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Zechariah 5-8
Easy-to-Read Version

The Flying Scroll

5 I looked up again, and I saw a flying scroll. 2 The angel asked me, “What do you see?”

I said, “I see a flying scroll that is 30 feet[a] long and 15 feet[b] wide.”

3 Then the angel told me, “There is a curse written on that scroll. On one side of the scroll, there is a curse against thieves and on the other side is a curse against people who lie when they make promises. 4 The Lord All-Powerful says, ‘I will send that scroll to the houses of thieves and people who lie when they use my name to make promises. That scroll will settle there and destroy even the stones and wooden posts of their houses.’”

The Woman and the Bucket

5 The angel who was talking to me went outside and said, “Look! What do you see coming?”

6 I said, “I don’t know. What is it?”

He said, “That is a measuring bucket.” He also said, “That bucket is for measuring the sins[c] of the people in this country.”

7 A lid made of lead was lifted off the bucket, and there was a woman in the bucket. 8 The angel said, “The woman represents evil.” Then the angel pushed the woman down into the bucket and put the lead lid back on it. 9 Then I looked up and saw two women with wings like a stork. They flew out, and with the wind in their wings, they picked up the bucket. They flew through the air carrying the bucket. 10 Then I asked the angel who was speaking with me, “Where are they carrying the bucket?”

11 The angel told me, “They are going to build a house for it in Babylonia.[d] After they build that house, they will put the bucket there.”

The Four Chariots

6 Then I turned around. I looked up and saw four chariots going between two bronze mountains. 2 Red horses were pulling the first chariot. Black horses were pulling the second chariot. 3 White horses were pulling the third chariot, and horses with red spots were pulling the fourth chariot. 4 I asked the angel who was talking with me, “Sir, what does this mean?”

5 The angel said, “These are the four winds.[e] They have just come from the Lord of the whole world. 6 The black horses will go north, the red horses will go east, the white horses will go west, and the horses with red spots will go south.”

7 The red spotted horses were anxious to go look at their part of the earth, so the angel told them, “Go walk through the earth.” So they went walking through their part of the earth.

8 Then he shouted at me and said, “Look, those horses that were going north finished their job in Babylon. They have calmed my spirit; I am not angry now!”

Joshua the Priest Gets a Crown

9 Then I received another message from the Lord. He said, 10 “Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah have come from the captives[f] in Babylon. Get silver and gold from these men and then go to the house of Josiah son of Zephaniah. 11 Use the silver and gold to make a crown. Put it on the head of the high priest, Joshua son of Jehozadak. 12 Then tell him this is what the Lord All-Powerful says:

‘There is a man called the Branch.
    He will grow strong,
    and he will build the Lord’s Temple.
13 He will build the Lord’s Temple,
    and he will receive the honor.
He will sit on his throne and be the ruler,
    and a priest will stand by his throne.
These two men will work together in peace.’

14 The crown will be kept in my Temple,[g] so that when people see it, they will remember Heldai, Tobijah, Jedaiah, and the kindness of Zephaniah’s son Josiah.”

15 People living far away will come and build the Lord’s Temple. Then you will know for sure that the Lord All-Powerful sent me to you people. All these things will happen if you do what the Lord your God says.

The Lord Wants Kindness and Mercy

7 Zechariah received a message from the Lord in the fourth year that Darius[h] was the king of Persia. This was on the fourth day of the ninth month (Kislev). 2 The people of Bethel sent Sharezer, Regem-Melech, and his men to ask the Lord a question. 3 They went to the prophets and to the priests at the Temple of the Lord All-Powerful. They asked them this question: “For many years we have shown our sadness for the destruction of the Temple. In the fifth month of each year, we have had a special time of crying and fasting. Should we continue to do this?”

4 I received this message from the Lord All-Powerful: 5 “Tell the priests and the other people in this country this: ‘For seventy years you fasted and showed your sadness in the fifth month and in the seventh month. But was that fasting really for me? 6 And when you ate and drank, was that for me? No, it was for your own good. 7 The Lord used the earlier prophets to say the same thing long ago. That was when Jerusalem was still a rich city filled with people and there were still people living in the surrounding towns, in the Negev, and in the western foothills.’”

