4 Then the angel that had been speaking with me returned and roused me, as if he were waking someone up from being asleep, ² and asked me, “What do you see?” I answered, “I’ve been looking at a menorah; it’s all of gold, with a bowl at its top, seven lamps on it, and seven tubes leading to the lamps at its top. ³ Next to it are two olive trees, one on the right side of the bowl and the other on its left.” ⁴ I then asked the angel speaking with me, “What are these, my Lord?” The angel speaking with me said, ⁵ “Don’t you know what these are?” I said, “No, my Lord.” ⁶ Then he answered me, “This is the word of Adonai to Z’rubavel: ‘Not by force, and not by power, but by my Spirit,’ says Adonai-Tzva’ot. ⁷ ‘What are you, you big mountain? Before Z’rubavel you will become a plain; and he will put the capstone in place, as everyone shouts, “It’s beautiful! Beautiful!”’ ⁸ This message from Adonai came to me: ⁹ ‘The hands of Z’rubavel have laid the foundation of this house, and his hands will also finish it.’ Then you will know that Adonai-Tzva’ot sent me to you. ¹⁰ For even someone who doesn’t think much of a day when such minor events take place will rejoice at seeing the plumbline in the hand of Z’rubavel. So these seven are the eyes of Adonai that range about over all the earth.”

¹¹ I replied by asking him, “What are those two olive trees on the right and left sides of the menorah?” ¹² Then I asked the question again: “What are those two olive branches discharging gold[-colored oil] through the two gold spouts?” ¹³ He replied, “Don’t you know what they are?” I answered, “No, my Lord.” ¹⁴ He said, “Those are the two who have been anointed with oil; they are standing with the Lord of all the land.”

5 Again I raised my eyes, and I saw in front of me a flying scroll. ² He said to me, “What do you see?” I replied, “I see a flying scroll thirty feet long and fifteen feet wide. ³ Then he said to me, “This is the curse that goes out over the face of all the land; for [according to what is written] on one side, everyone who steals will be swept away; and [according to what is written] on the other side, everyone who swears will be swept away. ⁴ ‘I will release it,’ says Adonai-Tzva’ot, ‘and it will enter the house of the thief and the house of anyone who swears falsely by my name; it will stay there inside the house and consume it completely, even its timbers and stones.’”

⁵ Then the angel speaking with me went forward and said to me, “Now raise your eyes, and see what this thing is, passing by.” ⁶ I asked, “What is it?” He said, “This is the eifah-measure [a one-bushel dry-measure] passing by.” Then he added, “This is their eye in all the land.” ⁷ Next I saw a lead disc lifted up to reveal a woman sitting in the eifah. ⁸ He said, “This is Evil.” He threw her down into the eifah and pressed the lead weight over its opening. ⁹ I raised my eyes and saw two women coming with the wind in their wings; for they had wings like those of a stork. They lifted the eifah up between the earth and the sky. ¹⁰ I asked the angel speaking with me, “Where are they taking the eifah?” ¹¹ He answered me, “To build it a shrine in the land of Shin‘ar. When it’s ready, [the eifah] will be set down there on its base.”

6 Again I raised my eyes, and I saw in front of me four chariots coming out from between two mountains, and the mountains were mountains of bronze. ² The first chariot had red horses; the second chariot, black horses; ³ the third chariot, white horses; and the fourth chariot, spotted gray horses. ⁴ I asked the angel speaking with me, “What are these, my Lord?” ⁵ The angel answered me, “These are the four winds of the sky that go out, after presenting themselves before the Lord of all the land. ⁶ The one with the black horses is going out toward the land in the north, the white [horses] have gone out after them, and the spotted have gone out toward the land in the south.” ⁷ Then the gray ones went out and were seeking to go and wander throughout the whole earth, when he said, “Wander throughout the whole earth”; and they did wander throughout the whole earth. ⁸ Then he called out to me and said, “Look! The ones going to the land in the north have given my Spirit rest in the north country.”

⁹ This message from Adonai came to me: ¹⁰ “Take [gifts] from the exiles of Heldai, Toviyah, and Y’da‘yah, who have arrived from Bavel; then you, go to the house of Yoshiyah the son of Tz’fanyah. ¹¹ Take silver and gold; make crowns; put one on the head of Y’hoshua the son of Y’hotzadak, the cohen hagadol; ¹² and tell him, ‘Adonai-Tzva’ot says: “There is coming a man whose name is Tzemach [Sprout]. He will sprout up from his place and rebuild the temple of Adonai. ¹³ Yes, he will rebuild the temple of Adonai; and he will take up royal splendor, sitting and ruling from his throne. There will be a cohen before his throne; and they will accept each other’s advice in complete harmony. ¹⁴ The other crowns will be for Helem, Toviyah, Y’da‘yah and Hen the son of Tz’fanyah; then [they are to be kept] as a memorial in the temple of Adonai. ¹⁵ Those who are now far away will come and help rebuild the temple of Adonai.” Then you will know that it is Adonai-Tzva’ot who sent me to you. And it will all come about, provided you heed carefully what Adonai your God says.’”

12 Meanwhile, as a crowd in the tens of thousands gathered so closely as to trample each other down, Yeshua began to say to his talmidim first, “Guard yourselves from the hametz of the P’rushim, by which I mean their hypocrisy. ² There is nothing covered up that will not be uncovered, or hidden that will not become known. ³ What you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed on the housetops.

