Bible in 90 Days

Habakkuk’s Question

1 This is the special word which Habakkuk the man of God saw. ² O Lord, how long must I call for help before You will hear? I cry out to You, “We are being hurt!” But You do not save us. ³ Why do you make me see sins and wrong-doing? People are being destroyed in anger in front of me. There is arguing and fighting. ⁴ The Law is not followed. What is right is never done. For the sinful are all around those who are right and good, so what is right looks like sin.

The Lord’s Answer

⁵ “Look among the nations, and see! Be surprised and full of wonder! For I am doing something in your days that you would not believe if you were told. ⁶ I am bringing the Babylonians to power. They are people filled with anger who go across the whole earth to take homes that are not theirs. ⁷ They fill others with fear. They make their own law about what is fair and honored. ⁸ Their horses are faster than leopards, and show less pity than wolves in the evening. Their horsemen come on running horses from far away. They fly like an eagle coming down to get food. ⁹ They all come in anger. Their armies move like the desert wind. They gather prisoners like sand. ¹⁰ They make fun of kings and laugh at rulers. They laugh at every strong city and build a battle-wall to take it. ¹¹ Then they move through like the wind and keep going. They are guilty men, whose strength is their god.”

Habakkuk’s Second Question

¹² Have You not lived forever, O Lord, my God, my Holy One? We will not die. O Lord, You have chosen them to judge. You, O Rock, have chosen them to punish us. ¹³ Your eyes are too pure to look at sin. You cannot look on wrong. Why then do You look with favor on those who do wrong? Why are You quiet when the sinful destroy those who are more right and good than they? ¹⁴ Why have You made men like the fish of the sea, like things which move along the ground that have no ruler? ¹⁵ The Babylonians bring all of them up with a hook, and pull them away with their net. They gather them together in their fishing net, and so they have joy and are glad. ¹⁶ So they give gifts in worship to their net. They burn special perfume to their fishing net, because their net catches all the good things and good food they need. ¹⁷ Will they empty their net forever and keep on destroying nations without pity?

2 I will take my stand and keep watch. I will take my place on the tower. And I will keep watch to see what the Lord will say, and how I should answer when He speaks strong words to me.

The Lord’s Answer to Habakkuk

² Then the Lord answered me and said, “Write down the special dream on stone so that one may read it in a hurry. ³ For it is not yet time for it to come true. The time is coming in a hurry, and it will come true. If you think it is slow in coming, wait for it. For it will happen for sure, and it will not wait. ⁴ As for the proud one, his soul is not right in him. But the one who is right and good will live by his faith.

It Is Bad for the Wrong-Doers

⁵ “Also, wine fools the proud man, so he does not stay at home. He is like the grave who always wants more. Like death, he never has enough. He gathers all nations for himself, and gathers all people for his own. ⁶ “Will not all these people make fun of him and say, ‘It is bad for him who gathers what is not his and makes himself rich with other people’s money. How long will this go on?’ ⁷ Will not those to whom you owe money rise up all at once? Will they not wake up and make you afraid? Then they will take what belongs to you. ⁸ Because you have robbed many nations, the rest of them will rob you. For you have killed men. You have destroyed lands and cities and everyone in them.

⁹ “It is bad for him who builds his house by sinful ways, to put his nest in a high place to be safe from trouble! ¹⁰ You have brought shame upon your house by destroying many nations. You are sinning against yourself. ¹¹ The stone will cry out from the wall, and the roof will answer it from the wood.

¹² “It is bad for him who builds a city with blood, and builds a town with wrong-doing! ¹³ Is it not the will of the All-powerful Lord that people work for what will burn up and nations make themselves tired for nothing? ¹⁴ For the earth will be filled with knowing of the Lord’s shining-greatness, as the waters cover the sea.

¹⁵ “It is bad for him who makes his neighbors drink, mixing in his poison to make them drunk, so he can look on their shame! ¹⁶ You will be filled with shame instead of honor. Now you yourself drink and let your own shame be seen. The cup in the Lord’s right hand will come around to you, and your greatness will turn to shame. ¹⁷ The bad things you have done to Lebanon will come back to you. Because you have killed its animals, now they will make you afraid. This will happen because of all the killing you have done. You have destroyed lands and cities and everyone in them.

¹⁸ “Of what worth is a false god when a workman has made it? Of what worth is an object of worship, a teacher of lies? For the workman trusts in his own work when he makes these false gods that cannot speak. ¹⁹ It is bad for him who says to a piece of wood, ‘Wake up!’ or to a stone that cannot speak, ‘Get up!’ Can this teach you? See, it is covered with gold and silver. There is no breath in it. ²⁰ But the Lord is in His holy house. Let all the earth be quiet before Him.”

