Old/New Testament
The Vision of the Flying Scroll
5 Then I looked up and saw a flying scroll! 2 And the angel[a] asked me, “What do you see?”
I answered him, “I’m looking at a flying scroll. It’s 20 cubits[b] long and ten cubits[c] wide.”
3 He responded to me, “This is the curse that is going out over the surface of the whole earth, because, according to this side of the scroll,[d] all thieves will be ejected, and according to the other side of the scroll,[e] all liars will be ejected.”
4 “I am bringing this about,” declares the Lord of the Heavenly Armies. “The curse[f] will enter the house of the thief and the house of the one who lies in my name. The curse[g] will remain in his house until that house[h] has been completely destroyed, right down to its timber and stones.”
The Vision of the Basket
5 Then the angel who had been talking with me stepped forward and told me, “Please look up and see what’s going out.”
6 So I asked, “What is it?”[i]
He replied, “This is a basket[j] making its appearance.” He also said, “This is what it appears to be in[k] the entire land.”
The Vision of the Woman in the Basket
7 Look, a round lead cover was being lifted, and there was one woman seated inside the basket! 8 And the angel[l] said, “This is evil!” So he shoved her back into the basket and snapped the round, lead cover over the opening.
The Vision of the Two Winged Women
9 Then I looked up to see two women coming forward with the wind filling their wings. (They had wings like those of a stork.) They took up the basket, holding it between the earth and sky.
10 So I asked the angel who was talking to me, “Where are they taking the basket?”
11 He answered me, “To the land of Shinar,[m] so they can build a temple to the woman in the basket.[n] Then when its preparations are complete, the basket[o] will be set there in its place.”
The Vision of the Four Chariots
6 Then I looked up and saw four chariots coming out from between two mountains! And the mountains were made of brass! 2 Attached to the first chariot were red horses. Attached to the second chariot were black horses. 3 Attached to the third chariot were white horses. Attached to the fourth chariot were speckled horses and gray[p] horses. 4 In response, I asked the angel who had been talking with me, “Sir, what are these?”
5 The angel told me, “These are four heavenly spirits that are going out on patrol after having presented themselves to the Lord of the whole earth. 6 The black horses are headed into the north country, and the white ones are headed out after them. The speckled horses are headed toward the south country.”
7 Then the gray horses went out. They were eager to go out on patrol throughout the earth, so the angel[q] said, “Go patrol the earth.” So they went out on patrol throughout the earth.
8 Then he called to me, “Look! The horses that went north have caused my spirit to rest in the north country.”
The Future Prosperity of the Branch
9 Then this message from the Lord came to me: 10 “Go take up an offering[r] from those who came out of[s] the Babylonian[t] exile, that is, from Heldai, from Tobijah, and from Jedaiah. Go along with them today into the house of Zephaniah’s son Josiah, who returned from Babylon. 11 Take silver and gold and fashion crowns to set upon the head of Joshua son of Johozadak, the High Priest. 12 Then tell him, ‘This is what the Lord of the Heavenly Armies says: “Here is the man whose name is The Branch.[u] He will branch out from where he is and will rebuild the Temple of the Lord. 13 Yes, he will indeed rebuild the Temple of the Lord, and he will exalt its majesty by sitting and ruling on his throne. He will serve as priest on his throne, and no contention[v] will exist between them. 14 The crowns will go to Helem, to Tobijah, to Jedaiah, and to Zephaniah’s son Hen, as a memorial in the Temple of the Lord. 15 Those who are now far away will come and do reconstruction work in the Temple of the Lord. Then you will know that the Lord of the Heavenly Armies has sent me to you. This will come about if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God.”’”
A Rebuke about Selfish Fasts
7 During the fourth year of the reign of[w] King Darius, a message from the Lord came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month Kislev.[x] 2 The people of[y] Bethel were sending[z] Sharezer, Regem-melech, and their men to pray in the Lord’s presence 3 and to speak to the priests assigned[aa] to the Temple of the Lord of the Heavenly Armies along with the prophets, asking, “Am I to go about mourning, denying myself throughout the fifth month,[ab] as I have these many years?”
