I lifted up mine eyes again, and looked, and behold a man with a measuring line in his hand.

Then said I, Whither goest thou? And he said unto me, To measure Jerusalem, to see what is the breadth thereof, and what is the length thereof.

And, behold, the angel that talked with me went forth, and another angel went out to meet him,

And said unto him, Run, speak to this young man, saying, Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls for the multitude of men and cattle therein:

For I, saith the Lord, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her.

Ho, ho, come forth, and flee from the land of the north, saith the Lord: for I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heaven, saith the Lord.

Deliver thyself, O Zion, that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon.

For thus saith the Lord of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye.

For, behold, I will shake mine hand upon them, and they shall be a spoil to their servants: and ye shall know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me.

10 Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the Lord.

11 And many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day, and shall be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto thee.

12 And the Lord shall inherit Judah his portion in the holy land, and shall choose Jerusalem again.

13 Be silent, O all flesh, before the Lord: for he is raised up out of his holy habitation.

Future Prosperity of Jerusalem

[a]When I looked again, I saw a man with a measuring line in his hand. “Where are you going?” I asked.

He replied, “I am going to measure Jerusalem, to see how wide and how long it is.”

Then the angel who was with me went to meet a second angel who was coming toward him. The other angel said, “Hurry, and say to that young man, ‘Jerusalem will someday be so full of people and livestock that there won’t be room enough for everyone! Many will live outside the city walls. Then I, myself, will be a protective wall of fire around Jerusalem, says the Lord. And I will be the glory inside the city!’”

The Exiles Are Called Home

The Lord says, “Come away! Flee from Babylon in the land of the north, for I have scattered you to the four winds. Come away, people of Zion, you who are exiled in Babylon!”

After a period of glory, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies sent me[b] against the nations who plundered you. For he said, “Anyone who harms you harms my most precious possession.[c] I will raise my fist to crush them, and their own slaves will plunder them.” Then you will know that the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has sent me.

10 The Lord says, “Shout and rejoice, O beautiful Jerusalem,[d] for I am coming to live among you. 11 Many nations will join themselves to the Lord on that day, and they, too, will be my people. I will live among you, and you will know that the Lord of Heaven’s Armies sent me to you. 12 The land of Judah will be the Lord’s special possession in the holy land, and he will once again choose Jerusalem to be his own city. 13 Be silent before the Lord, all humanity, for he is springing into action from his holy dwelling.”

Footnotes

  1. 2:1 Verses 2:1-13 are numbered 2:5-17 in Hebrew text.
  2. 2:8a The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
  3. 2:8b Hebrew Anyone who touches you touches the pupil of his eye.
  4. 2:10 Hebrew O daughter of Zion.

Third night vision

[a] Then I looked up and saw a man.

In his hand was a measuring line.
I said, “Where are you going?”
He said to me,
    “To measure Jerusalem to see how wide and long it will be.”
As I watched, the messenger speaking with me went ahead and another messenger came to meet him.
He said to him,
    “Run! Say to this young man:
        Jerusalem will be inhabited like open fields
            because of the throngs of people and cattle inside it.
        But I will be a wall of fire around it, says the Lord,
            and I will be glorious inside it.
        Look out; look out! Flee from the land of the north, says the Lord,
            for I will scatter you like the four winds of heaven, says the Lord.
        Look out, Zion.
            Flee, you who dwell with Daughter Babylon!
The Lord of heavenly forces proclaims (after his glory sent me)[b]
        concerning the nations plundering you:
            Those who strike you strike the pupil of my eye.
        But look, I am about to raise my hand against them;
            they will become prey to their own slaves,
                so you will know that the Lord of heavenly forces sent me.
10 Rejoice and be glad, Daughter Zion,
        because I am about to come and dwell among you, says the Lord.
11 Many nations will be joined to the Lord on that day.
        They will become my people,
            and I will dwell among you
            so you will know that the Lord of heavenly forces sent me to you.”
12     The Lord will possess Judah as his inheritance upon the holy land;
            he will again choose Jerusalem.
13 Be silent, everyone, in the Lord’s
        presence, because he has moved from his holy habitation!

Footnotes

  1. Zechariah 2:1 2:5 in Heb
  2. Zechariah 2:8 Heb uncertain