Habakkuk’s Prayer

3 Shigionoth tells of this prayer of Habakkuk, the man of God.

² O Lord, I have heard of what You have done, and I am filled with fear. O Lord, do again in our times the great things which You have done before. Remember to show loving-kindness, even when You are angry.

³ God comes from Teman. The Holy One comes from Mount Paran. His shining-greatness covers the heavens, and the earth is full of His praise. ⁴ He is as bright as the sun. He has light shining from His hand, where His power is hidden. ⁵ Disease goes before Him, and much trouble comes after Him. ⁶ He stood and looked over the earth. He looked and shook the nations. The lasting mountains were broken to pieces, and the old hills fell down. His ways last forever. ⁷ I saw the tents of Cushan in trouble. The tent curtains of the land of Midian were shaking.

⁸ Were You angry with the rivers, O Lord? Was Your anger against the rivers? Or were You angry with the sea? You rode on Your horses. You rode on Your war-wagons saving people. ⁹ You took the covering off Your bow and put the arrows to the string. You divided the earth with rivers. ¹⁰ The mountains saw You and shook. The flood of waters flowed by. The sea made its noise and its waves rose high. ¹¹ The sun and moon stood still in the heavens at the light of Your arrows, at the shining of Your spear. ¹² You walked over the earth in Your anger. In anger You crushed the nations under foot. ¹³ You went to save Your people, to save Your chosen ones. You crushed the leader of the land of the sinful and laid him open from thighs to neck. ¹⁴ With his own spear You cut through the head of his soldiers. They came like a storm to send us everywhere, finding joy as if they were destroying in secret those who had it very hard. ¹⁵ You stepped on the sea with Your horses, on the waves of many waters.

¹⁶ I heard and my body shook. My lips shook at the sound. My bones began to waste away and my legs shook. Yet I will be quiet and wait for the day of trouble to come upon the people who fight against us. ¹⁷ Even if the fig tree does not grow figs and there is no fruit on the vines, even if the olives do not grow and the fields give no food, even if there are no sheep within the fence and no cattle in the cattle-building, ¹⁸ yet I will have joy in the Lord. I will be glad in the God Who saves me. ¹⁹ The Lord God is my strength. He has made my feet like the feet of a deer, and He makes me walk on high places.

This is for the song leader, on my different kinds of harps.

1 This is the Word of the Lord which came to Zephaniah the son of Cushi, son of Godaliah, son of Amariah, son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah.

The Day of the Lord Is Near

² “I will take away everything from the earth,” says the Lord. ³ “I will take away man and animal. I will take away the birds of the sky and the fish of the sea. I will destroy the sinful. And I will take man from off the earth,” says the Lord. ⁴ “I will put out My hand against Judah and against all the people of Jerusalem. I will destroy from this place the rest of the people who worship Baal, and the names of the religious leaders who worship false gods. ⁵ I will destroy those who bow down on the roofs to the stars of heaven, and those who bow down and make promises to the Lord and yet promise in the name of Milcom. ⁶ I will destroy those who have turned back from following the Lord, and those who have not looked for the Lord or prayed to Him.”

⁷ Be quiet before the Lord God! For the day of the Lord is near. The Lord has made a gift ready for the altar. He has made holy those whom He has asked to come. ⁸ “On the day of the Lord’s gift, I will punish the leaders, the king’s sons, and all who dress themselves with strange clothes. ⁹ On that day I will punish everyone who is quick to jump through the door, who fill the house of their owner with angry actions and lies. ¹⁰ On that day,” says the Lord, “a cry will be heard from the Fish Gate. A cry of sorrow will be heard from the new part of the city, and a loud noise from the hills. ¹¹ Cry in a loud voice, you people who live in the part of the city where people buy and sell. For all the traders of Canaan will be destroyed. All who weigh out silver will be cut off. ¹² At that time I will look through Jerusalem with a light and will punish those who take it easy and do not care what happens. They say in their hearts, ‘The Lord will not do good or bad.’ ¹³ Their riches will be taken from them and their houses will be laid waste. They will build houses but not live in them. They will plant grape-fields but not drink their wine.”

¹⁴ The great day of the Lord is near. It is near and coming soon. Listen! The cry on the day of the Lord! The man of war will cry out with a bitter cry. ¹⁵ That day is a day of anger, a day of trouble and suffering, a day when much will be destroyed, a day of darkness, a day of clouds and much darkness. ¹⁶ It is a day of the sound of a horn and the cry of battle against the strong cities and the high towers. ¹⁷ I will bring trouble to men so that they will walk like the blind, because they have sinned against the Lord. Their blood will be poured out like dust, and their flesh like body waste. ¹⁸ Their silver and gold will not be able to save them on the day of the Lord’s anger. All the earth will be destroyed in the fire of His jealousy. For all at once He will make an end of all the people of the earth.

