¹⁵ And she said, “Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to ^(A)her people and to her gods; ^(B)return after your sister-in-law.”

¹⁶ But Ruth said:

^18 (F)When she saw that she ^[b]was determined to go with her, she stopped speaking to her.

¹⁹ Now the two of them went until they came to Bethlehem. And it happened, when they had come to Bethlehem, that ^(G)all the city was excited because of them; and the women said, ^(H)“Is this Naomi?”

²⁰ But she said to them, “Do not call me ^[c]Naomi; call me ^[d]Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. ²¹ I went out full, ^(I)and the Lord has brought me home again empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the Lord has testified against me, and ^[e]the Almighty has afflicted me?”

²² So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess her daughter-in-law with her, who returned from the country of Moab. Now they came to Bethlehem ^(J)at the beginning of barley harvest.

Vision of the Horns

¹⁸ Then I raised my eyes and looked, and there were four ^(A)horns. ¹⁹ And I said to the angel who talked with me, “What are these?”

So he answered me, ^(B)“These are the ^[a]horns that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.”

²⁰ Then the Lord showed me four craftsmen. ²¹ And I said, “What are these coming to do?”

So he said, “These are the ^(C)horns that scattered Judah, so that no one could lift up his head; but ^[b]the craftsmen are coming to terrify them, to cast out the horns of the nations that ^(D)lifted up their horn against the land of Judah to scatter it.”

Vision of the Measuring Line

2 Then I raised my eyes and looked, and behold, ^(A)a man with a measuring line in his hand. ² So I said, “Where are you going?”

And he said to me, ^(B)“To measure Jerusalem, to see what is its width and what is its length.”

³ And there was the angel who talked with me, going out; and another angel was coming out to meet him, ⁴ who said to him, “Run, speak to this young man, saying: ^(C)‘Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls, because of the multitude of men and livestock in it. ⁵ For I,’ says the Lord, ‘will be ^(D)a wall of fire all around her, ^(E)and I will be the glory in her midst.’ ”

Future Joy of Zion and Many Nations

⁶ “Up, up! Flee ^(F)from the land of the north,” says the Lord; “for I have ^(G)spread you abroad like the four winds of heaven,” says the Lord. ⁷ “Up, Zion! ^(H)Escape, you who dwell with the daughter of Babylon.”

⁸ For thus says the Lord of hosts: “He sent Me after glory, to the nations which plunder you; for he who ^(I)touches you touches the ^[a]apple of His eye. ⁹ For surely I will ^(J)shake My hand against them, and they shall become ^[b]spoil for their servants. Then ^(K)you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent Me.

^10 (L)“Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion! For behold, I am coming and I ^(M)will dwell in your midst,” says the Lord. ^11 (N)“Many nations shall be joined to the Lord ^(O)in that day, and they shall become ^(P)My people. And I will dwell in your midst. Then ^(Q)you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent Me to you. ¹² And the Lord will ^(R)take possession of Judah as His inheritance in the Holy Land, and will again choose Jerusalem. ^13 (S)Be silent, all flesh, before the Lord, for He is aroused ^(T)from His holy habitation!”

^21 (A)When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace. ²² But ^(B)when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his ^[a]spoils. ^23 (C)He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.

An Unclean Spirit Returns^(D)

^24 (E)“When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ ²⁵ And when he comes, he finds it swept and put in order. ²⁶ Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and ^(F)the last state of that man is worse than the first.”

Keeping the Word

²⁷ And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, ^(G)“Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!”

²⁸ But He said, ^(H)“More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”