Zechariah 2
New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised
Third Vision: The Man with a Measuring Line
2 [a] I looked up and saw a man with a measuring line in his hand. 2 Then I asked, ‘Where are you going?’ He answered me, ‘To measure Jerusalem, to see what is its width and what is its length.’ 3 Then the angel who talked with me came forward, and another angel came forward to meet him, 4 and said to him, ‘Run, say to that young man: Jerusalem shall be inhabited like villages without walls, because of the multitude of people and animals in it. 5 For I will be a wall of fire all round it, says the Lord, and I will be the glory within it.’
Interlude: An Appeal to the Exiles
6 Up, up! Flee from the land of the north, says the Lord; for I have spread you abroad like the four winds of heaven, says the Lord. 7 Up! Escape to Zion, you that live with daughter Babylon. 8 For thus said the Lord of hosts (after his glory[b] sent me) regarding the nations that plundered you: Truly, one who touches you touches the apple of my eye.[c] 9 See now, I am going to raise[d] my hand against them, and they shall become plunder for their own slaves. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me. 10 Sing and rejoice, O daughter Zion! For lo, I will come and dwell in your midst, says the Lord. 11 Many nations shall join themselves to the Lord on that day, and shall be my people; and I will dwell in your midst. And you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. 12 The Lord will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land, and will again choose Jerusalem.
13 Be silent, all people, before the Lord; for he has roused himself from his holy dwelling.
Footnotes
- Zechariah 2:1 Ch 2.5 in Heb
- Zechariah 2:8 Cn: Heb after glory he
- Zechariah 2:8 Heb his eye
- Zechariah 2:9 Or wave
Zechariah 2
English Standard Version
A Vision of a Man with a Measuring Line
2 [a] And I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, (A)a man with a measuring line in his hand! 2 Then 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 behold, (C)the angel who talked with me came forward, and another angel came forward to meet him 4 and said to him, “Run, say to that young man, (D)‘Jerusalem shall be inhabited (E)as villages without walls, because of (F)the multitude of people and livestock in it. 5 And I will be to her (G)a wall of fire all around, declares the Lord, and I will be the glory in her midst.’”
6 Up! Up! (H)Flee from the land of the north, declares the Lord. For I have (I)spread you abroad as the four winds of the heavens, declares the Lord. 7 (J)Up! Escape to Zion, you who dwell with the daughter of Babylon. 8 For thus said the Lord of hosts, after his glory sent me[b] to the nations who plundered you, (K)for he who touches you touches (L)the apple of his eye: 9 “Behold, (M)I will shake my hand over them, (N)and they shall become plunder for those who served them. Then (O)you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me. 10 (P)Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for (Q)behold, I come (R)and I will dwell in your midst, declares the Lord. 11 (S)And many nations shall join themselves to the Lord in that day, and shall be my people. (T)And I will dwell in your midst, and (U)you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. 12 (V)And the Lord will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land, and will again (W)choose Jerusalem.”
13 Be silent, all flesh, before the Lord, for he has roused himself from his holy dwelling.
Footnotes
- Zechariah 2:1 Ch 2:5 in Hebrew
- Zechariah 2:8 Or he sent me after glory
Zechariah 2
New English Translation
Vision Three: The Surveyor
2 (2:5) I looked again, and there was a man with a measuring line in his hand. 2 I asked, “Where are you going?” He replied, “To measure Jerusalem in order to determine its width and its length.” 3 At this point the angelic messenger[a] who spoke to me went out, and another messenger came to meet him 4 and said to him, “Hurry, speak to this young man[b] as follows: ‘Jerusalem will no longer be enclosed by walls[c] because of the multitude of people and animals there. 5 But I,’ the Lord says, ‘will be a wall of fire surrounding Jerusalem[d] and the source of glory in her midst.’”