A Call to Turn from Sin

2 Gather together. Gather together, O nation without shame, ² before you are driven away like the waste from the grain. Gather together before the burning anger of the Lord comes upon you, before the day of the Lord’s anger. ³ Look for the Lord, all you people of the earth who are not proud, and who have obeyed His Laws. Look for what is right and good. Have no pride. You may be kept safe on the day of the Lord’s anger.

The Nations around Israel Are Judged

⁴ For Gaza will be left empty. Ashkelon will be laid waste. Ashdod’s people will be driven out at noon, and Ekron will be pulled up by the roots. ⁵ It is bad for the people who live by the sea, the nation of the Cherethites! The Word of the Lord is against you, O Canaan, land of the Philistines. I will destroy you so that no people will be left living in you. ⁶ The land by the sea will be open fields, a place for shepherds and fences for sheep. ⁷ The land by the sea will be for those left of the people of Judah. They will let their flocks eat there. In the evening they will lie down in the houses of Ashkelon. For the Lord their God will care for them and return their riches.

⁸ “I have heard how Moab has made fun of My people and the sons of Ammon have spoken strong words against them. They have spoken in pride against My people’s land. ⁹ So as I live,” says the Lord of All, the God of Israel, “Moab will be like Sodom, and the sons of Ammon will be like Gomorrah, a land taken over by thistles and salt, a waste land forever. Those left of My people will rob them. Those left of My nation will take their land.” ¹⁰ This will happen to them because of their pride, because they have made fun of the people of the Lord of All. ¹¹ They will be filled with fear because of the Lord. He will destroy all the gods of the earth. All the nations beside the sea will worship Him, every one in his own land. ¹² “You also, O Ethiopians, will be killed by My sword.” ¹³ He will put out His hand against the north and destroy Assyria. And He will destroy Nineveh, making it a waste land like the desert. ¹⁴ Flocks will lie down in it, all the animals of the field. The pelican and the hedgehog will live in the tops of its pillars. Birds will sing in the window. And the doorways will be broken down. The pieces of cedar will not be covered. ¹⁵ This is the city that is full of joy and takes it easy and thinks it is safe. It says to itself, “I am, and there is no one else.” How it has become a waste, a resting place for animals! All who pass by will make fun of her and laugh at her shaking their hands.

Jerusalem’s Sin

3 It is bad for her who does not obey and is unclean, the city who makes it hard for the people! ² She does not listen to anyone and will not be taught. She did not trust in the Lord. She does not come near to her God. ³ Her leaders are lions that make a loud noise. Her judges are wolves at evening. They leave nothing for the morning. ⁴ Her men who tell what is going to happen in the future are proud and cannot be trusted. Her religious leaders have made the holy place unclean. They have turned in anger against the Law. ⁵ The Lord within her is right and good. He will be fair and do nothing wrong. Every morning He brings to light what is fair. Every new day He is faithful. But the one who does wrong knows no shame. ⁶ “I have cut off nations. Their towers are destroyed. I have laid waste their streets so that no one walks in them. Their cities are laid waste, and no one lives in them. ⁷ I said, ‘For sure you will honor Me with fear and receive teaching.’ Then her place would not be destroyed and she would not be punished as I had planned. But they were quick to make all their works sinful.

⁸ “So wait for Me,” says the Lord, “for the day when I stand up to speak. I have decided to gather nations together to pour My burning anger upon them. All the earth will be destroyed by the fire of My jealous anger. ⁹ Then I will make the lips of the people pure. And all of them will call on the name of the Lord, to serve Him shoulder to shoulder. ¹⁰ Those who worship Me and have been driven away will bring My gifts in worship from the other side of the rivers of Ethiopia. ¹¹ On that day you will not be put to shame because of all the works you have done against Me. For then I will take away all your people who find joy in their pride. And you will never be proud again on My holy mountain. ¹² But I will leave among you people who are not proud, and they will be safe in the name of the Lord. ¹³ The people of Israel who are left will do no wrong and tell no lies. A lying tongue will not be found in their mouths. They will eat and lie down with no one to make them afraid.”

A Song of Joy

¹⁴ Sing, O people of Zion! Call out, O Israel! Have joy and be happy with all your heart, O people of Jerusalem! ¹⁵ The Lord has taken away your punishment. He has taken away those who hate you. The King of Israel, the Lord, is with you. You will not be afraid of trouble any more. ¹⁶ On that day it will be said to Jerusalem: “Do not be afraid, O Zion. Do not let your hands lose their strength. ¹⁷ The Lord your God is with you, a Powerful One Who wins the battle. He will have much joy over you. With His love He will give you new life. He will have joy over you with loud singing. ¹⁸ I will gather those who have sorrow for the special days, and take away their shame. ¹⁹ At that time I will punish all those who made it hard for you. I will save those who cannot walk and gather those who have been driven away. And I will turn their shame into praise. They will be known all over the earth. ²⁰ At that time I will bring you home, at the time when I gather you together. I will make you known all over the earth, and all the nations will praise you, when I return your riches before your eyes,” says the Lord.

