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 7 and 8, and the book of
Ezra, chapters 5 and 6. From the book of Zechariah,
chapter 7. Now in the fourth year of King Darius,
it came to pass that the word of the Lord came
to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month,
Chislef, when the people sent Sherzer with Regim
-Melech. and his men to the house of God to pray
before the Lord, and to ask the priests who were
in the house of the Lord of hosts and the prophets,
saying, Should I weep in the fifth month and
fast as I have done for so many years? Then the
word of the Lord of hosts came 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 month, during those seventy years,
did you really fast for me, for me? When you
eat and when you drink, Do you not eat and drink
for yourselves? Should you not have obeyed the
words which the Lord proclaimed through the former
prophets when Jerusalem and the cities around
it were inhabited and prosperous, and the south
and the lowland were inhabited? Then the word
of the Lord came to Zechariah, saying, Thus says
the Lord of hosts, Execute true justice, show
mercy and compassion, everyone to his brother.
Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the
alien or the poor. let none of you plan evil
in his heart against his brother but they refused
to heed shrugged their shoulders and stopped
their ears so that they could not hear yes they
made their hearts like flint refusing to hear
the law and the words which the lord of hosts
had sent by his spirit through the former prophets
thus great wrath came from the lord of hosts
therefore it happened that just as he proclaimed
and they would not hear so they called out and
i would not listen says the lord of hosts but
i scattered them with a whirlwind among all the
nations which they had not known thus the land
became desolate after them so that no one passed
through or returned for they made the pleasant
land desolate chapter eight again the word of
the lord of hosts came saying thus says the lord
of hosts i am zealous for zion with great zeal
With great fervor I am zealous for her. Thus
says the Lord, I will return to Zion and dwell
in the midst of Jerusalem. Jerusalem shall be
called the city of truth, the mountain of the
Lord of hosts, the holy mountain. Thus says the
Lord of hosts, Old men and old women shall again
sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each one with
his staff in his hand, because of great age.
The streets of the city shall be full of boys
and girls playing in its streets. Thus says the
Lord of hosts, If it is marvelous in the eyes
of the remnant of this people in these days,
will it also be marvelous in my eyes, says the
Lord of hosts? Thus says the Lord of hosts, Behold,
I will save my people from the land of the east
and from the land of the west. I will bring them
back, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem.
They shall be my people, and I will be their
God in truth and righteousness. thus says the
lord of hosts let your hands be strong you who
have been hearing in these days these words by
the mouth of the prophets who spoke in the day
the foundation was laid for the house of the
lord of hosts that the temple might be built
for before these days there were no wages for
man nor any hire for beast there was no peace
from the enemy for whoever went out or came in
for i set all men everyone against his neighbour
But now I will not treat the remnant of this
people as in the former days, says the Lord of
hosts. For the seed shall be prosperous, the
vine shall give its fruit, the ground shall give
her increase, and the heavens shall give their
due. I will cause the remnant of this people
to possess all these, and it shall come to pass
that just as you were a curse among the nations,
O house of Judah and house of Israel, so I will
save you and you shall be a blessing. Do not
fear. Let your hands be strong. For thus says
the Lord of hosts, Just as I determined to punish
you when your fathers provoked me to wrath, says
the Lord of hosts, and I would not relent. So
again in these days I am determined to do good,
to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. Do not
fear. These are the things you shall do. Speak
each man the truth to his neighbor. Give judgment
in your gates for truth, justice, and peace.
Let none of you think evil in your heart against
your neighbor, and do not love a false oath.
For all these are things that I hate, says the
Lord. Then the word of the Lord of hosts came
to me, saying, Thus says the Lord of hosts, The
fast of the fourth month, the fast of the fifth,
the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the
tenth shall be joy and gladness and cheerful
feasts for the house of Judah. Therefore love
truth and peace. Thus says the Lord of hosts,
Peoples shall yet come, inhabitants of many cities.
The inhabitants of one city shall go to another,
saying, Let us continue to go and pray before
the Lord and seek the Lord of hosts. I myself
will go also. Yes, many peoples and strong nations
shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem
and to pray before the Lord. Thus says the Lord
of hosts, In those days, Ten men from every language
of the nations shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish
man, saying, Let us go with you, for we have
heard that God is with you. From the Book of
Ezra, Chapter 5 Then the prophet Haggai and Zechariah
the son of Edo, prophets, prophesied to the Jews
who were in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of
the God of Israel who was over them. So Zerubbabel,
the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua, the son of
Josedach, rose up and began to build the house
of God, which is in Jerusalem. And the prophets
of God were with them, helping them. At the same
time, Tatanai, the governor of the region beyond
the river, and Shittar, Bosni, and their companions,
came to them and spoke thus to them, Who has
commanded you to build this temple and finish
this wall? Then accordingly we told them the
names of the men who were constructing this building.
