Disobedience and Fasting

7 In the fourth year of King Darius,^(A) the word of the Lord came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, which is Chislev. ² Now the people of Bethel had sent Sharezer, Regem-melech, and their men to plead for the Lord’s favor^{(B) 3} by asking the priests who were at the house of the Lord of Armies as well as the prophets, “Should we mourn and fast in the fifth month as we have done these many years?”

⁴ Then the word of the Lord of Armies came to me: ⁵ “Ask all the people of the land and the priests: When you fasted and lamented in the fifth and in the seventh months for these seventy years, did you really fast for me?^{(C) 6} When you eat and drink, don’t you eat and drink simply for yourselves?^{(D) 7} Aren’t these the words that the Lord proclaimed through the earlier prophets when Jerusalem was inhabited and secure,^[a] along with its surrounding cities, and when the southern region and the Judean foothills were inhabited?”

⁸ The word of the Lord came to Zechariah: ⁹ “The Lord of Armies says this: ‘Make fair decisions.^(E) Show faithful love and compassion^(F) to one another. ¹⁰ Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the resident alien or the poor,^(G) and do not plot evil in your hearts against one another.’^{(H) 11} But they refused to pay attention^(I) and turned a stubborn shoulder; they closed their ears so they could not hear.^{(J) 12} They made their hearts like a rock so as not to obey the law or the words that the Lord of Armies had sent by his Spirit through the earlier prophets.^(K) Therefore intense anger came from the Lord of Armies. ¹³ Just as he had called, and they would not listen, so when they called, I would not listen, says the Lord of Armies. ¹⁴ I scattered them with a windstorm over all the nations that had not known them, and the land was left desolate behind them, with no one coming or going. They turned a pleasant land into a desolation.”

Obedience and Feasting

8 The word of the Lord of Armies came: ² The Lord of Armies says this: “I am extremely jealous^(L) for Zion; I am jealous for her with great wrath.” ³ The Lord says this: “I will return to Zion and live in Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the Faithful City;^(M) the mountain of the Lord of Armies will be called the Holy Mountain.” ⁴ The Lord of Armies says this: “Old men and women will again sit along the streets of Jerusalem, each with a staff in hand because of advanced age. ⁵ The streets of the city will be filled with boys and girls playing in them.” ⁶ The Lord of Armies says this: “Though it may seem impossible to the remnant of this people in those days, should it also seem impossible to me?”—this is the declaration of the Lord of Armies. ⁷ The Lord of Armies says this: “I will save my people from the land of the east and the land of the west.^{[b] 8} I will bring them back^(N) to live in Jerusalem. They will be my people, and I will be their faithful and righteous God.”^(O)

⁹ The Lord of Armies says this: “Let your hands be strong, you who now hear these words that the prophets spoke when the foundations were laid for the rebuilding of the temple, the house of the Lord of Armies. ¹⁰ For prior to those days neither people nor animals had wages. There was no safety from the enemy for anyone who came or went, for I turned everyone against his neighbor. ¹¹ But now, I will not treat the remnant of this people as in the former days”—this is the declaration of the Lord of Armies. ¹² “For they will sow in peace: the vine will yield its fruit, the land will yield its produce, and the skies will yield their dew. I will give the remnant of this people all these things as an inheritance.^{(P) 13} As you have been a curse among the nations,^(Q) house of Judah and house of Israel, so I will save you, and you will be a blessing.^(R) Don’t be afraid; let your hands be strong.” ¹⁴ For the Lord of Armies says this: “As I resolved to treat you badly when your ancestors provoked me to anger, and I did not relent,” says the Lord of Armies, ¹⁵ “so I have resolved again in these days to do what is good to Jerusalem and the house of Judah.^(S) Don’t be afraid. ¹⁶ These are the things you must do: Speak truth to one another; make true and sound decisions within your city gates. ¹⁷ Do not plot evil^(T) in your hearts against your neighbor,^(U) and do not love perjury,^(V) for I hate all this”—this is the Lord’s declaration.

¹⁸ Then the word of the Lord of Armies came to me: ¹⁹ The Lord of Armies says this: “The fast of the fourth month,^(W) the fast of the fifth, the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth^(X) will become times of joy, gladness, and cheerful festivals for the house of Judah. Therefore, love truth and peace.” ²⁰ The Lord of Armies says this: “Peoples will yet come, the residents of many cities; ²¹ the residents of one city will go to another, saying: Let’s go at once to plead for the Lord’s favor and to seek the Lord of Armies. I am also going. ²² Many peoples and strong nations will come to seek the Lord of Armies in Jerusalem and to plead for the Lord’s favor.”^{(Y) 23} The Lord of Armies says this: “In those days, ten men from nations of every language will grab the robe of a Jewish man tightly, urging: Let us go with you,^(Z) for we have heard that God is with you.”

The Woman and the Scarlet Beast

17 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls^(A) came and spoke with me: “Come, I will show you the judgment of the notorious prostitute^[a](B) who is seated on many^[b] waters.^{(C) 2} The kings of the earth^(D) committed sexual immorality with her, and those who live on the earth became drunk on the wine of her sexual immorality.”^{(E) 3} Then he carried me away in the Spirit^[c](F) to a wilderness.

I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered^[d] with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns.^{(G) 4} The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, adorned with gold, jewels, and pearls.^(H) She had a golden cup in her hand filled with everything detestable^(I) and with the impurities of her^[e] prostitution. ⁵ On her forehead was written a name, a mystery:^(J) Babylon the Great, the Mother of Prostitutes and of the Detestable Things of the Earth. ⁶ Then I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the witnesses to Jesus.^(K) When I saw her, I was greatly astonished.

The Meaning of the Woman and of the Beast

⁷ Then the angel said to me, “Why are you astonished? I will explain to you the mystery of the woman and of the beast, with the seven heads and the ten horns, that carries her. ⁸ The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to come up from the abyss^(L) and go to destruction.^(M) Those who live on the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world^(N) will be astonished when they see the beast that was, and is not, and is to come.^{(O) 9} This calls for a mind that has wisdom.^[f](P)

“The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated. They are also seven kings: ¹⁰ Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he comes, he must remain for only a little while. ¹¹ The beast that was and is not, is itself an eighth king, but it belongs to the seven and is going to destruction. ¹² The ten horns you saw are ten kings^(Q) who have not yet received a kingdom, but they will receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour.^{(R) 13} These have one purpose, and they give their power and authority to the beast. ¹⁴ These will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will conquer them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings.^(S) Those with him are called, chosen, and faithful.”^(T)

¹⁵ He also said to me, “The waters you saw,^(U) where the prostitute was seated, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and languages.^{(V) 16} The ten horns you saw, and the beast, will hate the prostitute.^(W) They will make her desolate and naked, devour her flesh, and burn her up with fire.^{(X) 17} For God has put it into their hearts to carry out his plan by having one purpose^(Y) and to give their kingdom^[g] to the beast until the words of God are fulfilled.^{(Z) 18} And the woman you saw is the great city that has royal power over the kings of the earth.”