked up the basket and flew off with it.

10 I asked the angel, "Where are they taking it?"

11 He answered, "To Babylonia, where they will build a temple for it. When the temple is finished, the basket will be placed there to be worshiped."

Zechariah 6

1 I had another vision. This time I saw four chariots coming out from between two bronze mountains.

2 The first chariot was pulled by red horses, the second by black horses,

3 the third by white horses, and the fourth by dappled horses.

4 Then I asked the angel, "Sir, what do these chariots mean?"

5 He answered, "These are the four winds; they have just come from the presence of the Lord of all the earth."

6 The chariot pulled by the black horses was going north to Babylonia, the white horses were going to the west, and the dappled horses were going to the country in the south.

7 As the dappled horses came out, they were impatient to go and inspect the earth. The angel said, "Go and inspect the earth!" - and they did.

8 Then the angel cried out to me, "The horses that went north to Babylonia have quieted the Lord's anger."

9 The Lord gave me this message.

10 He said, "Take the gifts given by the exiles Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah, and go at once to the home of Josiah son of Zephaniah. All of them have returned from exile in Babylonia.

11 Make a crown out of the silver and gold they have given, and put it on the head of the High Priest, Joshua son of Jehozadak.

12 Tell him that the Lord Almighty says, "The man who is called The Branch will flourish where he is and rebuild the Lord's Temple.

13 He is the one who will build it and receive the honor due a king, and he will rule his people. A priest will stand by his throne, and they will work together in peace and harmony.'

14 The crown will be a memorial in the Lord's Temple in honor of Heldai, Tobijah, Jedaiah, and Josiah."

15 Men who live far away will come and help to rebuild the Temple of the Lord. And when it is rebuilt, you will know that the Lord Almighty sent me to you. This will all happen if you fully obey the commands of the Lord your God.

Zechariah 7

1 In the fourth year that Darius was emperor, on the fourth day of the ninth month (the month of Kislev), the Lord gave me a message.

2 The people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regemmelech and their men to the Temple of the Lord Almighty to pray for the Lord's blessing

3 and to ask the priests and the prophets this question: "Should we continue to mourn because of the destruction of the Temple, by fasting in the fifth month as we have done for so many years now?"

4 This is the message of the Lord that came to me.

5 He said, "Tell the people of the land and the priests that when they fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months during these seventy years, it was not in honor of me.

6 And when they ate and drank, it was for their own satisfaction."

7 This is what the Lord said through the earlier prophets at the time when Jerusalem was prosperous and filled with people and when there were many people living not only in the towns around the city but also in the southern region and in the western foothills.

8 The Lord gave this message to Zechariah:

9 "Long ago I gave these commands to my people: "You must see that justice is done, and must show kindness and mercy to one another.

10 Do not oppress widows, orphans, foreigners who live among you, or anyone else in need. And do not plan ways of harming one another.'

11 "But my people stubbornly refused to listen. They closed their minds

12 and made their hearts as hard as rock. Because they would not listen to the teaching which I sent through the prophets who lived long ago, I became very angry.

13 Because they did not listen when I spoke, I did not answer when they prayed.

14 Like a storm I swept them away to live in foreign countries. This good land was left a desolate place, with no one living in it."

Zechariah 8

1 The Lord Almighty gave this message to Zechariah:

2 "I have longed to help Jerusalem because of my deep love for her people, a love which has made me angry with her enemies.

3 I will return to Jerusalem, my holy city, and live there. It will be known as the faithful city, and the hill of the Lord Almighty will be called the sacred hill.

4 Once again old men and women, so old that they use canes when they walk, will be sitting in the city squares.

5 And the streets will again be full of boys and girls playing.

6 "This may seem impossible to those of the nation who are now left, but it's not impossible for me.

7 I will rescue my people from the lands where they have been taken,

8 and will bring them back from east and west to live in Jerusalem. They will be my people, and I will be their God, ruling over them faithfully and justly.

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."

18 The Lord Almighty gave this message to Zechariah:

19 "The fasts held in the fourth, fifth, seventh, and tenth months will become festivals of joy and gladness for the people of Judah. You must love truth and peace."

20 The Lord Almighty says, "The time is coming when people from many cities will come to Jerusalem.

21 Those from one city will say to those from another, "We are going to worship the Lord Almighty and pray for his blessing. Come with us!'

22 Many peoples and powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to worship the Lord Almighty and to pray for his blessing.

23 In those days ten foreigners will come to one Jew and say, "We want to share in your destiny, because we have heard that God is with you.' "

Revelation 19

1 After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a large crowd of people in heaven, saying, "Praise God! Salvation, glory, and power belong to our God!

2 True and just are his judgments! He has condemned the prostitute who was corrupting the earth with her immorality. God has punished her because she killed his servants."

3 Again they shouted, "Praise God! The smoke from the flames that consume the great city goes up forever and ever!"

4 The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne. They said, "Amen! Praise God!"

5 Then there came from the throne the sound of a voice, saying, "Praise our God, all his servants and all people, both great and small, who have reverence for him!"

6 Then I heard what sounded like a crowd, like the sound of a roaring waterfall, like loud peals of thunder. I heard them say, "Praise God! For the Lord, our Almighty God, is King!

7 Let us rejoice and be glad; let us praise his greatness! For the time has come for the wedding of the Lamb, and his bride has prepared herself for it.

8 She has been given clean shining linen to wear." (The linen is the good deeds of God's people.)

9 Then the angel said to me, "Write this: Happy are those who have been invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb." And the angel added, "These are the true words of God."

10 I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, "Don't do it! I am a servant together with you and with other believers, all those who hold to the truth that Jesus revealed. Worship God!" For the truth that Jesus revealed is what inspires the prophets.

11 Then I saw heaven open, and there was a white horse. Its rider is called Faithful and True; it is with justice that he judges and fights his battles.

12 His eyes were like a flame of fire, and he wore many crowns on his head. He had a name written on him, but no one except himself knows what it is.

13 The robe he wore was covered with blood. His name is "The Word of God."

14 The armies of heaven followed him, riding on white horses and dressed in clean white linen.

15 Out of his mouth came a sharp sword, with which he will defeat the nations. He will rule over them with a rod of iron, and he will trample out the wine in the wine press of the furious anger of the Almighty God.

16 On his robe and on his thigh was written the name: "King of kings and Lord of lords."

17 Then I saw an angel standing on the sun. He shouted in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair: "Come and gather together for God's great feast!

18 Come and eat the flesh of kings, generals, and soldiers, the flesh of horses and their riders, the flesh of all people, slave and free, great and small!"

19 Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered to fight against the one who was riding the horse and against his army.

20 The beast was taken prisoner, together with the false prophet who had performed miracles in his presence. (It was by those miracles that he had deceived those who had the mark of the beast and those who had worshiped the image of the beast.) The beast and the false prophet were both thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur.

21 Their armies were killed by the sword that comes out of the mouth of the one who was riding the horse; and all the birds ate all they could of their flesh.