21 September - Zechariah 1-7

Jude Thu Sep 06, 2018 7:04 am

My soul doth magnify my YAH, and my spirit hath rejoiced in EL my Saviour; For HE that is mighty hath done to me great things; and Holy is HIS Name. Now unto HIM who is ever present in my helpless estate; who is able to keep me from falling and to present me faultless before the presence of His Glory with exceeding joy, unto the King Eternal, Immortal, Invisible, the only wise EL our Saviour be honour and glory and majesty, dominion and power both now and for ever Halleluyah!

ZECHARIAH 1

1In the eighth month of the second year of Dareyawesh, the word of יהוה came to Zeḵaryah son of Bereḵyah, son of Iddo the prophet, saying,

2“יהוה was very wroth with your fathers.

3“And you shall say to them, ‘Thus said יהוה of hosts, “Turn back to Me,” declares יהוה of hosts, “and I shall turn back to you,” declares יהוה of hosts.

4“Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets proclaimed, saying, ‘Thus said יהוה of hosts, “Turn back now from your evil ways and your evil deeds.” ’ But they did not obey or give heed to Me,” declares יהוה.

5“Your fathers, where are they? And the prophets, do they live forever?

6“But My words and My laws, which I commanded My servants the prophets, did they not overtake your fathers?” “Then they turned back and said, ‘As יהוה of hosts planned to do to us, according to our ways and according to our deeds, so He has done with us.’ ” ’ ”

7On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, which is the month Sheḇat, in the second year of Dareyawesh, the word of יהוה came to Zeḵaryah son of Bereḵyahu, son of Iddo the prophet, saying,

8“I looked at night and saw a man riding on a red horse, and he was standing among the myrtle trees in the shade. And behind him were horses: red, sorrel, and white.”

9And I said, “My master, what are these?” And the messenger who was speaking to me said to me, “Let me show you what they are.”

10And the man who stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, “They are the ones יהוה has sent to go throughout the earth.”

11And they answered the messenger of יהוה, who stood among the myrtle trees, and said, “We have gone throughout the earth, and see, all the earth is at peace and rest.”

12And the messenger of יהוה answered and said, “O יהוה of hosts, how long would You have no compassion on Yerushalayim and on the cities of Yehuḏah, against which You were enraged these seventy years?”

13And יהוה answered the messenger who talked to me, good words, comforting words.

14And the messenger who spoke with me said to me, “Proclaim, saying, ‘Thus said יהוה of hosts, “I have been jealous for Yerushalayim and for Tsiyon with great jealousy.

15“And I am very wroth with the nations who are at ease, for when I was a little wroth, they furthered the evil!”

16‘Therefore thus said יהוה, “I shall return to Yerushalayim with compassion. My house shall be built in it,” declares יהוה of hosts, “and a surveyor’s line be stretched out over Yerushalayim.” ’

17“Again proclaim, saying, ‘Thus said יהוה of hosts, “Again My cities shall overflow with goodness. And יהוה shall again comfort Tsiyon, and shall again choosea Yerushalayim.” ’ ”

18And I lifted up my eyes and looked, and saw four horns.

19And I said to the messenger who was speaking to me, “What are these?” And he said to me, “These are the horns that have scattered Yehuḏah, Yisra’ĕl, and Yerushalayim.”

20And יהוה showed me four craftsmen.

21And I said, “What are these coming to do?” And he spoke saying, “These are the horns that scattered Yehuḏah, so that no one lifted up his head. But these come to trouble them, to throw down the horns of the gentiles that lifted up their horn against the land of Yehuḏah to scatter it.”

ZECHARIAH 2

1And I lifted up my eyes and looked, and saw a man with a measuring line in his hand.

2And I said, “Where are you going?” And he said to me, “To measure Yerushalayim, to see what is its width and what is its length.”

3And see, the messenger who was speaking to me was going out. And another messenger was coming out to meet him,

4and he said to him, “Run, speak to this young man, saying, ‘Yerushalayim is to remain unwalled, because of the many men and livestock in it.

5‘For I Myself am to her,’ declares יהוה, ‘a wall of fire all around, and for esteem I am in her midst.’ ”

6“Oh, Oh! And flee from the land of the north,” declares יהוה, “for I have scattered you like the four winds of the heavens,” declares יהוה.

7“Oh, Tsiyon! Escape, you who dwell with the daughter of Baḇel.”

