Zechariah 7-10
New King James Version
Obedience Better than Fasting
7 Now in the fourth year of King Darius it came to pass that the word of the Lord came to Zechariah, on the fourth day of the ninth month, Chislev, 2 when [a]the people sent [b]Sherezer, with Regem-Melech and his men, to [c]the house of God, [d]to pray before the Lord, 3 and to (A)ask the priests who were in the house of the Lord of hosts, and the prophets, saying, “Should I weep in (B)the fifth month and [e]fast as I have done for so many years?”
4 Then the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying, 5 “Say to all the people of the land, and to the priests: ‘When you (C)fasted and mourned in the fifth (D)and seventh months (E)during those seventy years, did you really fast (F)for Me—for Me? 6 (G)When you eat and when you drink, do you not eat and drink for yourselves? 7 Should you not have obeyed the words which the Lord proclaimed through the (H)former prophets when Jerusalem and the cities around it were inhabited and prosperous, and (I)the [f]South and the Lowland were inhabited?’ ”
Disobedience Resulted in Captivity
8 Then the word of the Lord came to Zechariah, saying, 9 “Thus says the Lord of hosts:
(J)‘Execute true justice,
Show [g]mercy and compassion
Everyone to his brother.
10 (K)Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless,
The alien or the poor.
(L)Let none of you plan evil in his heart
Against his brother.’
11 “But they refused to heed, (M)shrugged[h] their shoulders, and (N)stopped[i] their ears so that they could not hear. 12 Yes, they made their (O)hearts like flint, (P)refusing to hear the law and the words which the Lord of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets. (Q)Thus great wrath came from the Lord of hosts. 13 Therefore it happened, that just as He proclaimed and they would not hear, so (R)they called out and I would not listen,” says the Lord of hosts. 14 “But (S)I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations which they had not known. Thus the land became desolate after them, so that no one passed through or returned; for they made the pleasant land desolate.”
Jerusalem, Holy City of the Future
8 Again the word of the Lord of hosts came, saying, 2 “Thus says the Lord of hosts:
3 “Thus says the Lord:
(U)‘I will return to Zion,
And (V)dwell in the midst of Jerusalem.
Jerusalem (W)shall be called the City of Truth,
(X)The Mountain of the Lord of hosts,
(Y)The Holy Mountain.’
4 “Thus says the Lord of hosts:
(Z)‘Old men and old women shall again sit
In the streets of Jerusalem,
Each one with his staff in his hand
Because of [m]great age.
5 The streets of the city
Shall be (AA)full of boys and girls
Playing in its streets.’
6 “Thus says the Lord of hosts:
‘If it is [n]marvelous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these days,
(AB)Will it also be marvelous in My eyes?’
Says the Lord of hosts.
7 “Thus says the Lord of hosts:
‘Behold, (AC)I will save My people from the land of the [o]east
And from the land of the [p]west;
8 I will (AD)bring them back,
And they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem.
(AE)They shall be My people
And I will be their God,
(AF)In truth and righteousness.’
9 “Thus says the Lord of hosts:
(AG)‘Let your hands be strong,
You who have been hearing in these days
These words by the mouth of (AH)the prophets,
Who spoke in (AI)the day the foundation was laid
For the house of the Lord of hosts,
That the temple might be built.
10 For before these days
There were no (AJ)wages for man nor any hire for beast;
There was no peace from the enemy for whoever went out or came in;
For I set all men, everyone, against his neighbor.
11 (AK)But now I will not treat the remnant of this people as in the former days,’ says the Lord of hosts.
12 ‘For(AL) the [q]seed shall be prosperous,
The vine shall give its fruit,
(AM)The ground shall give her increase,
And (AN)the heavens shall give their dew—
I will cause the remnant of this people
To possess all these.
13 And it shall come to pass
That just as you were (AO)a curse among the nations,
O house of Judah and house of Israel,
So I will save you, and (AP)you shall be a blessing.
Do not fear,
Let your hands be strong.’
14 “For thus says the Lord of hosts:
(AQ)‘Just as I determined to [r]punish you
When your fathers provoked Me to wrath,’
Says the Lord of hosts,
(AR)‘And I would not relent,
15 So again in these days
I am determined to do good
To Jerusalem and to the house of Judah.
