The Bible Story Part 327

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ZECHARIAH

(Zechariah aided Haggai in his attempt to get the temple built.

Nothing is known of his personality or history. Most of his prophecy is in the form of a series of visions, whose meaning as a whole is that G.o.d is guiding in the history of the world, and will make Israel glorious by and by, in spite of its present low estate.)

In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the Lord unto Zechariah the prophet, saying, "The Lord hath been sore displeased with your fathers. Therefore say thou unto them, 'Thus saith the Lord of hosts: Return unto me saith the Lord of hosts, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. Be ye not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets cried, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Return ye now from your evil ways, and from your evil doings: but they did not hear, nor hearken unto me, saith the Lord.

Your fathers, where are they? and the prophets, do they live for ever?

But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not overtake your fathers? and they turned and said, Like as the Lord of hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways, and according to our doings, so hath he dealt with us.'"

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I

THE VISION OF THE HORs.e.m.e.n IN THE GLEN

I saw in the night, and behold a man riding upon a red horse, and he stood among the myrtle trees that were in the glen; and behind him there were horses, red, sorrel, and white. Then said I, "O my lord, what are these?" And the angel that talked with me said unto me, "I will shew thee what these are." And the man that stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, "These are they whom the Lord hath sent to walk to and fro through the earth." And they answered the angel of the Lord that stood among the myrtle trees, and said, "We have walked to and fro through the earth, and, behold, all the earth sitteth still, and is at rest." Then the angel of the Lord answered and said, "O Lord of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which thou hast had indignation these threescore and ten years?" And the Lord answered the angel that talked with me kind words and comforting. So the angel that talked with me said unto me, "Cry thou, saying, 'Thus saith the Lord of hosts: I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy. And I am very sore displeased with the nations that are at ease: for I was but a little displeased, and they helped forward the affliction. Therefore thus saith the Lord: I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies; my house shall be built in it, saith the Lord of hosts, {403} and a line shall be stretched forth over Jerusalem. Cry yet again, saying, 'Thus saith the Lord of hosts: My cities shall yet overflow with prosperity and the Lord shall yet comfort Zion, and shall yet choose Jerusalem.'"

II

THE VISION OF THE CITY OF PEACE

And I lifted up mine eyes and saw, and behold a man with a measuring line in his hand. Then said I, "Whither goest thou?" And he said unto me, "To measure Jerusalem, to see what is the breadth thereof, and what is the length thereof." And, behold, the angel that talked with me went forth, and another angel went out to meet him, and said unto him, "Run, speak to this young man, saying, 'Jerusalem shall be inhabited as villages without walls, by reason of the mult.i.tude of men and cattle therein. For I, saith the Lord, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and I will be the glory in the midst of her.'

"'Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the Lord. And many nations shall join themselves to the Lord in that day, and shall be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto thee. And the Lord shall inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land, and shall yet choose Jerusalem. Be silent, all flesh, before the Lord: for he is waked up out of his holy habitation.'"

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III

THE VISION OF THE GOLDEN CANDLESTICK

And the angel that talked with me came again, and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep. And he said unto me, "What seest thou?" And I said, "I have seen, and behold, a candlestick all of gold, with its bowl upon the top of it, and its seven lamps thereon; there are seven pipes to each of the lamps, which are upon the top thereof: and two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof."

And I answered and spake to the angel that talked with me, saying, "What are these, my lord?" Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, "Knowest thou not what these are?" And I said, "No, my Lord." Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, "This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, 'Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts. Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the top stone with shoutings of Grace, grace, unto it.'"

Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, "The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto you. For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel."

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IV

THE VISION OF THE FLYING BOOK

(The flying book or roll is the vengeance of G.o.d, which flies into the house of the evil-doer like a great bird, and roosts there and destroys it.)

Then again I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and behold, a book flying.

And he said unto me, "What seest thou?" And I answered, "I see a book flying; the length thereof is twenty cubits, and the breadth thereof ten cubits."

Then said he unto me, "This is the curse that goeth forth over the face of the whole land: for every thief shall be purged away from hence; and every perjurer is hereby purged from hence. I will cause it to go forth, saith the Lord of hosts, and it shall enter into the house of the thief, and into the house of him that sweareth falsely by my name: and it shall roost in the midst of his house, and shall consume it with its beams and its stones."

V

THE VISION OF THE WOMAN IN THE BARREL

(The prophet sees Wickedness as a woman who is in a barrel measure.

She is pushed down into it, the leaden cover is put on, and she is carried away out of the land.)

And the angel of Jehovah who spake with me came forward and spake to me and said to me, "Lift now thine eyes and see what this is that comes forth." {406}

And I said, "What is it?"

And he said, "This is a barrel coming forth."

And he said, "This is their transgression in all the land."

And behold, the round leaden top was lifted off, and lo, a woman sitting inside the barrel.

And he said, "This is Wickedness," and he thrust her back into the barrel, and thrust the leaden cover upon the mouth of it. And I lifted up mine eyes and looked, and lo, two women came forth with the wind in their wings, and they bore the barrel betwixt earth and heaven.

And I said to the angel that talked with me, "Whither do they carry the barrel?"

And he said to me, "To build it a house in the land of s.h.i.+nar, that it may be fixed and brought to rest there in a place of its own."

VI

THE VISION OF THE CHARIOTS OF THE FOUR WINDS

(The four chariots of the four winds go forth to guard the boundaries of the land from all threatening foes.)

And again I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and behold, there came four chariots out from between two mountains; and the mountains were mountains of bra.s.s. In the first chariot were red horses; and in the second chariot black horses; and in the third chariot white horses; and in the fourth chariot dappled bay horses. {407}

Then I answered and said unto the angel that talked with me, "What are these, my lord?"

And the angel answered and said unto me, "These are the four winds of heaven, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth." The chariot wherein are the black horses goeth forth toward the north country; and the white went forth after them; and the dappled went forth toward the south country. And the bay went forth, and sought to go that they might walk to and fro through the earth: and he said, "Get you hence, walk to and fro through the earth." So they walked to and fro through the earth.