8For thus said יהוה of hosts (for the sake of esteem He sent me to the gentiles which plunder you): “For he who touches you touches the apple of My eyea.

9“For look, I am waving My hand against them, and they shall become spoil for their servants. And you shall know that יהוה of hosts has sent Me.

10“Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Tsiyon! For look, I am coming, and shall dwell in your midsta,” declares יהוה.

11“And many gentiles shall be joined to יהוה in that daya, and they shall become My people. And I shall dwell in your midst. And you shall know that יהוה of hosts has sent Me to you.

12“And יהוה shall inherit Yehuḏah, His portion in the Set-apart Land. And He shall again choose Yerushalayima.

13“Hush, all flesh, before יהוה, for He has roused Himself out of His set-apart dwelling!”

ZECHARIAH 3

1And he showed me Yehoshua the high priest standing before the messenger of יהוה, and Satan standing at his right hand to be an adversary to him.

2And יהוה said to Satan, “יהוה rebuke you, Satan! יהוה who has chosen Yerushalayim rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?”

3And Yehoshua was dressed in filthy garments, and was standing before the messenger.

4And He answered and spoke to those who stood before Him, saying, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” And to him He said, “See, I have removed your guilt from you, and shall put costly robes on you.”

5And I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.” Then they put a clean turban on his head, and they put garments on him. And the messenger of יהוה stood by.

6And the messenger of יהוה witnessed to Yehoshua, saying,

7“Thus said יהוה of hosts, ‘If you walk in My ways, and if you guard My duty, then you shall also rule My house, and also guard My courts. And I shall give you access among these standing here.

8‘Now listen, Yehoshua the high priest, you and your companions who sit before you, for they are men of symbol. For look, I am bringing forth My Servant – the Brancha.

9‘See the stone which I have put before Yehoshua: on one stone are seven eyes. See, I am engraving its inscription,’ declares יהוה of hosts, ‘and I shall remove the guilt of that land in one day.

10‘In that day,’ declares יהוה of hosts, ‘you shall invite one another, under the vine and under the fig tree.’ ”

ZECHARIAH 4

1And the messenger who was speaking to me came back and woke me up as a man is awakened from sleep.

2And he said to me, “What do you see?” So I said, “I have looked, and see: a lampstand all of gold with a bowl on top of it, and on the stand seven lamps with seven spouts to the seven lamps.

3“And two olive trees are by it, one at the right of the bowl and the other at its left.”

4Then I responded and spoke to the messenger who was speaking to me, saying, “What are these, my master?”

5And the messenger who was speaking to me answered and said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” And I said, “No, my master.”

6And he answered and said to me, “This is the word of יהוה to Zerubbaḇel, ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ said יהוה of hosts.

7‘Who are you, great mountain, before Zerubbaḇel? A plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone with shouts of “Favour, favour to it!” ’ ”

8And the word of יהוה came to me, saying,

9“The hands of Zerubbaḇel have laid the foundation of this House, and his hands shall complete it. And you shall know that יהוה of hosts has sent Me to you.

10“For who has despised the day of small beginnings? They shall rejoice when they see the plumb-line in the hand of Zerubbaḇel. These seven are the eyes of יהוה, which diligently search throughout all the earth.”

11Then I responded and said to him, “What are these two olive trees, one at the right of the lampstand and the other at its left?”

12And I responded a second time and said to him, “What are these two olive branches which empty golden oil from themselves by means of the two gold pipes?”

13And he answered me and said, “Do you not know what these are?” And I said, “No, my master.”

14And he said, “These are the two anointed ones, who stand beside the Mastera of all the earth.”

ZECHARIAH 5

1And I lifted up my eyes again, and looked and saw a flying scroll.

2And he said to me, “What do you see?” And I answered, “I see a flying scroll, twenty cubits long and ten cubits wide.”

3And he said to me, “This is the curse that goes forth over the face of all the earth: ‘everyone who is stealing shall go unpunished,’ on the one side, according to it, and, ‘everyone who has sworn falsely shall go unpunished,’ on the other side, according to it.”

4“I shall send it out,” declares יהוה of hosts, “and it shall come into the house of the thief and the house of the one who shall swear falsely by My Name. And it shall remain in the midst of his house and shall consume it, both its timber and stones.”

5And the messenger who was speaking with me came out and said to me, “Lift up your eyes now, and see what this is that is going forth.”