Do not fear.
16 These are the things you shall (AS)do:
(AT)Speak each man the truth to his neighbor;
Give judgment in your gates for truth, justice, and peace;
17 (AU)Let none of you think evil in [s]your heart against your neighbor;
And do not love a false oath.
For all these are things that I hate,’
Says the Lord.”
18 Then the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying, 19 “Thus says the Lord of hosts:
(AV)‘The fast of the fourth month,
(AW)The fast of the fifth,
(AX)The fast of the seventh,
(AY)And the fast of the tenth,
Shall be (AZ)joy and gladness and cheerful feasts
For the house of Judah.
(BA)Therefore love truth and peace.’
20 “Thus says the Lord of hosts:
‘Peoples shall yet come,
Inhabitants of many cities;
21 The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying,
(BB)“Let us continue to go and pray before the Lord,
And seek the Lord of hosts.
I myself will go also.”
22 Yes, (BC)many peoples and strong nations
Shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem,
And to pray before the Lord.’
23 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘In those days ten men (BD)from every language of the nations shall (BE)grasp the [t]sleeve of a Jewish man, saying, “Let us go with you, for we have heard (BF)that God is with you.” ’ ”
Israel Defended Against Enemies
9 The [u]burden of the word of the Lord
Against the land of Hadrach,
And (BG)Damascus its resting place
(For (BH)the eyes of men
And all the tribes of Israel
Are on the Lord);
2 Also against (BI)Hamath, which borders on it,
And against (BJ)Tyre and (BK)Sidon, though they are very (BL)wise.
3 For Tyre built herself a tower,
Heaped up silver like the dust,
And gold like the mire of the streets.
4 Behold, (BM)the Lord will cast her out;
He will destroy (BN)her power in the sea,
And she will be devoured by fire.
5 Ashkelon shall see it and fear;
Gaza also shall be very sorrowful;
And (BO)Ekron, for He dried up her expectation.
The king shall perish from Gaza,
And Ashkelon shall not be inhabited.
6 “A[v] mixed race shall settle (BP)in Ashdod,
And I will cut off the pride of the (BQ)Philistines.
7 I will take away the blood from his mouth,
And the abominations from between his teeth.
But he who remains, even he shall be for our God,
And shall be like a leader in Judah,
And Ekron like a Jebusite.
8 (BR)I will camp around My house
Because of the army,
Because of him who passes by and him who returns.
No more shall an oppressor pass through them,
For now I have seen with My eyes.
The Coming King(BS)
9 “Rejoice (BT)greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, (BU)your King is coming to you;
He is just and having salvation,
Lowly and riding on a donkey,
A colt, the foal of a donkey.
10 I (BV)will cut off the chariot from Ephraim
And the horse from Jerusalem;
The (BW)battle bow shall be cut off.
He shall speak peace to the nations;
His dominion shall be (BX)‘from sea to sea,
And from the River to the ends of the earth.’
God Will Save His People
11 “As for you also,
Because of the blood of your covenant,
I will set your (BY)prisoners free from the waterless pit.
12 Return to the stronghold,
(BZ)You prisoners of hope.
Even today I declare
That I will restore (CA)double to you.
13 For I have bent Judah, My bow,
Fitted the bow with Ephraim,
And raised up your sons, O Zion,
Against your sons, O Greece,
And made you like the sword of a mighty man.”
14 Then the Lord will be seen over them,
And (CB)His arrow will go forth like lightning.
The Lord God will blow the trumpet,
And go (CC)with whirlwinds from the south.
15 The Lord of hosts will (CD)defend them;
They shall devour and subdue with slingstones.
They shall drink and roar as if with wine;
They shall be filled with blood like [w]basins,
Like the corners of the altar.
16 The Lord their God will (CE)save them in that day,
As the flock of His people.
For (CF)they shall be like the [x]jewels of a crown,
(CG)Lifted like a banner over His land—
17 For (CH)how great is [y]its goodness
And how great its (CI)beauty!
(CJ)Grain shall make the young men thrive,
And new wine the young women.