4 Then this message from the Lord of the Heavenly Armies came to me: 5 “Talk to everyone in the land, as well as to the priests. Ask them, ‘When you were fasting and mourning during the fifth and seventh months[ac] for the past seventy years, were you really fasting for me? 6 And when you eat and drink, you’re eating and drinking for your own benefit, aren’t you? 7 Isn’t this what the Lord proclaimed through the former prophets, when a prosperous Jerusalem was inhabited, as were its surrounding cities, the Negev,[ad] and the Shephelah?’”[ae]
The Consequence of Turning from God
8 This message from the Lord came to Zechariah again: 9 “This is what the Lord of the Heavenly Armies says: ‘Administer true justice, and show gracious love and mercy toward each other.[af] 10 You are not to wrong the widow, orphans, the foreigner, or the poor, and you are not to plan evil against each other.[ag] 11 But they refused to pay attention, turned their backs, and stopped listening. 12 They made their hearts hard like a diamond, to keep from obeying the Law and the messages that the Lord of the Heavenly Armies sent by his Spirit through the former prophets. 13 Therefore, just as when I[ah] cried out and they would not listen, so also they will cry out, and I will not listen,’ says the Lord of the Heavenly Armies. 14 ‘I will scatter them to all of the nations, which they have not known.’”
Now the earth was left desolate after them. As a result, no one came or went because they had turned a pleasant land into a desert.
What the Lord will Do for Zion
8 This is this message from the Lord of the Heavenly Armies:
2 “This is what the Lord of the Heavenly Armies says: ‘I’m greatly jealous about Zion, and that makes me furious about her.’
3 “This is what the Lord says: ‘I will return to Zion and I will live in the midst of Jerusalem. And Jerusalem will be called, “The City of Truth” and the mountain of the Lord of the Heavenly Armies will be called,[ai] “The Holy Mountain”.’
4 “This is what the Lord of the Heavenly Armies says: ‘There will yet be old men and old women sitting in the parks[aj] of Jerusalem, each one of them holding canes in their hands due to their old age! 5 The city parks[ak] will be filled with boys and girls. They will play in the city’s[al] open parks.’
6 “This is what the Lord of the Heavenly Armies says: ‘It may seem impossible to the survivors of this people, but is it impossible for me?’ declares the Lord of the Heavenly Armies.
7 “This is what the Lord of the Heavenly Armies says: ‘Look! After having saved my people from the land of the east and from the land of the west, 8 I will also bring them back to live in the midst of Jerusalem. They will be my people and I will truly be their righteous God.’”
An Exhortation to Rebuild the Temple
9 “This is what the Lord of the Heavenly Armies says: ‘Be strong so the Temple can be built, you who are now listening to this message spoken by the prophets when the foundation was laid to the Temple of the Lord of the Heavenly Armies. 10 Before then, everyone was unemployed—even the draft animals—and no one was safe coming or going because of the enemy, because I caused everyone to oppose each other.[am]
11 “‘But now I will not treat the survivors of this people as I did formerly,’ declares the Lord of the Heavenly Armies. 12 ‘For there will be a sowing of peace: the vine will produce its fruit, the earth will produce its full[an] yield, the sky will produce its dew, and I will make the survivors of this people inherit all these things. 13 Furthermore, house of Judah and house of Israel, even though you used to be a curse among the nations, now I will surely save you, and you will be a blessing. Stop being afraid. Instead, grow stronger.’”[ao]
The Lord will Do Good to Jerusalem and Judah
14 “This is what the Lord of the Heavenly Armies says: ‘Just as I intended to bring harm to you when your ancestors angered me,’ says the Lord of the Heavenly Armies, ‘and I did not relent, 15 so I have decided at this time[ap] to do good things for Jerusalem and for the house of Judah. So stop being afraid. 16 Here’s what you must do: tell the truth to your neighbors, administer true and peaceful justice in your courtrooms,[aq] 17 don’t plot evil in your heart against a neighbor, and don’t tolerate[ar] false testimonies,[as] because I hate all these things,’ declares the Lord.”
