The Daily Audio Bible

6 And I was converted, and raised mine eyes, and saw, and lo! four [four-]horsed carts going out of the middle of twain hills, and the hills were hills of brass. (And I turned, and raised up my eyes, and saw, and lo! four four-horsed carts, or four chariots, going out from the midst of, or between, two bronze hills.)

² In the first four-horsed cart were red horses, and in the second four-horsed cart were black horses; (The first four-horsed cart, or chariot, had red horses, and the second four-horsed cart, or chariot, had black horses;)

³ and in the third four-horsed cart were white horses, and in the fourth four-horsed cart were diverse horses, and strong. (and the third four-horsed cart, or chariot, had white horses, and the fourth four-horsed cart, or chariot, had dappled horses.)

⁴ And I answered, and said to the angel that spake in me, What be these things, my lord? (And I said to the angel, who spoke to me, What be these things, my lord?)

⁵ And the angel answered, and said to me, These be four winds of heaven, which go out, that they stand before the lordshipper of all earth. (And the angel answered, and said to me, These be the four winds of the heavens, which go out from before the Lord, who ruleth over all the earth.)

⁶ In which were black horses, they went out into the land of the north; and the white went out after them; and the diverse went out into the land of the south. (The cart, or the chariot, which had the black horses went out to the land of the north; and that which had the white horses went out to the west; and that which had the dappled horses went out to the land of the south.)

⁷ Forsooth they that were strongest went out, and sought for to go, and run about by all earth. And he said, Go ye, and walk ye through the earth. And they walked through the earth. (And the chariot with the red horses went out to the east; and they all sought to go, and to run about through all the earth. And he said, Go ye, and run ye through all the earth. And so they ran through all the earth.)

⁸ And he called me, and spake to me, and said, Lo! they that go out into the land of the north, made my spirit for to rest in the land of the north.

⁹ And the word of the Lord was made to me, and said,

¹⁰ Take thou of them that (be) of the transmigration, either captivity, of Heldai, and of Tobijah, and of Jedaiah; and thou shalt come in that day, and shalt enter into the house of Josiah, son of Zephaniah, that came from Babylon. (Take thou the gifts from those who be of the exiles, or of the captives, yea, from Heldai, and from Tobijah, and from Jedaiah; and thou shalt go on that day, and shalt enter into the house of Josiah, the son of Zephaniah, who came from Babylon.)

¹¹ And thou shalt take gold and silver, and shalt make crowns, and put on the head of Joshua, the great priest, the son of Josedech; (And thou shalt take that gold and that silver, and thou shalt make a crown, and put it on the head of Joshua, the son of Josedech, the High Priest;)

¹² and shalt speak to him, and say, The Lord of hosts saith these things, saying, Lo! a man, Coming forth, either Born, is his name, and under him it shall spring. And he shall build a temple to the Lord, (and shalt speak to him, and say, The Lord of hosts saith these things, saying, Lo! a man whose name is The Branch shall come forth, and shall spring up. And he shall rebuild the Temple of the Lord,)

¹³ and he shall make a temple to the Lord; and he shall bear glory, and shall sit, and shall be lord on his seat; and the priest shall be on his seat, and counsel of peace shall be betwixt them twain. (yea, he shall build the Temple of the Lord; and he shall bear glory, and shall sit, and shall be lord, or shall rule, upon his throne; and the priest shall be beside his throne, and a concord of peace shall be between these two.)

¹⁴ And crowns shall be to Helem, and to Tobijah, and to Jedaiah, and to Hen, the son of Zephaniah, (as) a memorial in the temple of the Lord. (And the crown shall be in the charge, or under the care, of Heldai, and Tobijah, and Jedaiah, and Josiah, the son of Zephaniah, as a memorial in the Temple of the Lord.)

¹⁵ And they that be far, shall come, and build in the temple of the Lord; and ye shall know, that the Lord of hosts sent me to you. Soothly this thing shall be, if by hearing ye shall hear the voice of your Lord God. (And they who be far, shall come, and help to rebuild the Temple of the Lord; and then ye shall know, that the Lord of hosts hath sent me to you. Truly this shall be, if by hearing ye shall obey the voice of the Lord your God.)