⁴ “My friends, I tell you: don’t fear those who kill the body but then have nothing more they can do. ⁵ I will show you whom to fear: fear him who after killing you has authority to throw you into Gei-Hinnom! Yes, I tell you, this is the one to fear! ⁶ Aren’t sparrows sold for next to nothing, five for two assarions? And not one of them has been forgotten by God. ⁷ Why, every hair on your head has been counted! Don’t be afraid, you are worth more than many sparrows.

⁸ “Moreover, I tell you, whoever acknowledges me in the presence of others, the Son of Man will also acknowledge in the presence of God’s angels. ⁹ But whoever disowns me before others will be disowned before God’s angels. ¹⁰ Also, everyone who says something against the Son of Man will have it forgiven him; but whoever has blasphemed the Ruach HaKodesh will not be forgiven.

¹¹ “When they bring you before the synagogues and the ruling powers and the authorities, don’t worry about how you will defend yourself or what you will say; ¹² because when the time comes, the Ruach HaKodesh will teach you what you need to say.”

¹³ Someone in the crowd said to him, “Rabbi, tell my brother to share with me the property we inherited.” ¹⁴ But Yeshua answered him, “My friend, who appointed me judge or arbitrator over you?” ¹⁵ Then to the people he said, “Be careful to guard against all forms of greed, because even if someone is rich, his life does not consist in what he owns.” ¹⁶ And he gave them this illustration: “There was a man whose land was very productive. ¹⁷ He debated with himself, ‘What should I do? I haven’t enough room for all my crops.’ ¹⁸ Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and I’ll store all my wheat and other goods there. ¹⁹ Then I’ll say to myself, “You’re a lucky man! You have a big supply of goods laid up that will last many years. Start taking it easy! Eat! Drink! Enjoy yourself!”’ ²⁰ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night you will die! And the things you prepared — whose will they be?’ ²¹ That’s how it is with anyone who stores up wealth for himself without being rich toward God.”

²² To his talmidim Yeshua said, “Because of this I tell you, don’t worry about your life — what you will eat or drink; or about your body — what you will wear. ²³ For life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. ²⁴ Think about the ravens! They neither plant nor harvest, they have neither storerooms nor barns, yet God feeds them. You are worth much more than the birds! ²⁵ Can any of you by worrying add an hour to his life? ²⁶ If you can’t do a little thing like that, why worry about the rest? ²⁷ Think about the wild irises, and how they grow. They neither work nor spin thread; yet, I tell you, not even Shlomo in all his glory was clothed as beautifully as one of these. ²⁸ If this is how God clothes grass, which is alive in the field today and thrown in the oven tomorrow, how much more will he clothe you! What little trust you have!

²⁹ “In other words, don’t strive after what you will eat and what you will drink — don’t be anxious. ³⁰ For all the pagan nations in the world set their hearts on these things. Your Father knows that you need them too. ³¹ Rather, seek his Kingdom; and these things will be given to you as well. ³² Have no fear, little flock, for your Father has resolved to give you the Kingdom! ³³ Sell what you own and do tzedakah — make for yourselves purses that don’t wear out, riches in heaven that never fail, where no burglar comes near, where no moth destroys. ³⁴ For where your wealth is, there your heart will be also.

³⁵ “Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit, ³⁶ like people waiting for their master’s return after a wedding feast; so that when he comes and knocks, they will open the door for him without delay. ³⁷ Happy the slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes! Yes! I tell you he will put on his work clothes, seat them at the table, and come serve them himself! ³⁸ Whether it is late at night or early in the morning, if this is how he finds them, those slaves are happy.

³⁹ “But notice this: no house-owner would let his house be broken into if he knew when the thief was coming. ⁴⁰ You too, be ready! For the Son of Man will come when you are not expecting him.”

⁴¹ Kefa said, “Sir, are you telling this parable for our benefit only or for everyone’s?” ⁴² The Lord replied, “Nu, who is the faithful and sensible manager whose master puts him in charge of the household staff to give them their share of food at the proper time? ⁴³ It will go well with that servant if he is found doing his job when his master comes. ⁴⁴ Yes, I tell you he will put him in charge of all he owns. ⁴⁵ But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is taking his time coming,’ and starts bullying the men- and women-servants, and eating and drinking, getting drunk, ⁴⁶ then his master will come on a day when the servant isn’t expecting him, at a time he doesn’t know in advance; his master will cut him in two and put him with the disloyal. ⁴⁷ Now the servant who knew what his master wanted but didn’t prepare or act according to his will, will be whipped with many lashes; ⁴⁸ however, the one who did what deserves a beating, but didn’t know, will receive few lashes. From him who has been given much, much will be demanded — from someone to whom people entrust much, they ask still more.

⁴⁹ “I have come to set fire to the earth! And how I wish it were already kindled! ⁵⁰ I have an immersion to undergo — how pressured I feel till it’s over! ⁵¹ Do you think that I have come to bring peace in the Land? Not peace, I tell you, but division! ⁵² For from now on, a household of five will be divided, three against two, two against three.

⁵⁴ Then to the crowds Yeshua said, “When you see a cloud-bank rising in the west, at once you say that a rainstorm is coming; ⁵⁵ and when the wind is from the south, you say there will be a heat wave, and there is. ⁵⁶ Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky — how is it that you don’t know how to interpret this present time? ⁵⁷ Why don’t you decide for yourselves what is the right course to follow? ⁵⁸ If someone brings a lawsuit against you, take pains to settle with him first; otherwise he will take the matter to court, and the judge will turn you over to the bailiff, and the bailiff will throw you in jail. ⁵⁹ I tell you, you won’t get out of there till you have paid the last penny!”