And it was in that time, I will search out Jerusalem with lights, and I reviewed upon the men curdled upon their lees, saying in their heart, Jehovah will do good and not evil.

And their wealth was for plunder, and their houses for desolation: and they built houses, and they inhabited not; and they planted vineyards, and they shall not drink their wine.

And I pressed upon man, and they went as the blind, because they sinned against Jehovah: and their blood was poured out as dust and their bread as dung.

And the region of the sea was a dwelling, and a cutting off of the shepherds and sheepfolds.

And the region was for the remnant of the house of Judah; upon them they shall feed: in the houses of Ashkelon they shall lie down in the evening: for Jehovah their God shall review them, and turn back their captivity.

Therefore as I'm alive and living," declares the LORD of the Heavenly Armies, the God of Israel, "Moab will surely become like Sodom, and the Ammonites like Gomorrah, a place overrun by weeds and salty marshes, unpopulated forever. The survivors of my people will confiscate their property, and those who remain of my nation will inherit what was theirs.

And the flocks lay down in the midst of her, all the beasts of the nations: also the pelican, also the hedgehog shall lodge in her capitals; a voice shall sing in the window; desolation in the threshold: for the cedar was naked.

This is the town which was full of joy, living without fear of danger, saying in her heart, I am, and there is no other: how has she been made waste, a place for beasts to take their rest in! everyone who goes by her will make hisses, waving his hand.

She did not listen and heed the voice [of God];
She accepted no correction.
She did not trust in the Lord [but trusted her own power];
She did not draw near to her God [but to the pagan gods of Baal or Molech].

But the just LORD that doth no unright, was among them, every morning showing them his law clearly, and ceased not. But the ungodly will not learn to be ashamed.

I will gather them that sorrow for the solemn assemblies, who were of thee: the reproach of it was a burden unto them.

Behold, at that time I will deal with all them that afflict thee; and I will save her that halted, and gather her that was driven out; and I will make them a praise and a name in all the lands where they have been put to shame.

In the second year to Darius the king, in the sixth month, in one day of the month, was the word of Jehovah, by the hand of Haggai the prophet to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Josbna son of Josedeck the great priest, saying

Thus said Jehovah of armies, saying, This people said the time was not come, the time of the house of Jehovah to be built

Ye looked for much, and behold it was little; and when ye brought it home, I blew upon it. Wherefore? saith Jehovah of hosts. Because of my house that lieth waste, whilst ye run every man to his own house.

And the spirit of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, ruler of Judah, was moved by the Lord, as was the spirit of Joshua, the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the rest of the people; and they came and did work in the house of the Lord of armies, their God.

In the seventh, in the twentieth and one to the month, was the word of Jehovah by the hand of Haggai the prophet, saying,

"The glory of this present house will be greater than was the former," declares the LORD of the Heavenly Armies. "And in this place I will grant peace," declares the LORD of the Heavenly Armies."

In the twenty and fourth to the ninth, in the second year to Darius, was the-word of Jehovah by the hand of Haggai the prophet, saying,

And now, I pray you, consider from this day and onward, from before a stone was laid upon a stone in the temple of Jehovah,

So long were things thus, that, on coming unto a heap of twenty, then was it found to be ten, - on coming unto the vat to draw off fifty measures, then were there found to be twenty.

For I smote you with heat, blasting and hailstones in all the labors of your hands: yet was there none of you, that would turn unto me, sayeth the LORD.

Consider, I pray you, from this day and onward, from the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, from the day that the foundation of Jehovah's temple was laid, consider it.

In the eighth month, in the second year to Darius, was the word of Jehovah to Zechariah son of Barachiah, son of Iddo the prophet, saying,

Jehovah was wroth against your fathers -- wrath!

But my words and my orders, which I gave to my servants the prophets, have they not overtaken your fathers? and turning back they said, As it was the purpose of the Lord of armies to do to us, in reward for our ways and our doings, so has he done.

In the twenty and fourth day to the eleventh month, this the month Sabat, in the second year to Darius, was the word of Jehovah to Zechariah, son of Barachiah, son of Iddo the prophet, saying,

I looked by night, And lo! a man riding upon a red horse, and he was standing among the myrtle trees, in the shade; and, after him, were horses, red, bay, and white.

Then said I, What are these, my lord? And the messenger who was speaking with me, said unto me, I, will shew thee what these, are.

So the man who was standing among the myrtle-trees responded, and said, - These, are they whom Yahweh, hath sent, to go to and fro through the earth.