7 And it is made in the fourth year of Darius, king, the word of the Lord was made to Zechariah, in the fourth day of the ninth month, that is Chisleu, that is, November. (And it was done in the fourth year of King Darius, the word of the Lord was made to Zechariah, on the fourth day of the ninth month, that is Chisleu, or November.)

² And Sherezer, and Regemmelech, and men that were with them, sent to the house of the Lord, for to pray the face of the Lord; (And Sherezer, and Regemmelech, and the men who were with them, sent word to the House of the Lord, for them to pray to the Lord;)

³ that they should say to priests of the house of the Lord of hosts, and to prophets, and speak, Whether it is to weep to me in the fifth month, either I shall hallow me, as I did now many years? (and so that they could ask the priests of the House of the Lord of hosts, and the prophets, Is it for me to weep and to consecrate, or to dedicate, myself in the fifth month, as I have done now for so many years?)

⁴ And the word of the Lord [of hosts] was made to me, and said,

⁵ Speak thou to all the people of the land, and to priests, and say thou, When ye fasted, and wailed in the fifth and seventh month(s), by these seventy years, whether ye fasted a fast to me? (Speak thou to all the people of the land, and to the priests, and say thou, When ye fasted, and wailed in the fifth month and in the seventh month, during those seventy years, did ye ever fast in honour of me?)

⁶ And when ye ate, and drank, whether ye ate not to you, and drank not to yourselves? (And when ye ate, and drank, did ye not eat, and drink, to please only yourselves?)

⁷ Whether the words of prophets be not, which the Lord spake in the hand of the former prophets, when yet Jerusalem was inhabited, and was full of riches, and it, and the cities thereof in compass thereof, and at the south and in field place was inhabited? (Were not these the words of the prophets, which the Lord spoke by the earlier prophets, or by the prophets of old, when Jerusalem was still inhabited, and was full of riches, and it, and the cities there all around it, and to the south, or in the Negeb, and on the lowlands, or on the Shephelah, were all inhabited?)

⁸ And the word of the Lord was made to Zechariah, and said,

⁹ The Lord of hosts saith these things, and speaketh, Deem ye true doom, and do ye mercy, and doings of mercy, each man with his brother. (The Lord of hosts speaketh these things, and saith, Judge ye with true justice, and do ye mercy, and doings of mercy, each man with his brother/each person with his neighbour.)

¹⁰ And do not ye falsely challenge a widow, and fatherless, either motherless, and comeling, and poor man; and a man think not in his heart evil to his brother. (And do not ye oppress a widow, or the fatherless, or the motherless, child, or a newcomer, that is, a stranger, or a poor person; and do not let anyone think evil in his heart against his brother, or against his neighbour.)

¹¹ And they would not take heed, and they turned away the shoulder, and went away, and made heavy their ears (and closed their ears), lest they heard.

¹² And they set their heart as an adamant (stone), lest they heard the law, and words which the Lord of hosts sent in his [holy] Spirit, by the hand of the former prophets; and great indignation was made of the Lord of hosts. (And they hardened their hearts like a stone, lest they heard the Law, and the words which the Lord of hosts sent by his Holy Spirit, by the earlier prophets, or by the prophets of old; and so the Lord of hosts had great indignation.)

¹³ And it is done, as he spake; and as they heard not, so they shall cry, and I shall not hear [them], saith the Lord of hosts. (And it is done, as he had said it would be; and because they did not listen to me, so now they shall cry, and I shall not hear them/and I shall not listen to them, saith the Lord of hosts.)

¹⁴ And I scattered them by all realms, which they knew not, and the land is desolate from them; for that there was not a man going and turning again, and they have put [the] desirable land into desert. (And I scattered them into all the kingdoms, which they did not know about, and the land was made empty of them; and because there was no one going forth, and returning, they have made, or turned, this most desirable land into a desert, or deserted and desolate.)

15 And I saw another sign in heaven, great and wonderful; seven angels having the seven last vengeances [seven angels having seven the last plagues], for the wrath of God is ended in them.

