Zechariah 5; Zechariah 6; Zechariah 7; Zechariah 8

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."

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.

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."

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.' "