8 This is the Lord’s message to Zechariah:
9 “This is what the Lord All-Powerful said:
‘You must do what is right and fair.
    You must be kind and
    show mercy to each other.
10 Don’t hurt widows and orphans,
    strangers, or poor people.
Don’t even think of doing bad things to each other!’”

11 But they refused to listen
    and refused to do what he wanted.
They closed their ears so that they
    could not hear what God said.
12 They were very stubborn
    and would not obey the law.
The Lord All-Powerful used his Spirit
    and sent messages to his people through the prophets.
But the people would not listen,
    so the Lord All-Powerful became very angry.
13 So the Lord All-Powerful said,
“I called to them,
    and they did not answer.
So now, if they call to me,
    I will not answer.
14 I will bring the other nations against them like a storm.
    They didn’t know those nations,
but the country will be destroyed
    after those nations pass through.
This pleasant country will be destroyed.”

The Lord Promises to Bless Jerusalem

8 This is a message from the Lord All-Powerful. 2 The Lord All-Powerful says, “I have a very strong love for Mount Zion. I love her so much that I became angry when she was not faithful to me.” 3 The Lord says, “I have come back to Zion, and I am living in Jerusalem. Jerusalem will be called Faithful City. The mountain of the Lord All-Powerful will be called Holy Mountain.”

4 The Lord All-Powerful says, “Old men and women will again be seen in the public places in Jerusalem. People will live so long that they will need their walking sticks. 5 And the city will be filled with children playing in the streets.” 6 The Lord All-Powerful says, “The survivors will think it is wonderful, and so will I!”

7 The Lord All-Powerful says, “Look, I am rescuing my people from countries in the east and west. 8 I will bring them back here, and they will live in Jerusalem. They will be my people, and I will be their good and faithful God.”

9 The Lord All-Powerful says, “Be strong! You people are hearing the same message today that the prophets gave when the Lord All-Powerful first laid the foundations to rebuild his Temple. 10 Before that time, people didn’t have the money to hire workers or to rent animals. And it was not safe for people to come and go. There was no relief from all the troubles. I had turned everyone against their neighbor. 11 But it is not like that now. It will not be like that for the survivors.” This is what the Lord All-Powerful said.

12 “These people will plant in peace. Their grapevines will produce grapes. The land will give good crops, and the skies will give rain. I will give all these things to my people. 13 People began using the names Israel and Judah in their curses. But I will save Israel and Judah, and their names will become a blessing. So don’t be afraid. Be strong!”

14 The Lord All-Powerful says, “Your ancestors made me angry, so I decided to destroy them. I decided not to change my mind.” This is what the Lord All-Powerful said. 15 “But now I have changed my mind. And in the same way I have decided to be good to Jerusalem and to the people of Judah. So don’t be afraid! 16 But you must do this: Tell the truth to your neighbors. When you make decisions in your cities, be fair and do what is right. Do what brings peace. 17 Don’t make secret plans to hurt your neighbors. Don’t make false promises. You must not enjoy doing these things, because I hate them!” This is what the Lord said.

18 I received this message from the Lord All-Powerful. 19 The Lord All-Powerful says, “You have special days of sadness and fasting in the fourth month, the fifth month, the seventh month, and the tenth month.[i] These days of sadness must be changed into days of happiness. They will be good and happy festivals. And you must love truth and peace.”

20 The Lord All-Powerful says,
“In the future, people from many cities will come to Jerusalem.
21 People from different cities will greet each other and say,
    ‘We are going to worship the Lord All-Powerful.’
And the other person will say,
    ‘I would like to go with you!’”

22 Many people and many powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to find the Lord All-Powerful and to worship him. 23 The Lord All-Powerful says, “At that time many foreigners speaking different languages will come to a Jewish man, take hold of the hem of his robe, and ask, ‘We heard that God is with you. Can we come with you to worship him?’”

