And as for thee, O Zerubbabel, sayeth the LORD of Hosts, thou son of Shealtiel my servant: I will take thee, sayeth the LORD, at the same time: and make thee as a seal. For I have chosen thee, sayeth the LORD of Hosts.'"

And say thou unto them, 'Thus sayeth the LORD of Hosts: Turn you unto me, sayeth the LORD of Hosts; and I will turn me unto you, sayeth the LORD of Hosts.

Be not ye like your forefathers, unto whom the Prophets cried afore time, saying, 'Thus sayeth the LORD God of hosts: Turn you from your evil ways, and from your wicked imaginations.' But they would not hear, nor regard me, sayeth the LORD.

But did not my words and statutes, which I commanded by my servants the Prophets, touch your forefathers? Upon this, they gave answer and said, 'Like as the LORD of Hosts devised to do unto us, according to our ways and imaginations, even so hath he dealt with us.''"

Then said I, 'O my lord, what are these?' And the angel that talked with me, said unto me, 'I will show thee what these be.'

So the LORD gave a loving and comfortable answer unto the angel that talked with me.

And the angel that communed with me, said unto me, 'Cry thou, and speak, 'Thus sayeth the LORD of Hosts: I am exceedingly jealous over Jerusalem and Zion,

Therefore thus sayeth the LORD: I will turn me again in mercy toward Jerusalem, so that my house shall be builded in it, sayeth the LORD of Hosts: yea and the plummet shall be laid abroad in Jerusalem, sayeth the LORD of Hosts.'

Cry also, and speak, 'Thus sayeth the LORD of Hosts: My cities shall be in good prosperity again, the LORD shall yet comfort Zion, and choose Jerusalem.''

And I said unto the angel, that talketh with me, 'What be these?' He answered me, 'These are the horses, which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem abroad.'

And the LORD showed me four carpenters.

Then said I, 'Whither goest thou?' And he said unto me, 'To measure Jerusalem, that I may see how long and how broad it is.'

And behold, the angel that talked with me, went his way forth. Then went there out another angel to meet him,

For thus sayeth the LORD of Hosts: With a glorious power hath he sent me out to the Heathen, which spoiled you: for whoso toucheth you, shall touch the apple of his own eye.

Behold, I will lift up mine hand over them: so that they shall be spoiled of those which afore served them: and ye shall know, that the LORD of Hosts hath sent me.

And many nations shall cleave unto the LORD at that day and shall be my people. And I will dwell in the middle of thee, and thou shalt know that the LORD Sabaoth hath sent me unto thee.

And he showed me Joshua the high priest, standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan stood at his righthand to resist him.

'Thus sayeth the LORD of Hosts: If thou wilt walk in my ways, and keep my watch: thou shalt rule my house, and keep my courts, and I will give thee place among these that stand here.

"'Hear O Joshua thou high priest: thou and thy friends that dwell before thee, for they are wondrous people. Behold, I will bring forth the branch of my servant:

And the angel that talked with me, came again; and waked me up, as a man that is raised out of his sleep,

and said unto me, 'What seest thou?' And I said, 'I have looked, and behold: a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon it, and his seven lamps therein, and upon every lamp seven stalks.

So I answered, and spake to the angel that talked with me, saying, 'O my lord what are these?'

The angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, 'Knowest thou not what these be?' And I said, 'No, my lord.'

He answered, and said unto me, 'This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying: Neither through a host of men, nor through strength, but through my spirit, sayeth the LORD of Hosts.

Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

'The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house. His hands also shall finish it: that ye may know, how that the LORD of Hosts hath sent me unto you.

He answered me, and said, 'Knowest thou not, what these be?' And I said, 'No, my lord.'

So I turned me, lifting up mine eyes, and looked, and behold, a flying book.

And he said unto me, 'What seest thou?' I answered, 'I see a flying book of twenty cubits long, and ten cubits broad.'

Then said he unto me, 'This is the curse, that goeth forth over the whole earth: for all thieves shall be judged after this book, and all swearers shall be judged according to the same.

I will bring it forth, sayeth the LORD of Hosts, so that it shall come to the house of the thief, and to the house of him, that falsely sweareth by my name: and shall remain in his house, and consume it, with the timber and stones thereof.'

Then the angel that talked with me, went forth, and said unto me, 'Lift up thine eyes and see what this is that goeth forth.'

