Old/New Testament
The People of the Holy City[a]
Chapter 5
Vision of the Scroll that Flies.[b] 1 Again I looked up, and I beheld a flying scroll. 2 The angel said to me, “What do you see?” I answered, “I see a flying scroll. It is twenty cubits in length and ten cubits in width.”
3 Then he said to me, “This is the curse that goes forth over the entire earth. According to the writing on one side, every thief will be swept away, and according to the writing on the other side, everyone who commits perjury in my name will be banished. 4 I have sent it forth, says the Lord of hosts, and it will enter the house of the thief and the house of anyone who commits perjury in my name. It will lodge inside such a house and consume it, both timber and stones.”
Vision of the Bushel Coming Forth.[c] 5 Then the angel who was speaking to me came forward and said, “Raise your eyes and see what this is that is coming forth.” 6 I asked, “What is it?” The angel replied, “This is a bushel basket coming forth.” And he added, “This is their guilt throughout the land.”
7 Then a leaden cover was lifted up, and there was a woman sitting inside the bushel basket. 8 “This is Wickedness,” the angel said. He immediately pushed her back into the basket and pressed the leaden cover into the opening.
9 Then I raised my eyes and beheld two women coming forward, with the wind in their wings which were like those of a stork. As they lifted up the bushel basket into the air, 10 I asked the angel who had been conversing with me, “Where are they taking the bushel basket?” 11 He replied, “To the land of Shinar, to build a house for it. When the house is completed, they will set down the bushel basket on a pedestal designed for it.”
Chapter 6
Vision of the Four Chariots. 1 Again I raised my eyes and beheld four chariots coming out between two mountains—and the mountains were mountains of bronze. 2 The first chariot had red horses, the second chariot had black horses, 3 the third chariot had white horses, and the fourth chariot had spotted horses.
4 I asked the angel who was conversing with me, “What are these, my lord?” 5 The angel replied, “These are the four winds of heaven which are now ready to depart after presenting themselves for review by the Lord of all the earth. 6 The chariot with the black horses is departing for the land of the north, the red and the white horses will follow after them, and the chariot with the spotted horses will leave for the land of the south.”
7 As these horses emerged, eager to set off and patrol the earth, he said to them, “Go forth and patrol the earth,” and they did so. 8 Then he called to me and said, “Those who are going forth to the land of the north have allowed my Spirit to rest on the land of the north.”
The Present, a Promise for the Future[d]
The Coronation.[e] 9 The word of the Lord came to me: 10 Collect silver and gold from the exiles, from Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah, and go on the very same day to the house of Josiah, the son of Zephaniah. 11 Take the silver and the gold and make a crown, and set it upon the head of the high priest Joshua, the son of Jehozadak, 12 and say this to him: Thus says the Lord of hosts: Here is a man whose name is Branch. He will branch out from where he is, and he will build the temple of the Lord.
13 Yes, he will build the temple of the Lord, and, wearing the royal insignia, he will sit on his throne and govern. There will be a priest at his right hand, and peaceful harmony will exist between the two of them. 14 The crown will serve as a memorial in the temple of the Lord for Heldai, Tobijah, Jedaiah, and Josiah, the son of Zephaniah. 15 And those who are now far off will come and work on the building of the temple of the Lord. Then you will realize that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. All this will happen if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord, your God.
Chapter 7[f]
Must I Continue to Do Penance? 1 In the fourth year of King Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, the month of Kislev. 2 [g]Bethel-sarezer sent Regem-melech and his men to entreat the favor of the Lord 3 [h]and to ask the priests in the house of the Lord, and the prophets, “Should I continue to mourn and to fast in the fifth month, as I have been doing for these many years?”
4 Then the word of the Lord of hosts came to me: 5 Say to all the people of the country and to the priests: When you fasted and mourned in the fifth month and the seventh month during these seventy years, was it truly for my sake that you fasted? 6 And when you were eating and drinking, were you not eating and drinking for yourselves? 7 Were not these the words that the Lord proclaimed through the prophets in the past, when Jerusalem was inhabited and enjoying peace, as were her surrounding towns, and when the Negeb and the foothills were inhabited?
8 This word of the Lord came to Zechariah: 9 Thus says the Lord of hosts: Render fair judgments, and show kindness and compassion to one another. 10 Do not oppress the widow, the orphan, the alien, or the poor. Do not plot evil in your heart against one another. 11 But they refused to listen; they defiantly turned their backs and stopped their ears so that they would not hear. 12 They were adamant in their refusal to accept the teaching and the law that the Lord of hosts had transmitted by his Spirit through the former prophets.
Therefore, the wrath of the Lord of hosts was aroused. 13 Since they refused to listen when he called to them, he in turn would not listen when they cried out to the Lord of hosts. 14 Rather, he scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations where they were strangers. Therefore, the land they left was desolate after their departure, and no one came or went. They had turned their pleasant land into a desert.
Chapter 8
Behold, I Will Save My People. 1 This word of the Lord of hosts came to me:
2 Thus says the Lord of hosts:
I am intensely jealous for Zion,
and I am filled with jealous wrath for her.
