WEBVTT 00:00:00.919 --> 00:00:03.700 Hello, this is Father Paul, and I'm glad we're 00:00:03.700 --> 00:00:05.740 taking this journey together to read the Bible 00:00:05.740 --> 00:00:09.199 in a year. Today we conclude the book of Zechariah, 00:00:09.320 --> 00:00:14.980 reading chapters 11 through 14. Chapter 11 Open 00:00:14.980 --> 00:00:18.039 your doors, O Lebanon, that fire may devour your 00:00:18.039 --> 00:00:21.480 cedars. Wail, O Cyprus, for the cedar has fallen, 00:00:21.620 --> 00:00:25.219 because the mighty trees are ruined. Wail, O 00:00:25.219 --> 00:00:28.059 oaks of Bashan, for the thick forest has come 00:00:28.059 --> 00:00:30.980 down. There is the sound of wailing shepherds, 00:00:30.980 --> 00:00:34.280 for their glory is in ruins. There is the sound 00:00:34.280 --> 00:00:37.000 of roaring lions, for the pride of the Jordan 00:00:37.000 --> 00:00:40.560 is in ruins. Thus says the Lord my God, feed 00:00:40.560 --> 00:00:43.880 the flock for slaughter, whose owners slaughter 00:00:43.880 --> 00:00:47.659 them and feel no guilt. Those who sell them say, 00:00:47.880 --> 00:00:50.640 Blessed be the Lord, for I am rich, and their 00:00:50.640 --> 00:00:53.579 shepherds do not pity them, for I will no longer 00:00:53.579 --> 00:00:56.280 pity the inhabitants of the land, says the Lord. 00:00:56.859 --> 00:01:00.100 But indeed I will give everyone into his neighbor's 00:01:00.100 --> 00:01:03.740 hand and into the hand of his king. They shall 00:01:03.740 --> 00:01:06.359 attack the land, and I will not deliver them 00:01:06.359 --> 00:01:10.359 from their hand. So I fed the flock for slaughter, 00:01:10.519 --> 00:01:13.980 in particular the poor of the flock. I took for 00:01:13.980 --> 00:01:17.879 myself two staffs, the one I called Beauty and 00:01:17.879 --> 00:01:20.680 the other I called Bonds, and I fed the flock. 00:01:20.939 --> 00:01:23.799 I dismissed the three shepherds in one month. 00:01:24.170 --> 00:01:28.010 My soul loathed them, and their soul also abhorred 00:01:28.010 --> 00:01:31.569 me. Then I said, I will not feed you. Let what 00:01:31.569 --> 00:01:35.530 is dying die, and what is perishing perish. Let 00:01:35.530 --> 00:01:39.510 those that are left eat each other's flesh. And 00:01:39.510 --> 00:01:43.230 I took my staff, beauty, and cut it in two, that 00:01:43.230 --> 00:01:46.609 I might break the covenant which I had made with 00:01:46.609 --> 00:01:49.609 all the peoples. So it was broken on that day. 00:01:50.030 --> 00:01:52.430 Thus the poor of the flock who were watching 00:01:52.430 --> 00:01:55.950 me knew that it was the word of the Lord. Then 00:01:55.950 --> 00:01:59.250 I said to them, If it is agreeable to you, give 00:01:59.250 --> 00:02:03.109 me my wages, and if not, refrain. So they weighed 00:02:03.109 --> 00:02:07.109 out for my wages thirty pieces of silver. And 00:02:07.109 --> 00:02:09.689 the Lord said to me, Throw it to the potter. 00:02:09.870 --> 00:02:13.289 That princely price they set on me. So I took 00:02:13.289 --> 00:02:15.530 the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into 00:02:15.530 --> 00:02:18.030 the house of the Lord for the potter. Then I 00:02:18.030 --> 00:02:21.889 cut in two my other staff, bonds, that I might 00:02:21.889 --> 00:02:24.509 break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel. 00:02:24.729 --> 00:02:27.990 And the Lord said to me, Next, take for yourself 00:02:27.990 --> 00:02:31.349 the implements of a foolish shepherd. For indeed 00:02:31.349 --> 00:02:34.530 I will raise up a shepherd in the land who will 00:02:34.530 --> 00:02:37.889 not care for those who are cut off, nor seek 00:02:37.889 --> 00:02:40.949 the young, nor heal those that are broken, nor 00:02:40.949 --> 00:02:44.310 feed those that still stand. but he will eat 00:02:44.310 --> 00:02:47.169 the flesh of the fat and tear their hooves in 00:02:47.169 --> 00:02:50.530 pieces. Woe to the worthless shepherd who leaves 00:02:50.530 --> 00:02:53.870 the flock! A sword shall be against his arm and 00:02:53.870 --> 00:02:56.550 against his right eye. His arm shall completely 00:02:56.550 --> 00:03:00.409 wither, and his right eye shall be totally blinded. 