Word Is Given to Build the House of God

1 On the first day of the sixth month in the second year of Darius the king, the Word of the Lord came to Haggai. The Word was for Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, ruler of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the head religious leader, saying, ² “This is what the Lord of All says: ‘These people say, “The time has not yet come to build again the house of the Lord.”’” ³ Then the Word of the Lord came by Haggai the man of God, saying, ⁴ “Is it a time for you yourselves to live in your houses with walls covered with wood, while this house lies waste?” ⁵ Now the Lord of All says, “Think about your ways! ⁶ You have planted much, but gather little. You eat, but there is not enough to fill you. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothing, but no one is warm enough. You earn money, but put it into a bag with holes.”

⁷ The Lord of All says, “Think about your ways! ⁸ Go up to the mountains and bring wood and build again the house of God, that I may be pleased with it and worshiped as I should be,” says the Lord. ⁹ “You look for much, but it turns out to be little. When you bring it home, I blow it away. Why?” says the Lord of All. “Because My house lies waste, while each of you takes care of his own house. ¹⁰ So the sky has held back the water on the grass in the early morning because of you, and the earth has held back its food. ¹¹ I have called for a time without rain on the land, on the mountains, on the grain, on the new wine, on the oil, on the vegetables, on men, on cattle, and on all the work of your hands.”

The People Obey

¹² Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the head religious leader, and all the rest of the people of Israel, obeyed the voice of the Lord their God. They obeyed the words of Haggai the man of God, as the Lord their God had sent him. And the people honored the Lord with fear. ¹³ Then Haggai the man of God spoke for the Lord to the people, saying, “I am with you,” says the Lord. ¹⁴ So the Lord moved the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, ruler of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the head religious leader, and the spirit of all the rest of the people. And they came and worked on the house of the Lord of All, their God. ¹⁵ This was on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month in the second year of Darius the king.

The Great New House of God

2 On the twenty-first day of the seventh month, the Word of the Lord came by Haggai the man of God, saying, ² “Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, ruler of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the head religious leader, and to the rest of the people. Say to them, ³ ‘Who is left among you who saw this house of God as it was before in its greatness? And how does it look to you now? Is it anything like it was? ⁴ But now be strong, Zerubbabel,’ says the Lord. ‘Be strong, Joshua son of Jehozadak, head religious leader. And be strong, all you people of the land,’ says the Lord. ‘Do the work, for I am with you,’ says the Lord of All. ⁵ ‘As I promised you when you came out of Egypt, My Spirit is with you. Do not be afraid.’ ⁶ For the Lord of All says, ‘Once again, in a little while, I am going to shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. ⁷ I will shake all the nations so that the riches of all nations will come in. And I will fill this house with greatness,’ says the Lord of All. ⁸ ‘The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine,’ says the Lord of All. ⁹ ‘This house will be even greater than it was before,’ says the Lord of All. ‘And in this place I will give peace,’ says the Lord of All.”

The People Are Unclean

¹⁰ On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month in the second year of Darius, the Word of the Lord came to Haggai the man of God, saying, ¹¹ “The Lord of All says, ‘Ask the religious leaders to decide about this: ¹² If a man carries holy meat in the fold of his clothing, and this fold touches bread or hot food, or wine, oil, or any other food, will it become holy?’” The religious leaders answered and said, “No.” ¹³ Then Haggai said, “If a man is unclean because he touched a dead body and touches any of these, will it become unclean?” And the religious leaders answered and said, “It will become unclean.”

The Lord Promises Good to Come to His People

¹⁴ Then Haggai said, “‘So are these people, and so is this nation before Me,’ says the Lord. ‘And so is everything they have made. What they give there is unclean. ¹⁵ Now think about this from this day on. Think about how things were before one stone was placed on another in the house of the Lord. ¹⁶ When anyone came to a place where there were twenty baskets of grain, there would be only ten. When anyone came to a place to get fifty bottles of wine, there would be only twenty. ¹⁷ I destroyed you and everything you did with a strong-wind, disease, and hail. Yet you did not return to Me,’ says the Lord. ¹⁸ ‘Think about this from this day on, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month. Since the day when the base of the Lord’s house was laid, think about this: ¹⁹ Is the seed still in the store-house? The vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate and the olive tree have not given any fruit. Yet from this day on I will bring good to you.’”