3 Thus says the Lord:
I will return to Zion,
and I will dwell in the heart of Jerusalem.
Jerusalem will be called the faithful city,
and the mountain of the Lord of hosts
will be called the holy mountain.
4 The Lord of hosts says this:
Old men and old women once again will sit
in the squares of Jerusalem,
each one leaning on a stick
because of old age.
5 And her streets will be filled
with boys and girls at play.
6 The Lord of hosts says this:
Even if this seems impossible
to the remnant of this people in those days,
will it also seem impossible to me?
says the Lord.
7 The Lord of hosts says this:
I will rescue my people
from the countries of the east
and from the countries of the west.
8 I will bring them back
to dwell in Jerusalem.
They will be my people,
and I will be their God,
a God of faithfulness and justice.
9 Thus says the Lord of hosts: Take heart, all you who today hear the promises from the words spoken by the prophets who were present when the foundation of the house of the Lord of hosts was laid for the rebuilding of the temple. 10 Before that time, men were not paid their wages, nor was any recompense offered for the work of the animals. In addition, those who went out or came in were provided with no protection from the enemy, for I had set every man against his neighbor.
11 However, now I will not deal with the remnant of this people as I did in former days, says the Lord of hosts. 12 Now they will sow in peace. The vine will bring forth its fruit, the soil will yield its produce, and the heavens will provide their moisture. All these things I will endow to the remnant of this people. 13 Just as you once were a curse among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so now I will save you, and you will be regarded as a blessing. Do not be afraid. Do not lose heart.
14 Thus says the Lord of hosts: Whereas I resolved to bring disaster upon you when your ancestors provoked me to wrath, says the Lord of hosts, and I did not relent, 15 so now I have resolved in these days to show favor to Jerusalem and the house of Judah. Do not be afraid.
16 These are the things I require you to do: speak truthfully to one another, render judgments at your gates that reflect honesty and peace, 17 and do not plot evil against another in your heart, or love perjury. For all these are practices that I hate, says the Lord.
18 The Saving Fast. The word of the Lord came to me: 19 Thus says the Lord of hosts: The fast of the fourth month, and the fasts of the fifth, the seventh, and the tenth months, shall be periods of joy and gladness and of cheerful festivals for the house of Judah. Therefore, love truth and peace.[i]
20 Thus says the Lord of hosts: In the future, peoples will come, the inhabitants of many cities. 21 Those who dwell in one city will approach those of another and say, “Come, let us go to entreat the favor of the Lord and to seek the Lord of hosts; I myself will go.” 22 Many peoples and strong nations will come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the favor of the Lord.
23 Thus says the Lord of hosts: In those days, ten men from nations of every language will grasp a Jew by the edge of his garment and say, “Permit us to go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.”
Chapter 19
Song of Victory and Wedding Day of the Lamb.[a] 1 After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven, shouting:
“Alleluia![b]
Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,
2 for true and just are his judgments.
He has condemned the great harlot
who corrupted the earth with her harlotry.
And he has paid her back
for the blood of his servants.”
3 Once again they shouted:
“Alleluia!
Her smoke will rise
forever and ever.”
4 The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures threw themselves to the ground and worshiped God who was seated on the throne, and they cried:
“Amen. Alleluia!”
5 Then a voice came from the throne, saying:
“Praise our God,
all you his servants,
and all who fear him,
small and great alike.”
6 And I heard what seemed to be the sound of a vast multitude, like the sound of a torrential stream or of great peals of thunder, crying out:
“Alleluia.
The reign of the Lord our God,
the Almighty, has begun.
7 Let us rejoice and be glad
and give him glory.
For the wedding day of the Lamb has come,
and the bride has made herself ready.
8 She has been permitted to wear
a bright and clean garment of fine linen.”
(The fine linen represents the righteous deeds of the saints.)
9 Then the angel said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed[c] are those who are invited to the wedding banquet of the Lamb.’ ” And he added, “These are the true words of God.”
10 I fell at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brethren who have given witness to Jesus.[d] Worship God! For the witness to Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
Recapitulative Visions of the History of Salvation[e]
11 The White Horse and the King of Kings.[f] Now I saw heaven opened, and a white horse appeared. Its rider was called “Faithful and True,” for with righteousness he judges and wages war. 12 His eyes were like fiery flames, and on his head were many crowns. The name inscribed on him was known to no one but himself.
13 He was clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and he was known by the name The Word of God. 14 The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean.
15 Coming out of his mouth was a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron scepter, and he will tread the winepress[g] of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh[h] he had a name inscribed: “King of kings and Lord of lords.”
17 The Great Booty.[i] Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and with a loud voice he cried out to all the birds flying in midair, “Come here! Gather together for the great supper of God, 18 to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of commanders, and the flesh of warriors, the flesh of horses and their riders, the flesh of all, both free and slave, both small and great.”
19 The Beast and the False Prophet.[j] Next I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to wage war against the one upon the horse and against his army. 20 The beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had performed the signs by which he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and those who had worshiped its image.
These two were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. 21 The rest were killed by the sword that came forth from the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.
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