00:03:02.550 --> 00:03:05.729 Chapter 12 The burden of the word of the Lord 00:03:05.729 --> 00:03:08.930 against Israel. Thus says the Lord, who stretches 00:03:08.930 --> 00:03:11.919 out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, 00:03:12.080 --> 00:03:15.939 and forms the spirit of man within him. Behold, 00:03:15.939 --> 00:03:18.620 I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to 00:03:18.620 --> 00:03:21.259 all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege 00:03:21.259 --> 00:03:24.199 against Judah and Jerusalem. And it shall happen 00:03:24.199 --> 00:03:26.990 in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very 00:03:26.990 --> 00:03:30.090 heavy stone for all peoples. All who would heave 00:03:30.090 --> 00:03:32.969 it away will surely be cut in pieces, though 00:03:32.969 --> 00:03:36.050 all nations of the earth are gathered against 00:03:36.050 --> 00:03:39.569 it. In that day, says the Lord, I will strike 00:03:39.569 --> 00:03:42.330 every horse with confusion and its rider with 00:03:42.330 --> 00:03:45.069 madness. I will open my eyes on the house of 00:03:45.069 --> 00:03:48.080 Judah. and will strike every horse of the peoples 00:03:48.080 --> 00:03:51.219 with blindness. And the governors of Judah shall 00:03:51.219 --> 00:03:54.000 say in their heart, The inhabitants of Jerusalem 00:03:54.000 --> 00:03:57.419 are my strength, and the Lord of hosts their 00:03:57.419 --> 00:04:00.560 God. In that day I will make the governors of 00:04:00.560 --> 00:04:04.340 Judah like a firepan in the woodpile, and like 00:04:04.340 --> 00:04:07.400 a fiery torch in the sheaves. They shall devour 00:04:07.400 --> 00:04:09.719 all the surrounding peoples on the right hand 00:04:09.719 --> 00:04:12.900 and on the left, but Jerusalem shall be inhabited 00:04:12.900 --> 00:04:16.689 again in her own place, Jerusalem. The Lord will 00:04:16.689 --> 00:04:19.350 save the tents of Judah first, so that the glory 00:04:19.350 --> 00:04:21.610 of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants 00:04:21.610 --> 00:04:24.449 of Jerusalem shall not become greater than that 00:04:24.449 --> 00:04:27.610 of Judah. In that day the Lord will defend the 00:04:27.610 --> 00:04:30.709 inhabitants of Jerusalem. The one who is feeble 00:04:30.709 --> 00:04:34.170 among them in that day shall be like David, and 00:04:34.170 --> 00:04:37.230 the house of David shall be like God, like the 00:04:37.230 --> 00:04:40.300 angel of the Lord before them. It shall be in 00:04:40.300 --> 00:04:43.399 that day that I will seek to destroy all the 00:04:43.399 --> 00:04:46.740 nations that come against Jerusalem. And I will 00:04:46.740 --> 00:04:49.540 pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants 00:04:49.540 --> 00:04:53.019 of Jerusalem the spirit of grace and supplication. 00:04:53.100 --> 00:04:56.480 Then they will look on me whom they pierced. 00:04:56.579 --> 00:05:00.339 Yes, they will mourn for him as one mourns for 00:05:00.339 --> 00:05:03.680 his only son and grieve for him as one grieves 00:05:03.680 --> 00:05:07.060 for a firstborn. In that day, There shall be 00:05:07.060 --> 00:05:09.459 a great morning in Jerusalem, like the morning 00:05:09.459 --> 00:05:13.259 at Hadad Ramon in the plain of Megiddo. And the 00:05:13.259 --> 00:05:16.439 land shall mourn, every family by itself, the 00:05:16.439 --> 00:05:19.480 family of the house of David by itself, and their 00:05:19.480 --> 00:05:22.720 wives by themselves, the family of the house 00:05:22.720 --> 00:05:26.079 of Nathan by itself, and their wives by themselves, 00:05:26.439 --> 00:05:29.699 the family of the house of Levi by itself, and 00:05:29.699 --> 00:05:32.620 their wives by themselves, the family of Shimei 00:05:32.620 --> 00:05:36.490 by itself, and their wives by themselves. all 00:05:36.490 --> 00:05:39.670 the families that remain every family by itself 00:05:39.670 --> 00:05:45.910 and their wives by themselves. Chapter 13 In 00:05:45.910 --> 00:05:48.589 that day a fountain shall be opened for the house 00:05:48.589 --> 00:05:50.730 of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem 00:05:50.730 --> 00:05:54.569 for sin and for uncleanness. It shall be in that 00:05:54.569 --> 00:05:57.490 day, says the Lord of hosts, that I will cut 00:05:57.490 --> 00:06:00.850 off the names of the idols from the land, and 00:06:00.850 --> 00:06:03.620 they shall no longer be remembered. I will also 00:06:03.620 --> 00:06:06.040 cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to 00:06:06.040 --> 00:06:08.839 depart from the land. It shall come to pass that 00:06:08.839 --> 00:06:12.560 if anyone still prophesies, then his father and 00:06:12.560 --> 00:06:15.939 mother who begot him will say to him, You shall 00:06:15.939 --> 00:06:18.860 not live, because you have spoken lies in the 00:06:18.860 --> 00:06:21.459 name of the Lord. And his father and mother who 00:06:21.459 --> 00:06:24.779 begot him shall thrust him through when he prophesies. 00:06:24.939 --> 00:06:27.759 And it shall be in that day that every prophet 00:06:27.759 --> 00:06:30.800 will be ashamed of his vision when he prophesies. 00:06:31.579 --> 00:06:34.879 They will not wear a robe of coarse hair to deceive. 00:06:35.360 --> 00:06:39.240 But he will say, I am no prophet, I am a farmer, 00:06:39.339 --> 00:06:42.600 for a man taught me to keep cattle from my youth. 00:06:42.819 --> 00:06:45.660 And one will say to him, What are these wounds 00:06:45.660 --> 00:06:49.160 between your arms? Then he will answer, Those 00:06:49.160 --> 00:06:52.480 with which I was wounded in the house of my friends. 00:06:53.459 --> 00:06:56.779 Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, against 00:06:56.779 --> 00:06:59.699 the man who is my companion, says the Lord of 00:06:59.699 --> 00:07:02.500 hosts. Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will 00:07:02.500 --> 00:07:05.279 be scattered. Then I will turn my hand against 00:07:05.279 --> 00:07:08.100 the little ones, and it shall come to pass in 00:07:08.100 --> 00:07:10.899 all the land, says the Lord, that two thirds 00:07:10.899 --> 00:07:14.759 in it shall be cut off and die, but one third 00:07:14.759 --> 00:07:18.180 shall be left in it. I will bring the one third 00:07:18.180 --> 00:07:21.579 through the fire. will refine them as silver 00:07:21.579 --> 00:07:25.160 is refined, and test them as gold is tested. 00:07:25.420 --> 00:07:28.379 They will call on my name, and I will answer 00:07:28.379 --> 00:07:31.899 them. I will say, This is my people, and each 00:07:31.899 --> 00:07:37.959 one will say, The Lord is my God. Chapter 14 00:07:37.959 --> 00:07:41.540 Behold, the day of the Lord is coming, and your 00:07:41.540 --> 00:07:44.779 spoil will be divided in your midst. For I will 00:07:44.779 --> 00:07:47.199 gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem. 00:07:47.500 --> 00:07:51.339 The city shall be taken. The houses rifled, and 00:07:51.339 --> 00:07:54.019 the women ravished. Half of the city shall go 00:07:54.019 --> 00:07:56.420 into captivity, but the remnant of the people 00:07:56.420 --> 00:07:59.199 shall not be cut off from the city. Then the 00:07:59.199 --> 00:08:02.399 Lord will go forth and fight against those nations, 00:08:02.560 --> 00:08:05.399 as he fights in the day of battle. And in that 00:08:05.399 --> 00:08:08.279 day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, 00:08:08.399 --> 00:08:11.720 which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount 00:08:11.720 --> 00:08:15.180 of Olives shall be split in two, from east to 00:08:15.180 --> 