A Man With a Measuring Line

2 ^[a]Then I looked up, and there before me was a man with a measuring line in his hand. ² I asked, “Where are you going?”

He answered me, “To measure Jerusalem, to find out how wide and how long it is.”^(A)

³ While the angel who was speaking to me was leaving, another angel came to meet him ⁴ and said to him: “Run, tell that young man, ‘Jerusalem will be a city without walls^(B) because of the great number^(C) of people and animals in it.^{(D) 5} And I myself will be a wall^(E) of fire^(F) around it,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will be its glory^(G) within.’^(H)

⁶ “Come! Come! Flee from the land of the north,” declares the Lord, “for I have scattered^(I) you to the four winds of heaven,”^(J) declares the Lord.^(K)

⁷ “Come, Zion! Escape,^(L) you who live in Daughter Babylon!”^{(M) 8} For this is what the Lord Almighty says: “After the Glorious One has sent me against the nations that have plundered you—for whoever touches you touches the apple of his eye^(N)— ⁹ I will surely raise my hand against them so that their slaves will plunder them.^[b](O) Then you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me.^(P)

¹⁰ “Shout^(Q) and be glad, Daughter Zion.^(R) For I am coming,^(S) and I will live among you,”^(T) declares the Lord.^{(U) 11} “Many nations will be joined with the Lord in that day and will become my people.^(V) I will live among you and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you.^{(W) 12} The Lord will inherit^(X) Judah^(Y) as his portion in the holy land and will again choose^(Z) Jerusalem. ¹³ Be still^(AA) before the Lord, all mankind, because he has roused himself from his holy dwelling.^(AB)”

Clean Garments for the High Priest

3 Then he showed me Joshua^(AC) the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan^[c](AD) standing at his right side to accuse him. ² The Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you,^(AE) Satan! The Lord, who has chosen^(AF) Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is not this man a burning stick^(AG) snatched from the fire?”^(AH)

³ Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. ⁴ The angel said to those who were standing before him, “Take off his filthy clothes.”

Then he said to Joshua, “See, I have taken away your sin,^(AI) and I will put fine garments^(AJ) on you.”

⁵ Then I said, “Put a clean turban^(AK) on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him, while the angel of the Lord stood by.

⁶ The angel of the Lord gave this charge to Joshua: ⁷ “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘If you will walk in obedience to me and keep my requirements,^(AL) then you will govern my house^(AM) and have charge^(AN) of my courts, and I will give you a place among these standing here.^(AO)

⁸ “‘Listen, High Priest^(AP) Joshua, you and your associates seated before you, who are men symbolic^(AQ) of things to come: I am going to bring my servant, the Branch.^{(AR) 9} See, the stone I have set in front of Joshua!^(AS) There are seven eyes^[d](AT) on that one stone,^(AU) and I will engrave an inscription on it,’ says the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will remove the sin^(AV) of this land in a single day.

¹⁰ “‘In that day each of you will invite your neighbor to sit^(AW) under your vine and fig tree,^(AX)’ declares the Lord Almighty.”

The Gold Lampstand and the Two Olive Trees

4 Then the angel who talked with me returned and woke^(AY) me up, like someone awakened from sleep.^{(AZ) 2} He asked me, “What do you see?”^(BA)

I answered, “I see a solid gold lampstand^(BB) with a bowl at the top and seven lamps^(BC) on it, with seven channels to the lamps. ³ Also there are two olive trees^(BD) by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.”

⁴ I asked the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?”

⁵ He answered, “Do you not know what these are?”

“No, my lord,” I replied.^(BE)

⁶ So he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel:^(BF) ‘Not^(BG) by might nor by power,^(BH) but by my Spirit,’^(BI) says the Lord Almighty.

⁷ “What are you, mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground.^(BJ) Then he will bring out the capstone^(BK) to shouts^(BL) of ‘God bless it! God bless it!’”

⁸ Then the word of the Lord came to me: ⁹ “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation^(BM) of this temple; his hands will also complete it.^(BN) Then you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me^(BO) to you.

