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Zechariah’s Third Vision
2 And I looked up[a] and I saw, and look, a man, and in his hand was a measuring rope! 2 And I asked, “Where are you going?” And he answered me, “To measure Jerusalem to see what is its width and what is its length.” 3 And look, the angel who was talking to me was coming forward, and another angel was coming forward to meet him. 4 And he said to him, “Run, say to that young man, ‘Jerusalem shall be inhabited like villages without walls[b] because of the multitude of people and animals in its midst. 5 And I will be for it a wall of fire all around,’ declares[c] Yahweh, ‘and I will be the glory in its midst.’”
6 “Woe! Woe! Flee from the land of the north,” declares[d] Yahweh, “for I have scattered you like the four winds of the heavens,” declares[e] Yahweh. 7 “Woe, Zion! Escape, you inhabitants of the daughter of Babylon!” 8 For thus said Yahweh of hosts, after glory[f] he sent me against the nations plundering you: Truly, the one touching you is touching the apple[g] of his eye. 9 “Yes, look! I am going to wave my hand against them, and they will become plunder for their servants, and you will know that Yahweh of hosts has sent me. 10 Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for look, I am coming and I will dwell in your midst,” declares[h] Yahweh. 11 “Many nations will join themselves to Yahweh on that day, and they will be my people, and I will dwell in your midst. And you will know that Yahweh of hosts has sent me to you. 12 And Yahweh will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land,[i] and he will again choose Jerusalem. 13 Be silent, all people,[j] before Yahweh, for he is roused from his holy dwelling.”[k]
Zechariah’s Fourth Vision
3 And he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before[l] the angel of Yahweh; and Satan[m] was standing on his right to accuse him. 2 But Yahweh said to Satan,[n] “Yahweh rebukes you, O Satan![o] Yahweh who has chosen Jerusalem rebukes you! Is this not a stick snatched from the fire?” 3 And Joshua was clothed in filthy garments and was standing before[p] the angel. 4 And he answered and said to the ones standing before[q] him, saying, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” And he said to him, “See, I have taken away your guilt[r] from you, and will clothe you with rich garments.” 5 And I said, “Let them put a clean headband[s] on his head.” And they put a clean headband on his head, and they clothed him with garments. And the angel of Yahweh was standing by.
6 And the angel of Yahweh assured Joshua, saying, 7 “Thus says Yahweh of hosts: ‘If you will walk in my ways, and if you will keep my requirements, then you will judge[t] my house, and you will also guard my courtyards, and I will give to you passageways[u] among these that are standing here. 8 Listen, please, O Joshua the high priest, you and your companions[v] that are sitting before[w] you. For the men are a sign that,[x] look, I am going to bring my servant the Branch.[y] 9 For consider, the stone that I set before[z] Joshua, on one stone are seven eyes.[aa] Look, I am going to engrave an inscription on it,’[ab] declares[ac] Yahweh of hosts, ‘and I will remove the guilt of that land in a single day. 10 On that day,’ declares[ad] Yahweh of hosts, ‘you will invite one another[ae] under the vine and under the fig tree.’”
The First Beast from the Sea
13 And I saw coming up out of the sea a beast that had ten horns and seven heads, and on its horns ten royal headbands,[a] and on its heads a blasphemous name.[b] 2 And the beast that I saw was similar to a leopard, and its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like the mouth of a lion, and the dragon gave it his power and his throne and great authority. 3 And one of its heads appeared as though slaughtered to death, and its fatal wound[c] had been healed. And the whole earth was astonished and followed after the beast. 4 And they worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who is able to make war with him?
5 And a mouth was given to him speaking great things and blasphemies, and authority to act was given to him for forty-two months. 6 And he opened his mouth for blasphemies toward God, to blaspheme his name and his dwelling, those who live in heaven. 7 And it was given to him to make war with the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given to him over every tribe and people and language and nation. 8 And all those who live on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name is not written[d] from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slaughtered. 9 If anyone has an ear, let him hear!
10 If anyone is going into captivity, into captivity he goes.
If anyone is to be killed by the sword, by the sword he is to be killed.
Here is the patient endurance and the faith of the saints.
The Second Beast from the Earth
11 And I saw another beast coming up from the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb, and he was speaking like a dragon. 12 And he exercises all the authority of the first beast on behalf of him, and he causes the earth and those who live in it to worship the first beast whose fatal wound had been healed[e]. 13 And he performs great signs, so that he even causes fire from heaven to come down to the earth before people. 14 And he deceives those who live on the earth because of the signs that it has been granted to him to perform on behalf of the beast, telling those who live on the earth to make an image to the beast who has the wound of the sword and yet lived. 15 And it was given to him to put breath into the image of the beast, in order that the image of the beast both spoke and caused that all those, unless they worshiped the image of the beast, should be killed. 16 And he causes all people, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free and the slave, that they give them a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, 17 and that no one was able to buy or to sell except the one who had the mark—the name of the beast or the number of his name. 18 Here is wisdom: the one who has understanding, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man’s number,[f] and his number is six hundred sixty-six.[g]
Prayer for God’s Help in Maintaining Integrity
A psalm of David.[a]
141 I call on you, O Yahweh; hasten to me.
Listen to my voice when I call to you.
2 Let my prayer be set before you as incense,
the lifting up of my palms as the evening offering.
3 Set a guard, O Yahweh, over my mouth;
keep watch over the door of my lips.
4 Do not incline my heart to any evil thing,
to practice wicked deeds
with men who do iniquity;
and do not let me eat of their delicacies.
5 Let a righteous one strike me in kindness,
and let him chasten me.
It is oil for my head;[b] let not my head refuse.
For still my prayer is against their evil deeds.
6 When their judges are thrown down the sides of a cliff,[c]
then they will understand that my words were pleasant.
7 As when one plows and breaks up the earth,
so our bones are scattered at the mouth of Sheol.
8 But[d] my eyes are toward you, O Yahweh, my Lord;
I have taken refuge in you. Do not lay bare my soul.[e]
9 Protect me from the grasp[f] of the trap they have laid for me,
and from the snares of evildoers.
10 Let the wicked fall into their[g] nets,
while I escape altogether.
18 Three of these are too wonderful for me,
and four, I do not understand them:
19 the way of the eagle in the sky,
the way of a snake on a rock,
the way of a ship in the heart of the sea,
and the way of a man with a young woman.
20 This is the way of a woman committing adultery:
she eats and wipes her mouth,
and says “I have not done wrong.”
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