The Lord’s Promise to Zerubbabel

²⁰ The Word of the Lord came a second time to Haggai on the twenty-fourth day of the month, saying, ²¹ “Tell Zerubbabel, ruler of Judah, ‘I am going to shake the heavens and the earth. ²² I will take the power away from kings and destroy the power of the nations. I will destroy war-wagons and their drivers. Horses and their horsemen will fall, every one by the sword of another. ²³ On that day,’ says the Lord of All, ‘I will take you, Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, My servant,’ says the Lord. ‘And I will make you like a ring for marking My name. For I have chosen you,’ says the Lord of All.”

The Lord Calls His People to Turn from Sin

1 In the eighth month of the second year of Darius, the Word of the Lord came to Zechariah the man of God, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, saying, ² “The Lord was very angry with your fathers. ³ So tell them, ‘The Lord of All says, “Return to Me, that I may return to you. ⁴ Do not be like your fathers. The men who spoke for Me in the past told them, ‘The Lord of All says, “Return from your sinful ways and from your sinful works.”’ But they did not listen to Me,” says the Lord. ⁵ “Where are your fathers now? And the men who spoke for Me, do they live forever? ⁶ I gave My Words and My Laws to your fathers through My servants who spoke for Me. But they would not listen and so they were punished. Then they were sorry for their sins and said, ‘The Lord of All has punished us for our ways and our works, as He said He would.’”’”

Zechariah Sees Horses during the Night

⁷ On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, the month of Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the Word of the Lord came to Zechariah the man of God, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo. ⁸ During the night while I was sleeping I saw a man traveling on a red horse. He was standing among the myrtle trees in the narrow valley, with red, brown, and white horses behind him. ⁹ I asked, “My lord, what are these?” And the angel who was speaking with me said, “I will show you what these are.” ¹⁰ So the man who was standing among the myrtle trees said, “These are the ones whom the Lord has sent to travel all over the earth to keep watch.” ¹¹ And they said to the angel of the Lord who was standing among the myrtle trees, “We have looked over all the earth, and saw that the whole earth is at rest and in peace.”

The Lord Comforts Jerusalem

¹² Then the angel of the Lord said, “O Lord of All, how long will You have no loving-pity for Jerusalem and the cities of Judah? You have been angry with them for seventy years now.” ¹³ And the Lord spoke kind and comforting words to the angel who was speaking with me. ¹⁴ So the angel who was speaking with me said to me, “Make this known: ‘The Lord of All says, “I am very jealous for Jerusalem and Zion. ¹⁵ But I am very angry with the nations who take it easy. When I was only a little angry, they added to the trouble.” ¹⁶ So the Lord says, “I will return to Jerusalem with loving-pity. My house will be built in it and all Jerusalem will be built again,” says the Lord of All. ¹⁷ Also make this known: ‘The Lord of All says, “My cities will again be filled with riches. The Lord will again comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem.”’”

Zechariah Sees Horns

¹⁸ Then I looked up and saw four horns. ¹⁹ So I said to the angel who was speaking with me, “What are these?” And he said, “These are the horns which have divided the people of Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.” ²⁰ Then the Lord showed me four workmen. ²¹ I said, “What are these coming to do?” And he said, “These are the horns which have sent the people of Judah everywhere, so that no man raised his head. But these workmen have come to make them afraid and to throw down the horns of the nations who have lifted up their horns against the land of Judah so the people would be sent everywhere.”

Zechariah Sees a String

2 Then I looked up and saw a man holding a string used to find the length of things. ² So I said, “Where are you going?” And he said to me, “To see how long and how wide Jerusalem is.” ³ Then the angel who was speaking with me was going out, and another angel was coming out to meet him, ⁴ and said to him, “Run, say to that young man, ‘Jerusalem will be a city without walls because of the many men and cattle in it. ⁵ For I will be a wall of fire around her,’ says the Lord. ‘And I will be the shining-greatness of her.’”

Joy to Come for Jerusalem

⁶ “Come, come, run from the land of the north!” says the Lord. “For I have sent you to the four winds of the heavens,” says the Lord. ⁷ “O Zion! Run away, you who are living with the people of Babylon.” ⁸ For the Lord of All says, “The Lord of shining-greatness has sent Me against the nations which have robbed you in battle. For whoever touches you, touches what is of great worth to Him. ⁹ I will wave My hand over them, and they will be taken by those who were made to serve them. Then you will know that the Lord of All has sent Me. ¹⁰ Sing for joy and be glad, O people of Zion. For I am coming and I will live among you,” says the Lord. ¹¹ “Many nations will be joined to the Lord in that day and will become My people. I will live among you, and you will know that the Lord of All has sent Me to you. ¹² The Lord will receive Judah as His share in the holy land, and will again choose Jerusalem. ¹³ All of you be quiet before the Lord. For He is coming from His holy place.”

