Hello, this is Father Paul, and I'm glad we're
taking this journey together to read the Bible
in a year. Today's reading is from the book of
Zechariah chapters 1 through 6. Chapter 1 In
the eighth month of the second year of Darius,
the word of the Lord came to Zechariah the son
of Berechiah, the son of Edo the prophet, saying,
The Lord has been very angry with your fathers.
Therefore say to them, Thus says the Lord of
hosts, Return to me, says the Lord of hosts,
and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts.
Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former
prophets preached, saying, Thus says the Lord
of hosts, Turn now from your evil ways and your
evil deeds. But they did not hear nor heed me,
says the Lord. Your fathers, where are they?
And the prophets, do they live forever? Yet surely
my words and my statutes, which I commanded my
servants, the prophets, Did they not overtake
your fathers? So they returned and said, Just
as the Lord of hosts determined to do to us according
to our ways and according to our deeds, so he
has dealt with us. On the twenty -fourth day
of the eleventh month, which is the month of
Shabbat, in the second year of Darius, the word
of the Lord came to Zechariah the son of Berechiah,
the son of Edo the prophet. I saw by night, and
behold, a man riding on a red horse, and it stood
among the myrtle trees in the hollow. and behind
him were horses red sorrel and white then i said
my lord what are these so the angel who talked
with me said to me i will show you what they
are and the man who stood among the myrtle trees
answered and said these are the ones whom the
lord has sent to walk to and fro throughout the
earth so they answered the angel of the lord
who stood among the myrtle trees and said we
have walked to and fro throughout the earth and
behold All the earth is resting quietly. Then
the angel of the Lord answered and said, O Lord
of hosts, how long will you not have mercy on
Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against
which you were angry these seventy years? And
the Lord answered the angel who talked to me
with good and comforting words. So the angel
who spoke with me said to me, Proclaim, saying,
Thus says the Lord of hosts, I am zealous for
Jerusalem and for Zion with great zeal. I am
exceedingly angry with the nations at ease, for
I was a little angry and they helped, but with
evil intent. Therefore, thus says the Lord, I
am returning to Jerusalem with mercy. My house
shall be built in it, says the Lord of hosts,
and a surveyor's line shall be stretched out
over Jerusalem. Again proclaim, saying, Thus
says the Lord of hosts, My cities shall again
spread out through prosperity. The Lord will
again comfort Zion and will again choose Jerusalem.
Then I raised my eyes and looked, and there were
four horns, and I said to the angel who talked
with me, What are these? So he answered me, These
are the horns that have scattered Judah, Israel,
and Jerusalem. Then the Lord showed me four craftsmen,
and I said, What are these coming to do? So he
said, These are the horns that scattered Judah,
so that no one could lift up his head, but the
craftsmen are coming to terrify them. to cast
out the horns of the nations that lifted up their
horn against the land of Judah, to scatter it.
Then I raised my eyes and looked, and behold,
a man with a measuring line in his hand. So I
said, Where are you going? And he said to me,
To measure Jerusalem, to see what is its width
and what is its length. And there was the angel
who talked with me going out, and another angel
was coming out to meet him, who said to him,
Run. Speak to this young man, saying, Jerusalem
shall be inhabited as towns without walls because
of the multitude of men and livestock in it.
For I, says the Lord, will be a wall of fire
all around her, and I will be the glory in her
midst. Up, up, flee from the land of the north,
says the Lord, for I have spread you abroad like
the four winds of heaven, says the Lord. Up,
Zion, escape you who dwell with the daughter
of Babylon. For thus says the Lord of hosts,
He sent me after glory to the nations which plunder
you, for he who touches you touches the apple
of his eye. For surely I will shake my hand against
them, and they shall become spoil for their servants.
Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has
sent me. Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion,
for behold, I am coming, and I will dwell in
your midst, says the Lord. Chapter 3 then he
showed me joshua the high priest standing before
the angel of the lord and satan standing at his
right hand to oppose him and the lord said to
satan the lord rebuke you satan the lord who
has chosen jerusalem rebuke you is this not a
bran plucked from the fire now joshua was clothed
with filthy garments and was standing before
the angel then he answered and spoke to those
who stood before him saying take away the filthy
garments from him and to him he said see i have
removed your iniquity from you and i will clothe
you with rich robes and i said let them put a
clean turban on his head so they put a clean
turban on his head and they put the cloth on
him and the angel of the lord stood by then the
angel of the lord admonished joshua saying thus
says the lord of hosts if you will walk in my
ways and if you will keep my command then you
shall also judge my house and likewise have charge
of my courts i will give you places to walk among
these who stand here hear o joshua the high priest
you and your companions who sit before you for
they are a wondrous sign for behold i am bringing
forth my servant the branch For behold the stone
that I have laid before Joshua. Upon the stone
are seven eyes. Behold, I will engrave its inscription,
says the Lord of hosts, and I will remove the
iniquity of that land in one day. In that day,
says the Lord of hosts, everyone will invite
his neighbor under his vine and under his fig
tree. Chapter 4 Now the angel who talked with
me came back and wakened me, as a man who is
wakened out of his sleep. And he said to me,
What do you see? So I said, I am looking, and
there is a lampstand of solid gold with a bowl
on top of it, and on the stand seven lamps with
seven pipes to the seven lamps. Two olive trees
are by it, one at the right of the bowl and the
other at its left. So I answered and spoke to
the angel who talked with me, saying, What are
these, my lord? Then the angel who talked with
me answered and said to me, Do you not know what
these are? And I said, No, my lord. So he answered
and said to me, This is the word of the Lord
to Zerubbabel, not by might nor by power, but
by my spirit, says the Lord of hosts. Who are
you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you
shall become a plain, and he shall bring forth
the capstone with shouts of grace, grace to it.
Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation
of this temple. His hands shall also finish it.
Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has
sent me to you. For who has despised the day
of small things? For these seven rejoice to see
the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. They
are the eyes of the Lord, which scan to and fro
throughout the whole earth. Then I answered and
said to him, What are these two olive trees,
at the right of the lampstand and at its left?
And I further answered and said to him, What
are these two olive branches that drip into the
receptacles of the two gold pipes from which
the golden oil drains? Then he answered me and
said, Do you not know what these are? And I said,
No, my lord. So he said, These are the two anointed
ones who stand beside the Lord of the whole earth.
Chapter 5 Then I turned and raised my eyes and
saw there a flying scroll. and he said to me
what do you see so i answered i see a flying
scroll its length is twenty cubits and its width
ten cubits then he said to me this is the curse
that goes out over the face of the whole earth
every thief shall be expelled according to this
side of the scroll and every perjurer shall be
expelled according to that side of it i will
send out the curse says the lord of hosts it
shall enter the house of the thief and the house
of the one who swears falsely by my name. It
shall remain in the midst of his house and consume
it with its timber and stones. Then the angel
who talked with me came out and said to me, Lift
your eyes now and see what this is that goes
forth. So I asked, What is it? And he said, It
is a basket that is going forth. He also said,
This is their resemblance throughout the earth.
Here is a lead disc lifted up, and this is a
woman sitting inside the basket. Then he said,
This is wickedness. And he thrust her down into
the basket, and threw the lead cover over its
mouth. Then I raised my eyes and looked, and
there were two women, coming with the wind in
their wings, for they had wings like the wings
of a stork, and they lifted up the basket between
earth and heaven. So I said to the angel who
talked with me, Where are they carrying the basket?
And he said to me, To build a house for it in
the land of Shinar. When it is ready, the basket
will be set there. on its base. Chapter 6 Then
I turned and raised my eyes and looked, and behold,
four chariots were coming from between two mountains,
and the mountains were mountains of bronze. With
the first chariot were red horses, with the second
chariot black horses, with the third chariot
white horses, and with the fourth chariot dappled
horses strong steeds. Then I answered and said
to the angel who talked with me, What are these,
my lord? And the angel answered and said to me,
Those who go toward the north country have given
rest to my spirit in the north country. Then
the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Receive
the gift from the captives, from Heldi, Tobijah,
and Jediah, who have come from Babylon, and go
the same day and enter the house of Josiah the
son of Zephaniah. Take the silver and gold, make
an elaborate crown, and set it on the head of
Joshua the son of Jehozadak the high priest.
Then speak to him, saying, Thus says the Lord
of hosts, saying, Behold, the man whose name
is the branch, from his place he shall branch
out, and he shall build the temple of the Lord.
Yes, he shall build the temple of the Lord. He
shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule
on his throne. So he shall be a priest on his
throne, and the council of peace shall be between
them both. Now the elaborate crown shall be for
a memorial in the temple of the Lord, for Helim,
Tobijah, Jediah, and Hen, the son of Zephaniah.
Even those from afar shall come and build the
temple of the Lord. Then you shall know that
the Lord of hosts has sent me to you, and this
shall come to pass if you diligently obey the
voice of the Lord your God. I hope you enjoyed
today's reading as much as I did and I look forward
to seeing you again tomorrow to continue on our
journey. God bless you and have a great day.