Then responded they to the messenger of Yahweh, who was standing among the myrtle-trees, and said, We have gone to and fro through the earth, - and lo! all the earth, resteth and is quiet.

[With] gracious and comforting words Yahweh answered the angel who was talking with me.

And the angel who was talking with me said to me, "Proclaim, saying, 'Thus says Yahweh of hosts: "{I am very jealous} for Jerusalem and for Zion!

And with great wrath I am wroth against the nations who are at ease, For I was a little wroth, and they assisted -- for evil.

And I said to the angel [who was] talking with me, "What [are] these?" And he said to me, "These [are] the horns that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem."

And I {looked up} and I saw, and look, a man, and in his hand [was] a measuring rope!

And look, the angel who was talking to me [was] coming forward, and another angel [was] coming forward to meet him.

For this is what the LORD of the Heavenly Armies says: "In pursuit of glory I was sent to the nations who plundered you, because whoever injures you injures the pupil of my eye.

Be silent, all flesh, from the face of Jehovah: for he was raised from the habitation of his holiness.

And he showed me Joshua the high priest standing {before} the angel of Yahweh; and Satan was standing on his right to accuse him.

And Joshua was clothed [in] filthy garments and was standing {before} the angel.

And I said, "Let them put a clean headband on his head." And they put a clean headband on his head, and they clothed him [with] garments. And the angel of Yahweh [was] standing [by].

And the angel [who was] talking with me returned, and he wakened me as one who is wakened from his sleep.

And he said to me, "What do you see?" And I said, "I see, and look, {a lampstand all of gold}, and a bowl [was] on its top, and its seven lamps on it, and seven lips on [each of] the lamps that [are] on its top.

And I answered and said to the angel [who was] talking to me, "What [are] these, my lord?"

And the angel [who was] talking with me answered and said to me, "Do you not know what these [are]?" And I said, "No, my lord."

‘What are you, O great mountain [of obstacles]? Before Zerubbabel [who will rebuild the temple] you will become a plain (insignificant)! And he will bring out the capstone [of the new temple] with loud shouts of “Grace, grace to it!”’”

Then I lifted up my eyes again and looked, and behold, there was a flying scroll.

And he will say to me, This the curse going forth upon the face of all the earth: for every one stealing from thence was empty like it; and every one swearing from this was empty like it

And the angel who was speaking to me went out, and he said to me, "{Please look up}! See what this [is] going out."

And look, the lead cover was lifted and a woman [was] sitting inside the basket.

And I {looked up} and saw, and look!--two women coming forward, and [the] wind [was] in their wings, and they had wings like those of a stork, and they lifted up the basket between the earth and the sky.

And I asked the angel who was talking to me, "Where [are] they taking the basket?"

And he will say to me, To build for it a house in the land of Shiner: and it was prepared, and set there upon her base.

And I answered and said to the angel [that was] talking to me, "What [are] these, my lord?"

And he shall build the temple of Jehovah; and he shall lift up the majesty, and he sat and ruled upon his throne: and he was priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them two.

And they being far off shall come and build in the temple of Jehovah; and ye knew that Jehovah of armies sent me to you. And it was if hearing, ye shall hear to the voice of Jehovah your God.

And it will be in the fourth year to Darius the king, the word of Jehovah was to Zechariah in the fourth to the ninth month, in Chisleu;

And the word of Jehovah of armies was to me, saying,

“Say to all the people of the land and to the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months these seventy years, was it actually for Me that you fasted?

And when ye ate, and when ye drank, was it not you that were eating and drinking?

Are not these the words that Jehovah cried by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and at peace, and her cities round about her, when the south and the lowland were inhabited?

And they made their heart as an adamant, that they should not hear the law, and the words that Jehovah of hosts sent by his Spirit by the hand of the former prophets: therefore was there great wrath from Jehovah of hosts.

'And I scattered them with a wind among all the nations that they had not known; the land was made desolate behind them-- no one crossing through [it] or returning--and they made the desirable land a desolation.'"

"Thus sayeth the LORD of Hosts: I was in a great jealousy over Zion, yea I have been very jealous over her in great displeasure.

Thus said Jehovah: I turned back to Zion, and I dwelt in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem was called, The city of truth; and the mountain of Jehovah of armies, The holy mountain.