¹⁰ “Who dares despise the day^(BP) of small things,^(BQ) since the seven eyes^(BR) of the Lord that range throughout the earth will rejoice when they see the chosen capstone^[e] in the hand of Zerubbabel?”^(BS)

¹¹ Then I asked the angel, “What are these two olive trees^(BT) on the right and the left of the lampstand?”

¹² Again I asked him, “What are these two olive branches beside the two gold pipes that pour out golden oil?”

¹³ He replied, “Do you not know what these are?”

“No, my lord,” I said.

¹⁴ So he said, “These are the two who are anointed^(BU) to^[f] serve the Lord of all the earth.”

The Flying Scroll

5 I looked again, and there before me was a flying scroll.^(BV)

² He asked me, “What do you see?”^(BW)

I answered, “I see a flying scroll, twenty cubits long and ten cubits wide.^[g]”

³ And he said to me, “This is the curse^(BX) that is going out over the whole land; for according to what it says on one side, every thief^(BY) will be banished, and according to what it says on the other, everyone who swears falsely^(BZ) will be banished. ⁴ The Lord Almighty declares, ‘I will send it out, and it will enter the house of the thief and the house of anyone who swears falsely^(CA) by my name. It will remain in that house and destroy it completely, both its timbers and its stones.^(CB)’”

The Woman in a Basket

⁵ Then the angel who was speaking to me came forward and said to me, “Look up and see what is appearing.”

⁶ I asked, “What is it?”

He replied, “It is a basket.^(CC)” And he added, “This is the iniquity^[h] of the people throughout the land.”

⁷ Then the cover of lead was raised, and there in the basket sat a woman! ⁸ He said, “This is wickedness,” and he pushed her back into the basket and pushed its lead cover down on it.^(CD)

⁹ Then I looked up—and there before me were two women, with the wind in their wings! They had wings like those of a stork,^(CE) and they lifted up the basket between heaven and earth.

¹⁰ “Where are they taking the basket?” I asked the angel who was speaking to me.

¹¹ He replied, “To the country of Babylonia^[i](CF) to build a house^(CG) for it. When the house is ready, the basket will be set there in its place.”^(CH)

Psalm 93

3 See what great love^(A) the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!^(B) And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.^{(C) 2} Dear friends,^(D) now we are children of God,^(E) and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears,^[a](F) we shall be like him,^(G) for we shall see him as he is.^{(H) 3} All who have this hope in him purify themselves,^(I) just as he is pure.^(J)

⁴ Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness.^{(K) 5} But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins.^(L) And in him is no sin.^{(M) 6} No one who lives in him keeps on sinning.^(N) No one who continues to sin has either seen him^(O) or known him.^(P)

⁷ Dear children,^(Q) do not let anyone lead you astray.^(R) The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.^{(S) 8} The one who does what is sinful is of the devil,^(T) because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God^(U) appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.^{(V) 9} No one who is born of God^(W) will continue to sin,^(X) because God’s seed^(Y) remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. ¹⁰ This is how we know who the children of God^(Z) are and who the children of the devil^(AA) are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love^(AB) their brother and sister.^(AC)

More on Love and Hatred

¹¹ For this is the message you heard^(AD) from the beginning:^(AE) We should love one another.^{(AF) 12} Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one^(AG) and murdered his brother.^(AH) And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous.^{(AI) 13} Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters,^[b] if the world hates you.^{(AJ) 14} We know that we have passed from death to life,^(AK) because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death.^{(AL) 15} Anyone who hates a brother or sister^(AM) is a murderer,^(AN) and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.^(AO)

¹⁶ This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.^(AP) And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.^{(AQ) 17} If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them,^(AR) how can the love of God be in that person?^{(AS) 18} Dear children,^(AT) let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.^(AU)

¹⁹ This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence: ²⁰ If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. ²¹ Dear friends,^(AV) if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God^{(AW) 22} and receive from him anything we ask,^(AX) because we keep his commands^(AY) and do what pleases him.^{(AZ) 23} And this is his command: to believe^(BA) in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ,^(BB) and to love one another as he commanded us.^{(BC) 24} The one who keeps God’s commands^(BD) lives in him,^(BE) and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.^(BF)