6And I said, “What is it?” And he said, “It is an ĕphah-measure that is going forth.” Again he said, “This is their appearance throughout the earth:

7“And see, a lead cover lifted up, and this: a woman sitting inside the ĕphah-measure!”

8And he said, “This is Wrongness!” And he threw her down into the ĕphah-measure, and threw the lead weight over its mouth.

9And I lifted up my eyes, and looked and saw two women, coming with the wind in their wings. And they had wings like the wings of a stork, and they lifted up the ĕphah-measure between earth and the heavens.

10Then I said to the messenger who was speaking to me, “Where are they taking the ĕphah-measure?”

11And he said to me, “To build a house for it in the land of Shin‛ar. And it shall be established and set there on its own base.”

ZECHARIAH 6

1And I lifted up my eyes again, and looked and saw four chariots coming from between two mountains, and the mountains were mountains of bronze.

2With the first chariot were red horses, and with the second chariot black horses,

3and with the third chariot white horses, and with the fourth chariot strong speckled horses.

4So I responded and said to the messenger who was speaking to me, “What are these, my master?”

5And the messenger answered and said to me, “These are four spirits of the heavens, coming forth from presenting themselves before the Master of all the earth.

6“The one with the black horses is going out to the land of the north, and the white ones have gone out after them, and the speckled ones have gone out to the land of the south.”

7And the strong ones went out, eager to go, to walk to and fro in the earth. And He said, “Go, walk to and fro in the earth.” So they walked to and fro in the earth.

8And He called to me, and spoke to me, saying, “See, those who go toward the land of the north have given rest to My Spirit in the land of the north.”

9And the word of יהוה came to me, saying,

10“Receive the gift from the exiles, from Ḥeldai, Toḇiyah, and Yeḏayah, who have come from Baḇel. Then you shall go the same day and enter the house of Yoshiyah son of Tsephanyah.

11“And you shall take the silver and gold, make a crown, and set it on the head of Yehoshua the son of Yehotsaḏaq, the high priest,

12and shall speak to him, saying, ‘Thus said יהוה of hosts, saying, “See, the Man whose name is the Brancha! And from His place He shall branch out, and He shall build the Hĕḵal of יהוה.

13“It is He who is going to build the Hĕḵal of יהוה. It is He who is going to bear the splendour. And He shall sit and rule on His throne, and shall be a priest on His throne, and the counsel of peace shall be between Them both,” ’

14while the crown is for a remembrance in the Hĕḵal of יהוה to Ḥĕlem, and to Toḇiyah, and to Yeḏayah, and to Ḥĕn son of Tsephanyah.

15“And those who are far away shall come and build the Hĕḵal of יהוה. And you shall know that יהוה of hosts has sent Me to you. And this shall be, if you diligently obey the voice of יהוה your Elohim.”

ZECHARIAH 7

1And in the fourth year of Sovereign Dareyawesh it came to be that the word of יהוה came to Zeḵaryah, on the fourth of the ninth month, Kislĕw.

2Now Bĕyth Ěl had sent Shar’etser, with Reg̅em-Meleḵ and his men, to pray before יהוה,

3speaking to the priests who belonged to the House of יהוה of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, “Should I weep in the fifth month and fast as I have done for so many years?”

4Then the word of יהוה of hosts came to me, saying,

5“Speak to all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, ‘When you fasted and lamented in the fifth and seventh months all these seventy years, did you truly fast for Me – for Me?

6‘And when you ate and when you drank, was it not for those eating and for those drinking?

7‘Are these not the words which יהוה proclaimed through the former prophets when Yerushalayim and the cities around it were inhabited and in safety, and the South and the low country were inhabited?’ ”

8And the word of יהוה came to Zeḵaryah, saying,

9“Thus said יהוה of hosts, ‘Execute true right-ruling, show kindness and compassion everyone to his brother.

10“Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the stranger or the poor. And do not plot evil in your hearts against one another.’

11“But they refused to listen, and they shrugged their shoulders, and stopped their ears from hearing.

12“And they made their hearts like flint against hearing the Torah, and the words, which יהוה of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets. Therefore great wrath came from יהוה of hosts.

13“And it came to be: as He called and they did not hear, so let them call, but I shall not hear,” said יהוה of hosts.

14“And I scattered them with a storm wind among all the gentiles which they had not known. And the land was laid waste behind them, no one passing through or returning, for they made the pleasant land a waste.”