Footnotes

  1. Zechariah 5:2 30 feet Literally, “20 cubits” (8.88 m).
  2. Zechariah 5:2 15 feet Literally, “10 cubits” (4.44 m).
  3. Zechariah 5:6 sins The Hebrew text has “their eye,” but with a minor change of one character it becomes “their guilt.”
  4. Zechariah 5:11 Babylonia Literally, “Shinar,” which may be a form of the name Sumer.
  5. Zechariah 6:5 four winds Or “four spirits.” Four winds often means “winds that blow from every direction: north, south, east, and west.”
  6. Zechariah 6:10 captives People taken away as prisoners. Here, it means the Jewish people who were taken to Babylon.
  7. Zechariah 6:14 my Temple Literally, “the Temple of the Lord.”
  8. Zechariah 7:1 the fourth year … Darius This was about 518 B.C.
  9. Zechariah 8:19 days … month These were days when the people remembered the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple. See 2 Kings 25:1-25 and Jer. 41:1-17; 52:1-12.
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Zechariah 5-8
New International Version

The Flying Scroll

5 I looked again, and there before me was a flying scroll.(A)

2 He asked me, “What do you see?”(B)

I answered, “I see a flying scroll, twenty cubits long and ten cubits wide.[a]”

3 And he said to me, “This is the curse(C) that is going out over the whole land; for according to what it says on one side, every thief(D) will be banished, and according to what it says on the other, everyone who swears falsely(E) will be banished. 4 The Lord Almighty declares, ‘I will send it out, and it will enter the house of the thief and the house of anyone who swears falsely(F) by my name. It will remain in that house and destroy it completely, both its timbers and its stones.(G)’”

The Woman in a Basket

5 Then the angel who was speaking to me came forward and said to me, “Look up and see what is appearing.”

6 I asked, “What is it?”

He replied, “It is a basket.(H)” And he added, “This is the iniquity[b] of the people throughout the land.”

7 Then the cover of lead was raised, and there in the basket sat a woman! 8 He said, “This is wickedness,” and he pushed her back into the basket and pushed its lead cover down on it.(I)

9 Then I looked up—and there before me were two women, with the wind in their wings! They had wings like those of a stork,(J) and they lifted up the basket between heaven and earth.

10 “Where are they taking the basket?” I asked the angel who was speaking to me.

11 He replied, “To the country of Babylonia[c](K) to build a house(L) for it. When the house is ready, the basket will be set there in its place.”(M)

Four Chariots

6 I looked up again, and there before me were four chariots(N) coming out from between two mountains—mountains of bronze. 2 The first chariot had red horses, the second black,(O) 3 the third white,(P) 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[d](Q) of heaven, going out from standing in the presence of the Lord of the whole world.(R) 6 The one with the black horses is going toward the north country, the one with the white horses toward the west,[e] 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.(S) 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[f] rest(T) in the land of the north.”(U)

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.(V) Go the same day to the house of Josiah son of Zephaniah. 11 Take the silver and gold and make a crown,(W) and set it on the head of the high priest, Joshua(X) son of Jozadak.[g](Y) 12 Tell him this is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Here is the man whose name is the Branch,(Z) and he will branch out from his place and build the temple of the Lord.(AA) 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[h] will be a priest(AB) on his throne. And there will be harmony between the two.’ 14 The crown will be given to Heldai,[i] Tobijah, Jedaiah and Hen[j] son of Zephaniah as a memorial(AC) in the temple of the Lord. 15 Those who are far away will come and help to build the temple of the Lord,(AD) and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you.(AE) This will happen if you diligently obey(AF) 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(AG) on the fourth day of the ninth month, the month of Kislev.(AH) 2 The people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regem-Melek, together with their men, to entreat(AI) the Lord(AJ) 3 by asking the priests of the house of the Lord Almighty and the prophets, “Should I mourn(AK) and fast in the fifth(AL) 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(AM) and mourned in the fifth and seventh(AN) months for the past seventy years,(AO) was it really for me that you fasted? 6 And when you were eating and drinking, were you not just feasting for yourselves?(AP) 7 Are these not the words the Lord proclaimed through the earlier prophets(AQ) when Jerusalem and its surrounding towns were at rest(AR) and prosperous, and the Negev and the western foothills(AS) were settled?’”(AT)

8 And the word of the Lord came again to Zechariah: 9 “This is what the Lord Almighty said: ‘Administer true justice;(AU) show mercy and compassion to one another.(AV) 10 Do not oppress the widow(AW) or the fatherless, the foreigner(AX) or the poor.(AY) Do not plot evil against each other.’(AZ)

11 “But they refused to pay attention; stubbornly(BA) they turned their backs(BB) and covered their ears.(BC) 12 They made their hearts as hard as flint(BD) and would not listen to the law or to the words that the Lord Almighty had sent by his Spirit through the earlier prophets.(BE) So the Lord Almighty was very angry.(BF)

13 “‘When I called, they did not listen;(BG) so when they called, I would not listen,’(BH) says the Lord Almighty.(BI) 14 ‘I scattered(BJ) them with a whirlwind(BK) among all the nations, where they were strangers. The land they left behind them was so desolate that no one traveled through it.(BL) This is how they made the pleasant land desolate.(BM)’”

The Lord Promises to Bless Jerusalem

8 The word of the Lord Almighty came to me.

2 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “I am very jealous(BN) for Zion; I am burning with jealousy for her.”

