Old/New Testament
1 In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of Yahweh came[a] to the prophet Zechariah son of Berekiah, son of Iddo, saying, 2 “Yahweh was very angry with your ancestors.[b] 3 You must say to them: ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts: “Return to me,” declares[c] Yahweh of hosts, “and I will return to you,” says Yahweh of hosts. 4 “Do not be like your ancestors,[d] to whom the former prophets proclaimed, saying, ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts: “Return from your evil ways and your evil deeds!”’ But they did not hear[e] and they did not pay attention[f] to me,” declares[g] Yahweh. 5 “Your ancestors,[h] where are they? And the prophets, do they live forever? 6 However, did not my words and my regulations which I commanded my servants the prophets overtake your ancestors?[i] And they repented and said, ‘Yahweh of hosts planned to do with us according to our ways, and according to our deeds so he has dealt with us.’”’”
Zechariah’s First Vision
7 On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, the month of Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of Yahweh came to Zechariah the prophet, son of Berekiah, son of Iddo, saying, 8 I had a vision in the night,[j] and look, a man riding on a red horse. And he was standing between the myrtle shrubs that were in the ravine, and behind him were red, reddish-brown, and white horses. 9 And I asked, “What are these, my lord?” And the angel who was talking with me said, “I will show you what these are.” 10 And the man standing between the myrtle shrubs answered and said, “These are those whom Yahweh has sent to patrol[k] the earth.” 11 And they answered the angel of Yahweh who was standing between the myrtle shrubs, and they said, “We have patrolled[l] the earth, and look, all the earth is dwelling in peace.”[m] 12 The angel of Yahweh answered and said, “O Yahweh of hosts, how long[n] will you have no compassion on Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, with which you showed fury these seventy years?”[o] 13 With gracious[p] and comforting words Yahweh answered the angel who was talking with me. 14 And the angel who was talking with me said to me, “Proclaim, saying, ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts: “I am very jealous[q] for Jerusalem and for Zion! 15 And I am extremely angry[r] with the nations that are at ease, for while I was a little angry, they furthered disaster.”[s] 16 Therefore, thus says Yahweh: “I have returned to Jerusalem with compassion. My temple[t] will be built in it,” declares[u] Yahweh of hosts, “and a measuring line will be stretched out over Jerusalem.”’ 17 Proclaim again, saying, ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts: “My cities shall again overflow from prosperity, and Yahweh will comfort Zion again, and he will choose Jerusalem again.”’”
Zechariah’s Second Vision
18 [v] And I looked up[w] and I saw, and look, there were four horns! 19 And I said to the angel who was talking with me, “What are these?” And he said to me, “These are the horns that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.” 20 Then Yahweh showed me four skilled craftsmen, 21 and I asked, “What are these coming to do?” And he answered, saying, “These are the horns that scattered Judah, so that no man[x] lifted up his head; but these have come to frighten them, to strike down the horns of the nations that lifted a horn against the land of Judah to scatter it.”
Zechariah’s Third Vision
2 And I looked up[y] 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[z] 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[aa] Yahweh, ‘and I will be the glory in its midst.’”
6 “Woe! Woe! Flee from the land of the north,” declares[ab] Yahweh, “for I have scattered you like the four winds of the heavens,” declares[ac] Yahweh. 7 “Woe, Zion! Escape, you inhabitants of the daughter of Babylon!” 8 For thus said Yahweh of hosts, after glory[ad] he sent me against the nations plundering you: Truly, the one touching you is touching the apple[ae] 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[af] 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,[ag] and he will again choose Jerusalem. 13 Be silent, all people,[ah] before Yahweh, for he is roused from his holy dwelling.”[ai]
Zechariah’s Fourth Vision
3 And he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before[aj] the angel of Yahweh; and Satan[ak] was standing on his right to accuse him. 2 But Yahweh said to Satan,[al] “Yahweh rebukes you, O Satan![am] 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[an] the angel. 4 And he answered and said to the ones standing before[ao] him, saying, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” And he said to him, “See, I have taken away your guilt[ap] from you, and will clothe you with rich garments.” 5 And I said, “Let them put a clean headband[aq] 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[ar] my house, and you will also guard my courtyards, and I will give to you passageways[as] among these that are standing here. 8 Listen, please, O Joshua the high priest, you and your companions[at] that are sitting before[au] you. For the men are a sign that,[av] look, I am going to bring my servant the Branch.[aw] 9 For consider, the stone that I set before[ax] Joshua, on one stone are seven eyes.[ay] Look, I am going to engrave an inscription on it,’[az] declares[ba] Yahweh of hosts, ‘and I will remove the guilt of that land in a single day. 10 On that day,’ declares[bb] Yahweh of hosts, ‘you will invite one another[bc] under the vine and under the fig tree.’”