But the eye of their god was upon the elders
of the Jews, so that they could not make them
cease till a report could go to Darius. Then
a written answer was returned concerning this
matter. This is a copy of the letter that Tatanai
sent. The governor of the region beyond the river,
and Shitar, Bosni, and his companions, the Persians
who were in the region beyond the river, to Darius
the king. They sent a letter to him in which
was written thus. To Darius the king, all peace.
Let it be known to the king that we went into
the province of Judea to the temple of the great
God, which is being built with heavy stones,
and timber is being laid in the walls, and this
work goes on diligently and prospers in their
hands. Then we asked those elders and spoke thus
to them, Who commanded you to build this temple
and to finish these walls? We also asked them
their names to inform you. that we might write
the names of the men who were chief among them.
And thus they returned us an answer, saying,
We are the servants of the God of heaven and
earth, and we are rebuilding the temple that
was built many years ago, which a great king
of Israel built and completed. But because our
fathers provoked the God of heaven to wrath,
he gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar
king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed
this temple and carried the people away to Babylon.
However, in the first year of Cyrus, king of
Babylon, King Cyrus issued a decree to build
this house of God. Also the gold and silver articles
of the house of God which Nebuchadnezzar had
taken from the temple that was in Jerusalem and
carried into the temple of Babylon, those King
Cyrus took from the temple of Babylon and they
were given to one named Sheshbazar, whom he had
made governor. And he said to him, take these
articles, go. Carry them to the temple site that
is in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be
rebuilt on its former site. Then the same Sheshbazar
came and laid the foundation of the house of
God which is in Jerusalem. But from that time
even until now, it has been under construction,
and it is not finished. now therefore if it seems
good to the king let a search be made in the
king's treasure -house which is there in babylon
whether it is so that a decree was issued by
king cyrus to build this house of god at jerusalem
and let the king send us his pleasure concerning
this matter chapter six then king darius issued
a decree and a search was made in the archives
where the treasures were stored in babylon and
at In the palace that is in the province of Media,
a scroll was found, and in it a record was written
thus. In the first year of King Cyrus, King Cyrus
issued a decree concerning the house of God at
Jerusalem. Let the house be rebuilt, the place
where they offered sacrifices, and let the foundations
of it be firmly laid, its height sixty cubits
and its width sixty cubits, with three rows of
heavy stones and one row of new timber. Let the
expenses be paid from the king's treasury. Also
let the gold and silver articles of the house
of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple
which is in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon,
be restored and taken back to the temple which
is in Jerusalem, each to its place, and deposit
them in the house of God. Now therefore, Tatanai,
governor of the region beyond the river, and
Shitar, Bosni, and your companions, the Persians,
who are beyond the river, keep yourselves far
from there. Let the work of this house of God
alone. Let the governor of the Jews and the elders
of the Jews build this house of God on its site.
Moreover, I issue a decree as to what you shall
do for the elders of these Jews for the building
of this house of God. Let the cost be paid at
the king's expense from taxes on the region beyond
the river. This is to be given immediately to
these men so that they are not hindered. And
whatever they need, young bulls, rams, and lambs
for the burnt offerings of the God of heaven,
wheat, salt, wine, and oil, according to the
request of the priests who are in Jerusalem.
Let it be given them day by day without fail,
that they may offer sacrifices of sweet aroma
to the God of heaven and pray for the life of
the king and his sons. Also I issue a decree
that whoever alters this edict Let a timber be
pulled from his house and erected, and let him
be hanged on it, and let his house be made a
refuse heap because of this. And may the God
who causes his name to dwell there destroy any
king or people who put their hand to alter it,
or to destroy this house of God which is in Jerusalem.
I, Darius, issue a decree. Let it be done diligently.
Then Tatanai, governor of the region beyond the
river, Shittar, Bosni, and their companions diligently
did according to what King Darius had sent. So
the elders of the Jews built and they prospered
through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet
and Zechariah the son of Edo. And they built
and finished it according to the commandment
of the God of Israel and according to the command
of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes, king of Persia.
now the temple was finished on the third day
of the month of adar which was in the sixth year
of the reign of king darius then the children
of israel the priests and the levites and the
rest of the descendants of the captivity celebrated
the dedication of this house of god with joy
and they offered sacrifices at the dedication
of this house of god one hundred bulls two hundred
rams four hundred lambs and as a sin offering
for all israel twelve male goats according to
the number of the tribes of Israel. They assigned
the priests to their divisions and the Levites
to their divisions over the service of God in
Jerusalem, as it is written in the book of Moses.
And the descendants of the captivity kept the
Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month.
For the priests and the Levites had purified
themselves, all of them were ritually clean.
And they slaughtered the Passover lambs for all
the descendants of the captivity. for their brethren
the priests, and for themselves. Then the children
of Israel, who had returned from the captivity,
ate together with all who had separated themselves
from the filth of the nations of the land, in
order to seek the Lord God of Israel. And they
kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days
with joy. For the Lord made them joyful, and
turned the heart of the king of Assyria toward
them, to strengthen their hands in the work of
the house of God, the God of Israel. 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.