18 Once again this message from the Lord come to me: 19 “This is what the Lord of the Heavenly Armies says: ‘The fasts that occur in the fourth, fifth, seventh, and tenth months will be joyful and glad times for the house of Judah, replete with[at] cheerful festivals. Therefore, love truth and peace.’”
Future Visits by Nations to Jerusalem
20 “This is what the Lord of the Heavenly Armies says: ‘In the future, people will come, including residents of many cities, 21 and they will travel from one place to another place and say, “Let’s go quickly to pray in the presence of the Lord and to inquire of the Lord of the Heavenly Armies.’ And I will go, too. 22 Many people and powerful nations will come to inquire of the Lord of the Heavenly Armies in Jerusalem, and to pray in the presence of the Lord.”’”
23 “This is what the Lord of the Heavenly Armies says: ‘In the future, ten men speaking[au] all the languages of the nations will grab hold of one Jewish person by the hem of his garment and say, “Let us go up to Jerusalem[av] with you, because we heard that God is with you.”’”
The Vision of Worship
19 After these things, I heard what sounded like the loud voice of a large crowd in heaven, saying,
“Hallelujah!
Salvation, glory, and power belong to our God.
2 His judgments are true and just.
He has condemned the notorious prostitute
who corrupted the world with her immorality.
He has taken revenge on her
for the blood of his servants.”
3 A second time they said,
“Hallelujah!
The smoke goes up from her forever and ever.”
4 The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures bowed down and worshipped God, who was sitting on the throne. They said, “Amen! Hallelujah!” 5 A voice came from the throne, saying,
“Praise our God,
all who serve and fear him,
from the least important
to the most important.”
The Vision of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb
6 Then I heard what sounded like the voice of a large crowd, like the sound of raging waters, and like the sound of powerful thunderclaps, saying,
“Hallelujah!
The Lord our God, the Almighty, is reigning.
7 Let us rejoice, be glad, and give him glory,
because the marriage of the lamb has come
and his bride has made herself ready.
8 She has been given the privilege of wearing fine linen,
dazzling and pure.”
(The fine linen represents the righteous deeds of the saints.)
9 Then the angel[a] told me, “Write this: ‘How blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the lamb!’” He also told me, “These are the true words of God.” 10 I bowed down at his feet to worship him, but he told me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers who rely on what Jesus is saying. Worship God, because what Jesus is saying is the spirit of prophecy!”
The Vision of the Coming of the Messiah
11 Then I saw heaven standing open, and there was a white horse! Its rider is named Faithful and True. He administers justice and wages war righteously. 12 His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many royal crowns. He has a name written on him that nobody knows except himself. 13 He is dressed in a robe dipped in[b] blood, and his name is called the Word of God. 14 The armies of heaven, wearing fine linen, white and pure, follow him on white horses. 15 A sharp sword comes out of his mouth to strike down the nations. He will rule[c] them with an iron rod and tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. 16 On his robe that covers[d] his thigh he has a name written:
King of Kings and Lord of Lords
The Vision of the Angel’s Invitation
17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun. He cried out in a loud voice to all the birds flying overhead, “Come! Gather for the great supper of God. 18 Eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of commanders, the flesh of warriors,[e] the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, both free and slaves, both unimportant and important.”
The Vision of the Judgment of the Beast and False Prophet
19 Then I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies gathered to wage war against the rider on the horse and his army. 20 The beast was captured, along with the false prophet who had performed signs on its behalf.[f] By these signs[g] the false prophet[h] had deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and worshipped its image. Both of them were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. 21 The rest were killed by the sword that belonged to the rider on the horse and that came from his mouth, and all the birds gorged themselves with their flesh.
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