Zechariah’s Fifth Vision
4 And the angel who was talking with me returned, and he wakened me as one who is wakened from his sleep. 2 And he said to me, “What do you see?” And I said, “I see, and look, a lampstand all of gold,[bd] and a bowl was on its top, and its seven lamps on it, and seven lips on each of the lamps that are on its top. 3 And there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.” 4 And I answered and said to the angel who was talking to me, “What are these, my lord?” 5 And the angel who was talking with me answered and said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” And I said, “No, my lord.” 6 And he answered and said to me, “This is the word of Yahweh to Zerubbabel, saying, ‘Not by strength and not by power, but only by my Spirit,’ says Yahweh of hosts. 7 ‘Who are you O great mountain? Before[be] Zerubbabel you will become level ground, and he will bring out the top stone amid the shouts of “Grace, grace to it!”’” 8 And the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 9 “The hands of Zerubbabel have founded this house, and his hands will finish it. And you will know that Yahweh of hosts has sent me to you. 10 For whoever has despised the day of small things will rejoice and will see the plumb line[bf] in the hand of Zerubbabel.”
These seven are the eyes of Yahweh which are ranging throughout the whole earth.[bg] 11 And I answered and said to him, “What are these two olive trees on the right of the lampstand and on its left?” 12 And I replied a second time and asked him, “What are these two twigs of olive trees[bh] on the right of the lampstand and on its left?” 13 And he replied to me, “Do you not know what these are?” And I said, “No, my lord.” 14 And he said, “These are the two anointed ones[bi] standing by the Lord of the whole earth.”
Lament Over Babylon the Great
18 After these things I saw another angel descending from heaven, who had great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor. 2 And he cried out with a powerful voice, saying,
“Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great,
and it has become a dwelling place of demons
and a haunt of every unclean spirit
and a haunt of every unclean bird
and a haunt of every unclean and detested animal.
3 For all the nations have drunk[a]
from the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality,
and the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality with her,
and the merchants of the earth have become rich
from the power of her sensuality.”
4 And I heard another voice from heaven saying,
“Come out from her, my people,
so that you will not participate in her sins,
and so that you will not receive her plagues,
5 because her sins have reached up to heaven,
and God has remembered her crimes.
6 Pay back to her as she herself also paid out,
and pay back double[b] according to her deeds;
in the cup that she mixed, mix double for her.
7 As much as she glorified herself and lived in luxury,
give to her so much torment and mourning,
because in her heart she said,
‘I sit as a queen, and am not a widow,
and I will never see mourning!’
8 Because of this her plagues will come in one day—
death and mourning and famine—
and she will be burned up with fire,
because the Lord God who passes judgment on her is powerful!”
9 And the kings of the earth will weep and mourn over her, those who committed sexual immorality and lived sensually with her, when they see the smoke of her burning, 10 standing far off[c] because of the fear of her torment, saying,
“Woe, woe, the great city,
Babylon the powerful city,
because in one hour your judgment has come!”
11 And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargo any more— 12 cargo of gold and silver and precious stones and pearls and fine linen and purple cloth and silk and scarlet cloth and all kinds of scented wood and all kinds of ivory goods and all kinds of goods of precious wood and bronze and iron and marble 13 and cinnamon and amomum[d] and incense and ointment and frankincense and wine and olive oil and fine wheat flour and wheat and domesticated animals and sheep and horses and carriages and slaves[e] and human lives.
14 “And the fruit your soul desires[f] has departed from you,
and all the luxury and the splendor has perished from you,
and they will never find them any more.”
15 The merchants of these things, who became rich from them, will stand far off[g], weeping and mourning because of the fear of her torment, 16 saying,
“Woe, woe, the great city,
dressed in fine linen and purple cloth and scarlet cloth,
and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls,
17 because in one hour such great wealth has been laid waste!”
And every shipmaster and every seafarer[h] and sailors and all those who labor on the sea stood far off[i] 18 and began to cry out when they[j] saw the smoke of her burning, saying, “Who is like the great city?” 19 And they threw dust on their heads and were crying out, weeping and mourning, saying,
“Woe, woe, the great city,
in which all those who had ships on the sea
became rich from her prosperity,
because in one hour she has been laid waste!”
20 Rejoice over her, heaven
and the saints and the apostles and the prophets,
because God has pronounced your judgment on her!”
21 And one powerful angel picked up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying,
“In this way Babylon the great city will be thrown down with violence,
and will never be found again!
22 And the sound of harpists and musicians and flute players and trumpeters
will never be heard in you again!
And every craftsman of every trade
will never be found in you again!
And the sound of a mill
will never be heard in you again!
23 And the light of a lamp
will never shine in you again!
And the sound of a bridegroom and bride
will never be heard in you again!
For your merchants were the most important people of the earth,
because with your sorcery they deceived all the nations.
24 And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints
and all those who had been slaughtered on the earth.
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