Restoration of Judah and Israel
10 Ask (CK)the Lord for (CL)rain
In (CM)the time of the [z]latter rain.
The Lord will make [aa]flashing clouds;
He will give them showers of rain,
Grass in the field for everyone.
2 For the (CN)idols[ab] speak delusion;
The diviners envision (CO)lies,
And tell false dreams;
They (CP)comfort in vain.
Therefore the people wend their way like (CQ)sheep;
They are [ac]in trouble (CR)because there is no shepherd.
3 “My anger is kindled against the (CS)shepherds,
(CT)And I will punish the [ad]goatherds.
For the Lord of hosts (CU)will visit His flock,
The house of Judah,
And (CV)will make them as His royal horse in the battle.
4 From him comes (CW)the cornerstone,
From him (CX)the tent peg,
From him the battle bow,
From him every [ae]ruler together.
5 They shall be like mighty men,
Who (CY)tread down their enemies
In the mire of the streets in the battle.
They shall fight because the Lord is with them,
And the riders on horses shall be put to shame.
6 “I will strengthen the house of Judah,
And I will save the house of Joseph.
(CZ)I will bring them back,
Because I (DA)have mercy on them.
They shall be as though I had not cast them aside;
For I am the Lord their God,
And I (DB)will hear them.
7 Those of Ephraim shall be like a mighty man,
And their (DC)heart shall rejoice as if with wine.
Yes, their children shall see it and be glad;
Their heart shall rejoice in the Lord.
8 I will (DD)whistle for them and gather them,
For I will redeem them;
(DE)And they shall increase as they once increased.
9 “I(DF) will [af]sow them among the peoples,
And they shall (DG)remember Me in far countries;
They shall live, together with their children,
And they shall return.
10 (DH)I will also bring them back from the land of Egypt,
And gather them from Assyria.
I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon,
(DI)Until no more room is found for them.
11 (DJ)He shall pass through the sea with affliction,
And strike the waves of the sea:
All the depths of [ag]the River shall dry up.
Then (DK)the pride of Assyria shall be brought down,
And (DL)the scepter of Egypt shall depart.
12 “So I will strengthen them in the Lord,
And (DM)they shall walk up and down in His name,”
Says the Lord.
Footnotes
- Zechariah 7:2 Lit. they, cf. v. 5
- Zechariah 7:2 Or Sar-Ezer
- Zechariah 7:2 Heb. Bethel
- Zechariah 7:2 Or to entreat the favor of
- Zechariah 7:3 Lit. consecrate myself
- Zechariah 7:7 Heb. Negev
- Zechariah 7:9 Or lovingkindness
- Zechariah 7:11 Lit. gave a stubborn or rebellious shoulder
- Zechariah 7:11 Lit. made their ears heavy
- Zechariah 8:2 Or jealous
- Zechariah 8:2 Or jealousy
- Zechariah 8:2 Lit. heat or rage
- Zechariah 8:4 Lit. many days
- Zechariah 8:6 Or wonderful
- Zechariah 8:7 Lit. rising sun
- Zechariah 8:7 Lit. setting sun
- Zechariah 8:12 Lit. seed of peace
- Zechariah 8:14 Lit. bring calamity to you
- Zechariah 8:17 Lit. his
- Zechariah 8:23 Lit. wing, corner of a garment
- Zechariah 9:1 oracle, prophecy
- Zechariah 9:6 Lit. An illegitimate one
- Zechariah 9:15 Sacrificial basins
- Zechariah 9:16 Lit. stones
- Zechariah 9:17 Lit. His
- Zechariah 10:1 Spring rain
- Zechariah 10:1 Or lightning flashes
- Zechariah 10:2 Heb. teraphim
- Zechariah 10:2 afflicted
- Zechariah 10:3 Leaders
- Zechariah 10:4 Or despot
- Zechariah 10:9 Or scatter
- Zechariah 10:11 The Nile
Mark 9
New King James Version
The Transfiguration of Christ(A)
9 And He said to them, (B)“Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see (C)the kingdom of God [a]present with power.”
Jesus Transfigured on the Mount
2 (D)Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. 3 His clothes became shining, exceedingly (E)white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them. 4 And Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. 5 Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”— 6 because he did not know what to say, for they were greatly afraid.