6 “You there![e] Flee from the northland!” says the Lord, “for like the four winds of heaven[f] I have scattered you,” says the Lord. 7 “Escape, Zion, you who live among the Babylonians!”[g] 8 For the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: “For his own glory[h] he has sent me to the nations that plundered you—for anyone who touches you touches the pupil[i] of his[j] eye. 9 Yes, look here, I am about to punish them[k] so that they will be looted by their own slaves.” Then you will know that the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has sent me.
10 “Sing out and be happy, Zion my daughter![l] For look, I have come; I will settle in your midst,” says the Lord. 11 “Many nations will join themselves to the Lord on the day of salvation,[m] and they will also be my[n] people. Indeed, I will settle in the midst of you all. Then you will know that the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has sent me to you. 12 The Lord will take possession of[o] Judah as his portion in the holy land and he will choose Jerusalem once again. 13 Be silent in the Lord’s presence, all people everywhere,[p] for he is being moved to action in his holy dwelling place.”[q]
Footnotes
- Zechariah 2:3 tn See the note on the expression “angelic messenger” in 1:9.
- Zechariah 2:4 sn That is, to Zechariah.
- Zechariah 2:4 tn Heb “Jerusalem will dwell as open regions (פְּרָזוֹת, perazot)”; cf. NAB “in open country”; CEV “won’t have any boundaries.” The population will be so large as to spill beyond the ancient and normal enclosures. The people need not fear, however, for the Lord will be an invisible but strong wall (v. 5).
- Zechariah 2:5 tn Heb “her”; the referent (Jerusalem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Zechariah 2:6 sn These are the scattered Jews of eschatological times (as the expression four winds of heaven makes clear) and not those of Zechariah’s time who have, for the most part, already returned by 520 b.c. This theme continues and is reinforced in vv. 10-13.
- Zechariah 2:6 tn Or “of the sky.” The same Hebrew term, שָׁמַיִם (shamayim), may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.
- Zechariah 2:7 tn Heb “live in [or “with” (cf. NASB), i.e., “among”] the daughter of Babylon” (so NIV; NAB “dwell in daughter Babylon”).
- Zechariah 2:8 tn Heb “After glory has he sent me” (similar KJV, NASB). What is clearly in view is the role of Zechariah who, by faithful proclamation of the message, will glorify the Lord.
- Zechariah 2:8 tn Heb “gate” (בָּבָה, bavah) of the eye, that is, pupil. The rendering of this term by KJV as “apple” has created a well-known idiom in the English language, “the apple of his eye” (so ASV, NIV). The pupil is one of the most vulnerable and valuable parts of the body, so for Judah to be considered the “pupil” of the Lord’s eye is to raise her value to an incalculable price (cf. NLT “my most precious possession”).
- Zechariah 2:8 tc A scribal emendation (tiqqun sopherim) has apparently altered an original “my eye” to “his eye” in order to allow the prophet to be the speaker throughout vv. 8-9. This alleviates the problem of the Lord saying, in effect, that he has sent himself on the mission to the nations.
- Zechariah 2:9 tn Heb “I will wave my hand over them” (so NASB); NIV, NRSV “raise my hand against them.”
- Zechariah 2:10 sn This individualizing of Zion as a daughter draws attention to the corporate nature of the covenant community and also to the tenderness with which the Lord regards his chosen people.
- Zechariah 2:11 tn Heb “on that day.” The descriptive phrase “of salvation” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
- Zechariah 2:11 tc The LXX and Syriac have the third person masculine singular suffix in both places (“his people” and “he will settle”; cf. NAB, TEV) in order to avoid the Lord’s speaking of himself in the third person. Such resort is unnecessary, however, in light of the common shifting of person in Hebrew narrative (cf. 3:2).
- Zechariah 2:12 tn Heb “will inherit” (so NIV, NRSV).
- Zechariah 2:13 tn Heb “all flesh”; NAB, NIV “all mankind.”
- Zechariah 2:13 sn The sense here is that God in heaven is about to undertake an occupation of his earthly realm (v. 12) by restoring his people to the promised land.
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