Then spake I to the angel that talked with me, 'Whither will these bear the measure?'

And he said unto me, 'Into the land of Shinar, to build them a house: which when it is prepared, the measure shall be set there in his place.'

Moreover I turned me, lifting up mine eyes, and looked: and behold, there came four chariots out from betwixt two hills, which hills were of brass:

Then spake I and said unto the angel that talked with me, 'O lord, what are these?'

The angel answered, and said unto me, 'These are the four winds of the heaven, which be come forth to stand before the ruler of all the earth.

Then cried he upon me, and spake unto me, saying, 'Behold, these that go toward the north, shall still my wrath in the north country.'

And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

that ye may know, how that the LORD of Hosts hath sent me unto you. And this shall come to pass, if ye will hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD your God.''

Then came the word of the LORD of Hosts unto me, saying,

"Speak unto all the people of the land, and to the priests, and say, 'When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh month, now this seventy years, did ye fast unto me?

So the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

Thus saith the LORD Sabaoth: behold, I will deliver my people from the east country and from the land of the going down of the sun,

and will bring them that they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God in truth and righteousness.

"Thus sayeth the LORD of Hosts: let your hands be strong, ye that now hear these words by the mouth of the prophets which be in these days that the foundation is laid upon the LORD of Hosts' house, that the temple may be builded.

For thus sayeth the LORD of Hosts: Like as I devised to punish you, what time as your fathers provoked me unto wrath, sayeth the LORD of Hosts, and spared not.

And the word of the LORD of Hosts came unto me, saying,

And so will I compass my house round about with my men of war going to and fro: that no oppressor come upon them any more. For that have I seen now with mine eyes.

For Judah have I bent out as a bow for me, and Ephraim have I filled. Thy sons, O Zion, will I raise up against the Greeks, and make thee as a giant's sword:

My wrathful displeasure is moved at the shepherds, and I will visit the goats. For the LORD of Hosts will graciously visit his flock, the house of Judah, and hold them as a goodly fair horse in the battle.

I will sow them among the people, that they may think upon me in far countries: they shall live with their children, and turn again.

I will comfort them in the LORD, that they may walk in his name," sayeth the LORD.

Open thy doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may consume thy cedar trees.

Men may hear the shepherds mourn, for their glory is destroyed. Men may hear the lion's whelps roar, for the pride of Jordan is wasted away.

Thus sayeth the LORD my God, "Feed the sheep of the slaughter,

Therefore will I no more spare those that dwell in the land, sayeth the LORD. But lo, I will deliver the people, every man, into his neighbour's hand and into the hand of his king: that they may smite the land. And out of their hands will I not deliver them."

I myself fed the slaughter sheep, and poor flock verily; and took unto me two staffs: the one I called 'Loving Meekness,' the other I called 'Woe.' And so I kept the sheep.

Three shepherds destroyed I in one month, for I might not away with them, neither had they any delight in me.

I took also my Loving Meek staff, and brake it, that I might disannul the covenant, which I made with all people.

And so it was broken in that day. Then the poor simple sheep that had a respect unto me, knew thereby that it was the word of the LORD.

And I said unto them, "If ye think it good, bring hither my price: if no, then leave." So they weighed down thirty silver pens, the value that I was prized at.

And the LORD said unto me, "Cast it unto the potter" - a goodly price for me to be valued at of them. And I took the thirty silver pens, and cast them to the potter in the house of the LORD.

Then brake I my other staff also, namely Woe, that I might loose the brotherhood betwixt Judah and Israel.

And the LORD said unto me, "Take to thee also the staff of a foolish shepherd:

And the princes of Judah shall say in their hearts, 'The inhabiters of Jerusalem shall give me consolation in the LORD of Hosts their God.'

Moreover, upon the house of David and upon the citizens of Jerusalem, will I pour out the spirit of grace and prayer, so that they shall look upon me, whom they have pierced: and they shall beweep him, as men mourn for their only begotten son: Yea, and be sorry for him, as men are sorry for their first child

But he shall be fain to say, 'I am no Prophet: I am a husbandman, for so am I taught by Adam from my youth up.'

"Arise, O thou sword, upon my shepherd, and upon the prince of my people, sayeth the LORD of Hosts: Smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered abroad, and so will I turn mine hand to the little ones.