7 And a (F)cloud came and overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is (G)My beloved Son. (H)Hear Him!” 8 Suddenly, when they had looked around, they saw no one anymore, but only Jesus with themselves.
9 (I)Now as they came down from the mountain, He commanded them that they should tell no one the things they had seen, till the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10 So they kept this word to themselves, questioning (J)what the rising from the dead meant.
11 And they asked Him, saying, “Why do the scribes say (K)that Elijah must come first?”
12 Then He answered and told them, “Indeed, Elijah is coming first and restores all things. And (L)how is it written concerning the Son of Man, that He must suffer many things and (M)be treated with contempt? 13 But I say to you that (N)Elijah has also come, and they did to him whatever they wished, as it is written of him.”
A Boy Is Healed(O)
14 (P)And when He came to the disciples, He saw a great multitude around them, and scribes disputing with them. 15 Immediately, when they saw Him, all the people were greatly amazed, and running to Him, greeted Him. 16 And He asked the scribes, “What are you discussing with them?”
17 Then (Q)one of the crowd answered and said, “Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit. 18 And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not.”
19 He answered him and said, “O (R)faithless[b] generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I [c]bear with you? Bring him to Me.” 20 Then they brought him to Him. And (S)when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth.
21 So He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?”
And he said, “From childhood. 22 And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”
23 Jesus said to him, (T)“If[d] you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”
24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; (U)help my unbelief!”
25 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He (V)rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!” 26 Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, “He is dead.” 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.
28 (W)And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?”
29 So He said to them, “This kind can come out by nothing but (X)prayer [e]and fasting.”
Jesus Again Predicts His Death and Resurrection
30 Then they departed from there and passed through Galilee, and He did not want anyone to know it. 31 (Y)For He taught His disciples and said to them, “The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men, and they will (Z)kill Him. And after He is killed, He will (AA)rise the third day.” 32 But they (AB)did not understand this saying, and were afraid to ask Him.
Who Is the Greatest?(AC)
33 (AD)Then He came to Capernaum. And when He was in the house He asked them, “What was it you [f]disputed among yourselves on the road?” 34 But they kept silent, for on the road they had (AE)disputed among themselves who would be the (AF)greatest. 35 And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, (AG)“If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.” 36 Then (AH)He took a little child and set him in the midst of them. And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them, 37 “Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and (AI)whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me.”
Jesus Forbids Sectarianism(AJ)
38 (AK)Now John answered Him, saying, “Teacher, we saw someone who does not follow us casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow us.”
39 But Jesus said, “Do not forbid him, (AL)for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me. 40 For (AM)he who is not against [g]us is on [h]our side. 41 (AN)For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.
Jesus Warns of Offenses(AO)
42 (AP)“But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me [i]to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea. 43 (AQ)If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life [j]maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to [k]hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched— 44 [l]where
(AR)‘Their worm does not die
And the fire is not quenched.’
45 And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame, rather than having two feet, to be cast into [m]hell, [n]into the fire that shall never be quenched— 46 where
(AS)‘Their worm does not die
And the fire is not quenched.’
47 And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into [o]hell fire— 48 where
Tasteless Salt Is Worthless
49 “For everyone will be (AV)seasoned with fire, (AW)and[p] every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt. 50 (AX)Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? (AY)Have salt in yourselves, and (AZ)have peace with one another.”
Footnotes
- Mark 9:1 having come
- Mark 9:19 unbelieving
- Mark 9:19 put up with
- Mark 9:23 NU “ ‘If You can!’ All things
- Mark 9:29 NU omits and fasting
- Mark 9:33 discussed
- Mark 9:40 M you
- Mark 9:40 M your
- Mark 9:42 To fall into sin
- Mark 9:43 crippled
- Mark 9:43 Gr. Gehenna
- Mark 9:44 NU omits v. 44.
- Mark 9:45 Gr. Gehenna
- Mark 9:45 NU omits the rest of v. 45 and all of v. 46.
- Mark 9:47 Gr. Gehenna
- Mark 9:49 NU omits the rest of v. 49.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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