Zechariah Sees a Religious Leader

3 Then he showed me Joshua the head religious leader standing before the angel of the Lord. And Satan was standing at his right side to blame him. ² The Lord said to Satan, “May the Lord’s Word be sharp against you, Satan! May the Lord who has chosen Jerusalem speak sharp words against you! Is not this a burning stick saved from the fire?” ³ Now Joshua was dressed in dirty clothes and standing in front of the angel. ⁴ The angel said to those who were standing in front of him, “Take off his dirty clothes.” And he said to him, “See, I have taken your sin away from you, and will dress you in beautiful clothes.” ⁵ Then I said, “Let them put a clean covering on his head.” So they put a clean covering on his head and dressed him in clothes, while the angel of the Lord was standing by.

⁶ The angel of the Lord told Joshua in strong words, ⁷ “The Lord of All says, ‘If you will walk in My ways and do My work, then you will rule My house and everything around it. And I will give you a place among these who are standing here. ⁸ Now listen, Joshua the head religious leader, and your friends who are sitting in front of you are men who show a part of the good things to come in the future. See, I am going to bring My Servant the Branch. ⁹ See the stone that I have set in front of Joshua. There are seven eyes on that one stone, and I will cut writings on it,’ says the Lord of All. ‘And I will take away the sin of that land in one day. ¹⁰ In that day,’ says the Lord of All, ‘every one of you will ask his neighbor to come sit under his vine and under his fig tree.’”

Zechariah Sees a Lamp-Stand

4 Then the angel who was speaking with me returned and woke me up like a man would be made to wake up from his sleep. ² He said to me, “What do you see?” And I said, “I see a gold lamp-stand with a cup at the top and seven lamps on it. And there are seven places to hold oil, one on the top of each of the lamps. ³ There are two olive trees by it, one on the right side of the cup and the other on its left side.” ⁴ Then I said to the angel who was speaking with me, “What are these, my lord?” ⁵ So the angel who was speaking with me said, “Do you not know what these are?” And I said, “No, my lord.”

God’s Promise to Zechariah

⁶ Then he said to me, “This is the Word of the Lord to Zerubbabel saying, ‘Not by strength nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of All. ⁷ ‘What are you, O great mountain? In front of Zerubbabel you will become a plain. Then he will bring out the top stone and call out, “May God give it loving-favor!”’” ⁸ Also the Word of the Lord came to me saying, ⁹ “Zerubbabel’s hands have laid the first stones of this house, and his hands will finish it. Then you will know that the Lord of All has sent me to you. ¹⁰ Who has hated the day of small things? Men will be glad when they see Zerubbabel building the walls of the Lord’s house. These seven are the eyes of the Lord which travel over all the earth.”

¹¹ Then I said to him, “What are these two olive trees on the right and left sides of the lamp-stand?” ¹² A second time I said to him, “What are the two olive branches beside the two gold places that hold the oil to be poured out?” ¹³ He answered me saying, “Do you not know what these are?” And I said, “No, my lord.” ¹⁴ Then he said, “These are the two who are set apart to serve the Lord of All the earth.”

Zechariah Sees a Flying Book

5 I looked up again and saw a flying book. ² And the angel said to me, “What do you see?” I said, “I see a flying book, as long as ten long steps and as wide as five long steps.” ³ Then he said to me, “This is the curse that is going out over all the land. Everyone who steals will be cut off by what is written on one side. And everyone who swears will be cut off by what is written on the other side. ⁴ I will send it out,” says the Lord of All, “and it will go into the house of the robber and the house of the one who makes false promises using My name. It will spend the night in that house and destroy it, both its wood and stones.”

Zechariah Sees a Woman in a Basket

⁵ Then the angel who was speaking with me came out and said to me, “Look up and see what this is that is going out.” ⁶ And I said, “What is it?” He said, “This is the large basket going out.” And he said, “This is the sin of all the people in all the land.” ⁷ Then the lead cover was lifted up, and there was a woman sitting in the large basket. ⁸ The angel said, “This is Sin!” And he threw her back into the basket and threw the lead weight on its opening. ⁹ Then I looked up and saw two women coming out with the wind in their wings. They had wings like the wings of a stork. And they lifted up the large basket between earth and heaven. ¹⁰ I said to the angel who was speaking with me, “Where are they taking the basket?” ¹¹ He said to me, “To build a house for it in the land of Shinar. When it is ready, it will be put in its place.”

Zechariah Sees Four War-Wagons

6 I looked up again and saw four war-wagons coming out from between the two mountains. The mountains were made of brass. ² The first war-wagon had red horses. The second war-wagon had black horses. ³ The third war-wagon had white horses, and the fourth war-wagon had strong horses with spots. ⁴ Then I said to the angel who was speaking with me, “What are these, my lord?” ⁵ The angel said to me, “These are the four spirits of heaven, going away from standing before the Lord of All the earth. ⁶ The war-wagon with the black horses is going toward the north country. The white ones follow them. And the horses with spots go toward the south country. ⁷ When the strong horses went out, they were in a hurry to look over all the earth.” And he said, “Go, look over all the earth.” So they went over the whole earth. ⁸ Then he called to me, “See, those who are going to the land of the north have given My Spirit rest in the north country.”