² And I saw as a glassen sea mingled with fire, and them that overcame the beast, and his image, and the number of his name, standing above the glassen sea, having the harps of God;

³ and singing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the lamb, and said [saying], Great and wonderful be thy works, Lord God almighty; thy ways be just and true, Lord, king of worlds.

⁴ Lord, who shall not dread thee, and magnify thy name? for thou alone art merciful [for thou alone art pious, or merciful]; for all folks shall come, and worship in thy sight, for thy dooms be open [for thy dooms be opened].

⁵ And after these things I saw, and lo! the temple of the tabernacle of witnessing was opened in heaven [and lo! the temple of the tabernacle of witnessing in heaven was opened];

⁶ and seven angels having [the] seven plagues, went out of the temple, and were clothed with a stole clean and white [clothed with a stone clean and white], and were before-girded with golden girdles about the breasts.

⁷ And one of the four beasts gave to the seven angels seven golden vials, full of the wrath of God, that liveth into worlds of worlds.

⁸ And the temple was filled with smoke of the majesty of God, and of the virtue of him; and no man might enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were ended.

143 The psalm of David. Lord, hear thou my prayer, with ears perceive thou my beseeching; in thy truth hear thou me, in thy rightwiseness. (The song of David. Lord, hear thou my prayer, and listen thou to my plea; and answer thou me in thy faithfulness, and in thy righteousness.)

² And enter thou not into doom with thy servant; for each man living shall not be made just in thy sight. (And enter thou not into the judgement of thy servant; for no one living can be made right, or justified, before thee.)

³ For the enemy pursued my soul; he made low my life in [the] earth. He hath set me in dark places, as the dead men of the world, (For the enemy hath pursued me; and he hath brought me down low to the ground. He hath put me in dark places, like the dead of the world,)

⁴ and my spirit was anguished on me; mine heart was troubled in me. (and my spirit was anguished within me; and my heart was troubled within me.)

⁵ I was mindful of eld days, I bethought in all thy works; I bethought in the deeds of thine hands. (I remembered the old days, and I thought about all thy works; yea, I thought about the deeds of thy hands.)

⁶ I held forth mine hands to thee; my soul (was) as earth without water to thee. (I held out my hands to thee; my soul was like dry ground without water, thirsting for thee.)

⁷ Lord, hear thou me swiftly; my spirit failed. Turn thou not away thy face from me; and I shall be like them that go down into the pit. (Lord, swiftly answer thou me; for my spirit faileth/for my spirit fainteth. Turn thou not away thy face from me; or I shall be like those who go down into the pit.)

⁸ Make thou early thy mercy heard to me; for I hoped in thee. Make thou known to me the way in which I shall go; for I raised my soul to thee. (Let me know thy love in the morning; for I put my trust in thee. Let me know which way I should go; for I raise up my soul to thee.)

⁹ Deliver thou me from mine enemies; Lord, I fled to thee; (Save thou me from my enemies; Lord, I fled to thee/Lord, I flee to thee;)

¹⁰ teach thou me to do thy will, for thou art my God. Thy good spirit shall lead me forth into a rightful land; (teach thou me to do thy will, for thou art my God. Thy good spirit shall lead me forth on the right path;)

¹¹ Lord, for thy name thou shalt quicken me in thine equity. Thou shalt lead my soul out of tribulation; (Lord, for the sake of thy name, save me/let me live. And because of thy fairness, lead thou my soul out of trouble, or tribulation;)

¹² and in thy mercy thou shalt scatter mine enemies. And thou shalt lose all them, that trouble my soul; for I am thy servant. (and in thy love for me, waste thou my enemies. Yea, destroy thou all those who trouble me; for I am thy servant.)

²⁴ Four [things] be the least things of [the] earth, and those be wiser than wise men;

²⁵ ants, a feeble people, that make ready meat in harvest to themselves; (ants, a weak, or a lowly, people, that store-up food for themselves at harvest time;)

²⁶ a hare, a people unmighty, that setteth his bed in a stone; (rock badgers, also an unmighty people, who make their beds among the rocks;)

²⁷ a locust, (that) hath no king, and (yet) all goeth out by companies;

²⁸ a lizard, enforceth with hands, and dwelleth in the houses of kings. (and a lizard, that endeavoureth with his hands, and liveth in palaces.)