The Daily Audio Bible

1 In the eighth month of the second year of Daryavesh, the following message from Adonai came to Z’kharyah the son of Berekhyah, the son of ‘Iddo, the prophet: ² “Adonai was extremely angry with your ancestors. ³ Therefore, tell them that Adonai-Tzva’ot says this: ‘“Return to me,” says Adonai-Tzva’ot, “and I will return to you,” says Adonai-Tzva’ot. ⁴ “Don’t be like your ancestors. The earlier prophets proclaimed to them, ‘Adonai-Tzva’ot says to turn back now from your evil ways and deeds’; but they didn’t listen or pay attention to me,” says Adonai. ⁵ “Your ancestors, where are they? And the prophets, do they live forever? ⁶ But my words and my laws, which I ordered my servants the prophets, overtook your ancestors, didn’t they? Then they turned and said, ‘Adonai has dealt with us according to our ways and deeds, just as he intended to do.’”’”

⁷ On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, the month of Sh’vat, in the second year of Daryavesh, this message from Adonai came to Z’kharyah the son of Berekhyah, the son of ‘Iddo, the prophet: ⁸ It was night, and I saw there before me a man riding on a russet-colored horse. He stood among the myrtle bushes in the valley; and behind him were other horses, russet, chestnut-colored and white. ⁹ I asked, “What are these, my Lord?” The angel speaking with me said to me, “I will show you what these are.” ¹⁰ The man standing among the myrtles said, “These are those whom Adonai has sent to wander throughout the earth.” ¹¹ Then they themselves answered the angel of Adonai standing among the myrtles, “We have been wandering throughout the earth, and the whole world is quiet and at peace.” ¹² The angel of Adonai said, “Adonai-Tzva’ot, how long will you keep withholding mercy from Yerushalayim and the cities of Y’hudah? You’ve been angry with them for the past seventy years!” ¹³ Adonai replied with kind and comforting words to the angel who was speaking with me. ¹⁴ The angel speaking with me then said to me, “Here is what Adonai-Tzva’ot says: ‘I am extremely jealous on behalf of Yerushalayim and Tziyon; ¹⁵ and [to the same degree] I am extremely angry with the nations that are so self-satisfied; because I was only a little angry [at Yerushalayim and Tziyon], but they made the suffering worse.’ ¹⁶ Therefore Adonai says, ‘I will return to Yerushalayim with merciful deeds. My house will be rebuilt there,’ says Adonai-Tzva’ot; ‘yes, a measuring line will be stretched out over Yerushalayim.’ ¹⁷ In addition, proclaim that Adonai-Tzva’ot says, ‘My cities will again overflow with prosperity.’ Adonai will again comfort Tziyon, and he will again make Yerushalayim the city of his choice.”

12 Now a great sign was seen in heaven — a woman clothed with the sun, under her feet the moon, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. ² She was pregnant and about to give birth, and she screamed in the agony of labor.

³ Another sign was seen in heaven there was a great red dragon with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven royal crowns. ⁴ Its tail swept a third of the stars out of heaven and threw them down to the earth. It stood in front of the woman about to give birth, so that it might devour the child the moment it was born.

⁵ She gave birth to a son, a male child, the one who will rule all the nations with a staff of iron.^[a] But her child was snatched up to God and his throne; ⁶ and she fled into the desert, where she has a place prepared by God so that she can be taken care of for 1,260 days.

⁷ Next there was a battle in heaven — Mikha’el and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. ⁸ But it was not strong enough to win, so that there was no longer any place for them in heaven. ⁹ The great dragon was thrown out, that ancient serpent, also known as the Devil and Satan [the Adversary], the deceiver of the whole world. He was hurled down to the earth, and his angels were hurled down with him.

¹⁰ Then I heard a loud voice in heaven saying,

¹³ When the dragon saw that he had been hurled down to the earth, he went in pursuit of the woman who had given birth to the male child. ¹⁴ But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle, so that she could fly to her place in the desert, where she is taken care of for a season and two seasons and half a season,^[b] away from the serpent’s presence. ¹⁵ The serpent spewed water like a river out of its mouth after the woman, in order to sweep her away in the flood; ¹⁶ but the land came to her rescue — it opened its mouth and swallowed up the river which the dragon had spewed out of its mouth. ¹⁷ The dragon was infuriated over the woman and went off to fight the rest of her children, those who obey God’s commands and bear witness to Yeshua.

¹⁸ Then the dragon stood on the seashore;