The Crown on Joshua

⁹ The Word of the Lord came to me saying, ¹⁰ “Take the gifts from Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah, who have returned from Babylon. And go the same day to the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah. ¹¹ Take the silver and gold and make a crown, and set it on the head of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the head religious leader. ¹² Then tell him, ‘The Lord of All says, “See, the man whose name is the Branch, for He will branch out from where He is. And He will build the house of the Lord. ¹³ Yes, He is the One Who will build the house of the Lord. He will be honored as King, and sit and rule on His throne. And He will be a religious leader on His throne, and there will be peace between the two.”’ ¹⁴ The crown will be in the Lord’s house, that people may remember Helem, Tobijah, Jedaiah, and Hen the son of Zephaniah. ¹⁵ Those who are far away will come to build the house of the Lord. Then you will know that the Lord of All has sent me to you. This will happen if you are careful to obey the Lord your God.”

It Is Better to Obey Than Go without Food

7 In the fourth year of King Darius, the Word of the Lord came to Zechariah. This was on the fourth day of the ninth month, the month of Chislev. ² Now the people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regemmelech and their men to ask for the Lord’s favor. ³ They asked the religious leaders of the house of the Lord of All, and the men who speak for God, “Should I cry and go without food in the fifth month, as I have done these many years?” ⁴ Then the Word of the Lord of All came to me saying, ⁵ “Say to all the people of the land and to the religious leaders, ‘When you went without food and cried in sorrow in the fifth and seventh months these 70 years, was it to honor Me? ⁶ When you eat and drink, do you not eat and drink for yourselves? ⁷ Are not these the words the Lord made known through the men who spoke for Him in the past? They spoke these words when Jerusalem was full of people and riches, together with the cities around it, and when the Negev and the lower hills were full of people.’”

People Taken Away Because Of Not Obeying

⁸ Then the Word of the Lord came to Zechariah saying, ⁹ “The Lord of All said, ‘Do what is right and be kind and show loving-pity to one another. ¹⁰ Do not make it hard for the woman whose husband has died, or the child who has no parents, or the stranger, or the poor. Do not make sinful plans in your hearts against one another.’ ¹¹ But they would not listen. They turned away and stopped their ears from hearing. ¹² They made their hearts like hard stone, so that they could not hear the Law and the words which the Lord of All had sent by His Spirit through the men who spoke for Him in the past. So the Lord of All became very angry. ¹³ When I called, they would not listen. So when they called, I would not listen,” says the Lord of All. ¹⁴ “With the wind of a storm I sent them everywhere among all the nations that they had not known. The land was laid waste behind them, so that no one could come or go. They turned the good land into an empty waste.”

The Lord Promises to Build Jerusalem Again

8 Then the Word of the Lord came to me saying, ² “The Lord of All says, ‘I am very jealous for Zion. I am jealous for her with much anger.’ ³ The Lord says, ‘I will return to Zion and live in Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the City of Truth, and the mountain of the Lord of All will be called the Holy Mountain.’ ⁴ The Lord of All says, ‘Old men and old women will sit in the streets of Jerusalem again. Each man will have a walking stick in his hand because he will be old. ⁵ And the city will be filled with boys and girls playing in the streets.’ ⁶ The Lord of All says, ‘It may be wonderful to the few people here in those days, but will it be wonderful to Me also?’ says the Lord of All. ⁷ The Lord of All says, ‘I am going to save My people from the land of the east and from the land of the west. ⁸ I will bring them back and they will live in Jerusalem. They will be My people and I will be their God. I will be faithful and do what is right and good for them.’

⁹ “The Lord of All says, ‘You who are now listening to these words spoken through the men of God who were there when the Lord’s house was started, let your hands be strong for building the Lord’s house. ¹⁰ Before that time there was no pay for man or animal. No one could come in or go out in peace because of those who hated him. I turned people against one another. ¹¹ But now I will not do to the rest of these people as I did in the past,’ says the Lord of All. ¹² ‘The seed will grow in peace. The vine will give its fruit. The land will give its food. The heavens will give water on the grass in the early morning. And I will let the rest of this people have all these things. ¹³ O people of Judah and Israel, just as you were a curse among the nations, I will save you and make you something good. Do not be afraid. Let your hands be strong.’

¹⁴ “The Lord of All says, ‘I wanted to hurt you because your fathers made Me angry. ¹⁵ But now I want to do good to Jerusalem and to the people of Judah. Do not be afraid. ¹⁶ These are the things you are to do: Speak the truth to one another. Judge with truth so there will be peace within your gates. ¹⁷ Do not make sinful plans against one another in your hearts. And do not love to make false promises. For I hate all these things,’ says the Lord.”