3 This is what the Lord says: “I will return(BO) to Zion(BP) and dwell in Jerusalem.(BQ) Then Jerusalem will be called the Faithful City,(BR) and the mountain(BS) of the Lord Almighty will be called the Holy Mountain.(BT)”

4 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Once again men and women of ripe old age will sit in the streets of Jerusalem,(BU) each of them with cane in hand because of their age. 5 The city streets will be filled with boys and girls playing there.(BV)”

6 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “It may seem marvelous to the remnant of this people at that time,(BW) but will it seem marvelous to me?(BX)” declares the Lord Almighty.

7 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “I will save my people from the countries of the east and the west.(BY) 8 I will bring them back(BZ) to live(CA) in Jerusalem; they will be my people,(CB) and I will be faithful and righteous to them as their God.(CC)”

9 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Now hear these words, ‘Let your hands be strong(CD) so that the temple may be built.’ This is also what the prophets(CE) said who were present when the foundation(CF) was laid for the house of the Lord Almighty. 10 Before that time there were no wages(CG) for people or hire for animals. No one could go about their business safely(CH) because of their enemies, since I had turned everyone against their neighbor. 11 But now I will not deal with the remnant of this people as I did in the past,”(CI) declares the Lord Almighty.

12 “The seed will grow well, the vine will yield its fruit,(CJ) the ground will produce its crops,(CK) and the heavens will drop their dew.(CL) I will give all these things as an inheritance(CM) to the remnant of this people.(CN) 13 Just as you, Judah and Israel, have been a curse[k](CO) among the nations, so I will save(CP) you, and you will be a blessing.[l](CQ) Do not be afraid,(CR) but let your hands be strong.(CS)”

14 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Just as I had determined to bring disaster(CT) on you and showed no pity when your ancestors angered me,” says the Lord Almighty, 15 “so now I have determined to do good(CU) again to Jerusalem and Judah.(CV) Do not be afraid. 16 These are the things you are to do: Speak the truth(CW) to each other, and render true and sound judgment(CX) in your courts;(CY) 17 do not plot evil(CZ) against each other, and do not love to swear falsely.(DA) I hate all this,” declares the Lord.

18 The word of the Lord Almighty came to me.

19 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “The fasts of the fourth,(DB) fifth,(DC) seventh(DD) and tenth(DE) months will become joyful(DF) and glad occasions and happy festivals for Judah. Therefore love truth(DG) and peace.”

20 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Many peoples and the inhabitants of many cities will yet come, 21 and the inhabitants of one city will go to another and say, ‘Let us go at once to entreat(DH) the Lord and seek(DI) the Lord Almighty. I myself am going.’ 22 And many peoples and powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to seek the Lord Almighty and to entreat him.”(DJ)

23 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “In those days ten people from all languages and nations will take firm hold of one Jew by the hem of his robe and say, ‘Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you.’”(DK)

Footnotes

  1. Zechariah 5:2 That is, about 30 feet long and 15 feet wide or about 9 meters long and 4.5 meters wide
  2. Zechariah 5:6 Or appearance
  3. Zechariah 5:11 Hebrew Shinar
  4. Zechariah 6:5 Or winds
  5. Zechariah 6:6 Or horses after them
  6. Zechariah 6:8 Or spirit
  7. Zechariah 6:11 Hebrew Jehozadak, a variant of Jozadak
  8. Zechariah 6:13 Or there
  9. Zechariah 6:14 Syriac; Hebrew Helem
  10. Zechariah 6:14 Or and the gracious one, the
  11. Zechariah 8:13 That is, your name has been used in cursing (see Jer. 29:22); or, you have been regarded as under a curse.
  12. Zechariah 8:13 Or and your name will be used in blessings (see Gen. 48:20); or and you will be seen as blessed
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