The Daily Audio Bible

Four Chariots

6 I looked up again, and there before me were four chariots^(A) coming out from between two mountains—mountains of bronze. ² The first chariot had red horses, the second black,^{(B) 3} the third white,^(C) and the fourth dappled—all of them powerful. ⁴ I asked the angel who was speaking to me, “What are these, my lord?”

⁵ The angel answered me, “These are the four spirits^[a](D) of heaven, going out from standing in the presence of the Lord of the whole world.^{(E) 6} The one with the black horses is going toward the north country, the one with the white horses toward the west,^[b] and the one with the dappled horses toward the south.”

⁷ When the powerful horses went out, they were straining to go throughout the earth.^(F) And he said, “Go throughout the earth!” So they went throughout the earth.

⁸ Then he called to me, “Look, those going toward the north country have given my Spirit^[c] rest^(G) in the land of the north.”^(H)

A Crown for Joshua

⁹ The word of the Lord came to me: ¹⁰ “Take silver and gold from the exiles Heldai, Tobijah and Jedaiah, who have arrived from Babylon.^(I) Go the same day to the house of Josiah son of Zephaniah. ¹¹ Take the silver and gold and make a crown,^(J) and set it on the head of the high priest, Joshua^(K) son of Jozadak.^{[d](L) 12} Tell him this is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Here is the man whose name is the Branch,^(M) and he will branch out from his place and build the temple of the Lord.^{(N) 13} It is he who will build the temple of the Lord, and he will be clothed with majesty and will sit and rule on his throne. And he^[e] will be a priest^(O) on his throne. And there will be harmony between the two.’ ¹⁴ The crown will be given to Heldai,^[f] Tobijah, Jedaiah and Hen^[g] son of Zephaniah as a memorial^(P) in the temple of the Lord. ¹⁵ Those who are far away will come and help to build the temple of the Lord,^(Q) and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you.^(R) This will happen if you diligently obey^(S) the Lord your God.”

Justice and Mercy, Not Fasting

7 In the fourth year of King Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah^(T) on the fourth day of the ninth month, the month of Kislev.^{(U) 2} The people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regem-Melek, together with their men, to entreat^(V) the Lord^{(W) 3} by asking the priests of the house of the Lord Almighty and the prophets, “Should I mourn^(X) and fast in the fifth^(Y) month, as I have done for so many years?”

⁴ Then the word of the Lord Almighty came to me: ⁵ “Ask all the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you fasted^(Z) and mourned in the fifth and seventh^(AA) months for the past seventy years,^(AB) was it really for me that you fasted? ⁶ And when you were eating and drinking, were you not just feasting for yourselves?^{(AC) 7} Are these not the words the Lord proclaimed through the earlier prophets^(AD) when Jerusalem and its surrounding towns were at rest^(AE) and prosperous, and the Negev and the western foothills^(AF) were settled?’”^(AG)

⁸ And the word of the Lord came again to Zechariah: ⁹ “This is what the Lord Almighty said: ‘Administer true justice;^(AH) show mercy and compassion to one another.^{(AI) 10} Do not oppress the widow^(AJ) or the fatherless, the foreigner^(AK) or the poor.^(AL) Do not plot evil against each other.’^(AM)

¹¹ “But they refused to pay attention; stubbornly^(AN) they turned their backs^(AO) and covered their ears.^{(AP) 12} They made their hearts as hard as flint^(AQ) and would not listen to the law or to the words that the Lord Almighty had sent by his Spirit through the earlier prophets.^(AR) So the Lord Almighty was very angry.^(AS)

¹³ “‘When I called, they did not listen;^(AT) so when they called, I would not listen,’^(AU) says the Lord Almighty.^{(AV) 14} ‘I scattered^(AW) them with a whirlwind^(AX) among all the nations, where they were strangers. The land they left behind them was so desolate that no one traveled through it.^(AY) This is how they made the pleasant land desolate.^(AZ)’”

Seven Angels With Seven Plagues

15 I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign:^(A) seven angels^(B) with the seven last plagues^(C)—last, because with them God’s wrath is completed. ² And I saw what looked like a sea of glass^(D) glowing with fire and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious^(E) over the beast^(F) and its image^(G) and over the number of its name.^(H) They held harps^(I) given them by God ³ and sang the song of God’s servant^(J) Moses^(K) and of the Lamb:^(L)

⁵ After this I looked, and I saw in heaven the temple^(T)—that is, the tabernacle of the covenant law^(U)—and it was opened.^{(V) 6} Out of the temple^(W) came the seven angels with the seven plagues.^(X) They were dressed in clean, shining linen^(Y) and wore golden sashes around their chests.^{(Z) 7} Then one of the four living creatures^(AA) gave to the seven angels^(AB) seven golden bowls filled with the wrath of God, who lives for ever and ever.^{(AC) 8} And the temple was filled with smoke^(AD) from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the temple^(AE) until the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.

Psalm 143

A psalm of David.