¹⁸ Then the Word of the Lord came to me saying, ¹⁹ “The Lord of All says, ‘The times when you do not eat in the fourth, fifth, seventh and tenth months will become glad times of joy. They will become happy, special suppers for the people of Judah. So love truth and peace.’ ²⁰ The Lord of All says, ‘Many people will yet come from many cities. ²¹ The people of one city will say to another, “Let us go at once and pray to the Lord and ask for His favor. I will go also.” ²² ‘So many people and powerful nations will come to look for the Lord of All in Jerusalem and to ask for the Lord’s favor.’ ²³ The Lord of All says, ‘In those days ten men from the nations of every language will take hold of the coat of a Jew, saying, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.”’”

Other Nations Are Judged

9 The Word of the Lord is against the land of Hadrach and will rest upon Damascus. For the eyes of men and all the family groups of Israel are on the Lord. ² The Word of the Lord is against Hamath also, which is beside Hadrach, and against Tyre and Sidon, even though they are very wise. ³ For Tyre built a strong tower for herself. She gathered silver like dust, and gold like the dirt of the streets. ⁴ But the Lord will take away her riches and throw them into the sea. And she will be destroyed by fire. ⁵ Ashkelon will see it and be afraid. Gaza will suffer with much pain. So will Ekron, for her hope will be destroyed. Gaza will lose her king, and no one will live in Ashkelon. ⁶ A mixed people will live in Ashdod, and I will destroy the pride of the Philistines. ⁷ I will take the blood from their mouths, and the unclean food from between their teeth. Those who are left will belong to our God, and be like a family in Judah. Ekron will be like the Jebusites. ⁸ Then I will camp around My land and keep armies from going through it. No one will make it hard for them again, for now I am keeping watch.

The Future King

⁹ Be full of joy, O people of Zion! Call out in a loud voice, O people of Jerusalem! See, your King is coming to you. He is fair and good and has the power to save. He is not proud and sits on a donkey, on the son of a female donkey. ¹⁰ I will destroy the war-wagon from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem. The battle-bow will be broken. He will make peace among the nations and rule from sea to sea, and from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth.

The Lord Will Save His People

¹¹ As for you, because of the blood of My agreement with you, I have set your people free from the deep hole that has no water. ¹² Return to the strong city, you prisoners who have hope. Today I am telling you that I will give you twice as much as you had before. ¹³ I will use Judah as My bow, and Ephraim as My arrow. I will move your sons, O Zion, against your sons, O Greece, and make you like a soldier’s sword. ¹⁴ Then the Lord will be seen over them, and His arrow will go out like lightning. The Lord God will blow the horn and go in the storm winds of the south. ¹⁵ The Lord of All will fight for them, and they will destroy, and walk on the stones that were to be thrown at them. They will drink and make much noise as with wine. They will be filled like a cup used for putting blood on the corners of the altar. ¹⁶ The Lord their God will save them on that day as the flock of His people. For they are like the stones of a crown, shining in His land. ¹⁷ How good and how beautiful they will be! Grain will make the young men grow strong. And the young, pure women will grow strong with new wine.

Israel Will Be Brought Home

10 Ask the Lord for rain in the spring time. It is the Lord Who makes the storm clouds. He gives rain to men, and gives vegetables in the field to every one. ² The false gods say what is not true. Those who use their secret ways tell lies about the false dreams they have seen. Their comfort means nothing. So the people go from place to place like sheep and are troubled because they have no shepherd. ³ “My anger burns against the shepherds, and I will punish the leaders. For the Lord of All has visited His flock, the people of Judah, and will make them like His proud horse in battle. ⁴ From them will come the cornerstone. From them will come the tent nail. From them will come the bow of battle. And from them will come every ruler. ⁵ Together they will be like powerful men, crushing under foot those who hate them into the mud of the streets. They will fight and win the battle against the horsemen because the Lord is with them. ⁶ I will give strength to the family of Judah. I will save the family of Joseph, and I will bring them back, because I have loving-pity on them. They will be as if I had not turned away from them. For I am the Lord their God, and I will answer them. ⁷ Ephraim will be like a powerful man. Their hearts will be glad as with wine. And their children will see it and be glad. Their hearts will have joy in the Lord. ⁸ I will call them together, for I have saved them and set them free. And they will be as many as they were before. ⁹ Even when I send them everywhere among the nations, they will remember Me in far countries. They and their children will live and return. ¹⁰ I will bring them back from the land of Egypt and gather them from Assyria. I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon until there is no more room for them. ¹¹ When they pass through the sea of trouble, I will hold back the waves in the sea. The whole Nile River will dry up. The pride of Assyria will be brought down, and Egypt will lose its power. ¹² I will make My people Israel strong in the Lord, and they will walk in His name,” says the Lord.