And the same third part will I bring through the fire, and will cleanse them, as the silver is cleansed: Yea and try them, like as gold is tried. Then shall they call upon my name, and I will hear them: I will say, 'It is my people.' And they shall say, 'LORD, my God.'"

And ye shall flee unto the valley of my hills, for the valley of the hills shall reach unto Asia. Yea, flee shall ye, like as ye fled for the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. And the LORD my God shall come, and all saints with him.

"Should not a son honour his father, and a servant his master? If I be now a father, where is mine honour? If I be the LORD, where am I feared? sayeth the LORD of Hosts, now, to you priests that despise my name. And if ye say, 'Wherein have we despised thy name?'

And now make your prayer before God, that he may have mercy upon us: for such things have ye done. Shall he regard your persons, think ye, sayeth the LORD of Hosts?

For from the rising up of the sun unto the going down of the same, my name is great among the Gentiles. Yea, in every place shall there sacrifice be done, and a clean meat offering offered up unto my name: for my name is great among the Heathen, sayeth the LORD of Hosts.

Now say ye, 'It is but labour and travail,' and thus have ye thought scorn at it, sayeth the LORD of Hosts; offering robbery, yea the lame and the sick. Ye have brought me in a meat offering? Should I accept it of your hand? sayeth the LORD.

Cursed be the dissembler, which hath in his flock one that is male, and when he maketh a vow, offereth a spotted one unto the LORD. For I am a great King, sayeth the LORD of Hosts, and my name is fearful among the Heathen.

If ye will not hear it, nor regard it, to give the glory unto my name, sayeth the LORD of Hosts, I will send a curse upon you, and will curse your blessings. Yea, curse them will I if ye do not take heed.

And ye shall know that I have sent this commandment unto you: that my covenant which I made with Levi, might stand, sayeth the LORD of Hosts.

I made a covenant of life and peace with him: this I gave him, that he might stand in awe of me: and so he did fear me, and had my name in reverence.

The law of truth was in his mouth, and there was no wickedness found in his lips. He walked with me in peace and equity, and did turn many one away from their sins.

For the priest's lips should be sure knowledge, that men may seek the law at his mouth, for he is a messenger of the LORD of Hosts.

Therefore will I also make you to be despised, and to be of no reputation among all the people: because ye have not kept my ways, but been partial in the law.

Behold, I send my messenger which shall prepare the way before me. And suddenly shall the Lord whom ye seek, come unto his temple, and the messenger of the covenant whom ye desire. Behold, he cometh saith the LORD Sabaoth.

I will come and punish you, and I myself will be a swift witness against the witches, against the adulterers, against false swearers: yea, and against those that wrongfully keep back the hireling's duty, which vex the widows and the fatherless, and oppress the stranger, and fear not me, sayeth the LORD of Hosts.

"Ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and since the time of your forefathers have ye not kept them. Turn you now unto me, and I will turn me unto you, sayeth the LORD of Hosts. Ye say, 'Wherein shall we turn?'

Should a man use falsity and deceit with God, as ye use falsity and deceit with me? Yet ye say, 'Wherein use we deceit with thee?' In tithes and heave offerings.

Therefore are ye cursed with penury, because ye dissemble with me, all the sort of you.

Bring every tithe into my barn, that there may be meat in mine house: and prove me withal, sayeth the LORD of Hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven unto you, and pour you out a blessing with plenteousness.

Ye speak hard words against me, sayeth the LORD. And yet ye say, 'What have we spoken against thee?'

Therefore may we say, that the proud are happy, and that they which deal with ungodliness, are set up: for they tempt God and yet escape.'

But unto you that fear my name, shall the Son of righteousness arise, and health shall be under his wings: ye shall go forth, and multiply as the fat calves.

Remember the law of Moses my servant, which I committed unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and ordinances.

'And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Jewry, art not the least concerning the Princes of Judah: For out of thee shall come the captain, that shall govern my people Israel.'"

and sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child. And when ye have found him, bring me word, that I may come and worship him also."

and was there unto the death of Herod: to fulfill that which was spoken of the Lord by the Prophet, which sayeth, "Out of Egypt have I called my son."

I baptise you in water in token of repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptise you with the holy ghost and with fire:

But John forbad him, saying, "I ought to be baptised of thee, and comest thou to me?"

And, lo, there came a voice from heaven, saying, "This is that, my beloved son, in whom is my delight."

and said to him, "All these will I give thee if thou wilt fall down and worship me."

And he said unto them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."