"Thus says Yahweh of hosts: 'Let your hands be strong, you who are hearing in these days these words from the mouth of the prophets who [were present] on [the] day {the foundation was laid for the rebuilding of the temple, the house of Yahweh of hosts}.

For before those days there was no wage for people or for animals, and there was no safety from the enemy for those who went out or those who came in, and I sent each person against {one another}.

But now I will not be to the rest of this people as I was in the past, says the Lord of armies.

And it was as ye were a curse in the nations, O house of Judah, and house of Israel; so I will save you, and ye were a praise: ye shall not fear; your hands shall be strengthened.

For this is what the Lord of armies has said: As it was my purpose to do evil to you when your fathers made me angry, says the Lord of armies, and my purpose was not changed:

And also Hamath shall be the bound in it; Tyre and Zidon, for it was wise exceedingly.

Ashkelon shall see and shall fear; and Gaza, and she shall be greatly pained, and Ekron; for her confidence was ashamed; and the king perished from Gaza, and Ashkelon shall not be inhabited.

And I took away his bloods from his mouth, and his abominable things from between his teeth: and being left he also to our God, and he was a thousand in Judah, and Ekron as a Jebusite.

And I cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the bow of war was cut off: and he spake peace to the nations: and his dominion from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the end of the earth.

As for you also, because of the blood of My covenant with you [My chosen people, the covenant that was sealed with blood]
I have freed your prisoners from the waterless pit.

Return to the stronghold, you prisoners, with hope; today I declare that I will return double what was taken from you.

For the idols have spoken vanity, and the diviners have seen a lie, and have told false dreams; they comfort in vain: therefore they went their way as a flock, they were troubled because there was no shepherd.

My anger was kindled against the shepherds, and I punished the goats: for the LORD of hosts hath visited his flock the house of Judah, and hath made them as his goodly horse in the battle.

And they were as the strong treading down in the mud of the streets in the battle: and they waged war, for Jehovah was with them, and they riding horses were ashamed.

And he passed through the sea of straits, and he struck the waves in the sea, and all the depths of the river dried up; and the pride of Assur was brought down, and the rod of Egypt shall depart

A voice of the howling of the shepherds! For destroyed was their robe of honour, A voice of the roaring of young lions! For destroyed was the excellency of Jordan.

And I destroyed three shepherds in one month; and my soul was vexed with them, and their soul also loathed me.

Then I took the staff that I had named "Pleasant" and broke it, showing I was breaking my covenant that I had made with all of the people.

And it was broken on that day. Then the afflicted of the flock, the [ones who were] watching me, knew that it [was] the word of Yahweh.

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 Yahweh said to me, "Throw it to the potter," {this noble price} [at] which I was valued by them!" So I took the thirty silver [shekels] and I threw them to the potter [in] the house of Yahweh.

Then I broke my second staff, Union, into pieces to break the brotherhood between Judah (the Southern Kingdom) and Israel (the Northern Kingdom).

And it was in that day I will set Jerusalem a stone of burden to all peoples: all loading her, being out; shall be cut; and all the nations of the earth were gathered together against her..

In that day Jehovah shall protect about the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he being weak among them in that day was as David; and the house of David as God, as the messenger of Jehovah before them.

And it was in that day I will seek to destroy all the nations coming against Jerusalem.

And I will send down on the family of David and on the people of Jerusalem the spirit of grace and of prayer; and their eyes will be turned to the one who was wounded by their hands: and they will be weeping for him as for an only son, and their grief for him will be bitter, like the grief of one sorrowing for his oldest son.

In that time shall the house of David and the citizens of Jerusalem have an open well, to wash of sin and uncleanness.

And it was in that day, says Jehovah of armies, I will cut off the names of the images from the land, and they shall be remembered no more: and also I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land.

So shall it come about that, when any man shall prophesy again, then will his own father and his own mother, of whom he was born, say unto him, - Thou shalt not live! For falsehood hast thou spoken in the name of Yahweh, - So will his own father and his own mother of whom he was born, pierce him through, when he prophesieth,

{And then} on that day, each of the prophets will be ashamed because of his vision when he was prophesying, and they will not put on a cloak of hair in order to deceive,

But he will say, I am no prophet, but a worker on the land; for I have been an owner of land from the time when I was young.

And one shall say unto him, What are those wounds in thy hands? And he will say, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.

And it was in all the land, says Jehovah, two parts in it shall be cut off, they shall expire; and the third shall be left in it

Behold, the day to Jehovah coming, and thy spoil was divided in the midst of thee.