00:08:18.819 west, making a very large valley. Half of the 00:08:18.819 --> 00:08:21.220 mountain shall move toward the north, and half 00:08:21.220 --> 00:08:23.720 of it toward the south. Then you shall flee through 00:08:23.720 --> 00:08:26.519 my mountain valley, for the mountain valley shall 00:08:26.519 --> 00:08:30.259 reach to Azal. Yes, you shall flee, as you fled 00:08:30.259 --> 00:08:33.080 from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king 00:08:33.080 --> 00:08:36.580 of Judah. Thus the Lord my God will come, and 00:08:36.580 --> 00:08:39.559 all the saints with you. It shall come to pass 00:08:39.559 --> 00:08:42.980 in that day that there will be no light. the 00:08:42.980 --> 00:08:46.000 lights will diminish it shall be one day which 00:08:46.000 --> 00:08:49.720 is known to the lord neither day nor night but 00:08:49.720 --> 00:08:52.740 at evening time it shall happen that it will 00:08:52.740 --> 00:08:56.059 be light and in that day it shall be that living 00:08:56.059 --> 00:08:59.139 waters shall flow from jerusalem half of them 00:08:59.139 --> 00:09:01.539 toward the eastern sea and half of them toward 00:09:01.539 --> 00:09:05.019 the western sea in both summer and winter it 00:09:05.019 --> 00:09:08.460 shall occur and the lord shall be king over all 00:09:08.460 --> 00:09:12.129 the earth in that day it shall be The Lord is 00:09:12.129 --> 00:09:16.409 one, and his name one. All the land shall be 00:09:16.409 --> 00:09:19.850 turned into a plain from Geba to Ramon, south 00:09:19.850 --> 00:09:23.370 of Jerusalem. Jerusalem shall be raised up and 00:09:23.370 --> 00:09:26.269 inhabited in her place, from Benjamin's gate 00:09:26.269 --> 00:09:29.169 to the place of the first gate and the corner 00:09:29.169 --> 00:09:32.669 gate, and from the tower of Hananel to the king's 00:09:32.669 --> 00:09:36.049 wine presses. The people shall dwell in it, and 00:09:36.049 --> 00:09:39.250 no longer shall there be utter destruction. But 00:09:39.250 --> 00:09:42.649 Jerusalem... shall be safely inhabited and this 00:09:42.649 --> 00:09:45.289 shall be the plague with which the lord will 00:09:45.289 --> 00:09:48.450 strike all the people who fought against jerusalem 00:09:48.450 --> 00:09:51.970 their flesh shall dissolve while they stand on 00:09:51.970 --> 00:09:54.769 their feet their eyes shall dissolve in their 00:09:54.769 --> 00:09:57.549 sockets and their tongues shall dissolve in their 00:09:57.549 --> 00:10:00.649 mouth it shall come to pass in that day that 00:10:00.649 --> 00:10:03.490 a great panic from the lord will be among them 00:10:03.840 --> 00:10:06.120 Everyone will seize the hand of his neighbor 00:10:06.120 --> 00:10:08.840 and raise his hand against his neighbor's hand. 00:10:09.200 --> 00:10:13.159 Judah also will fight at Jerusalem, and the wealth 00:10:13.159 --> 00:10:15.539 of all the surrounding nations shall be gathered 00:10:15.539 --> 00:10:18.659 together, gold, silver, and apparel in great 00:10:18.659 --> 00:10:22.600 abundance. Such also shall be the plague, on 00:10:22.600 --> 00:10:25.139 the horse and the mule, on the camel and the 00:10:25.139 --> 00:10:28.220 donkey, and on all the cattle that will be in 00:10:28.220 --> 00:10:32.179 those camps, so shall this plague be. And it 00:10:32.179 --> 00:10:34.580 shall come to pass that everyone who is left 00:10:34.580 --> 00:10:37.940 of all the nations which came against Jerusalem 00:10:37.940 --> 00:10:41.379 shall go up from year to year to worship the 00:10:41.379 --> 00:10:44.460 King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast 00:10:44.460 --> 00:10:47.039 of Tabernacles. And it shall be that whichever 00:10:47.039 --> 00:10:50.559 of the families of the earth do not come up to 00:10:50.559 --> 00:10:53.480 Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, 00:10:53.700 --> 00:10:57.139 on them there will be no rain. If the family 00:10:57.139 --> 00:11:00.139 of Egypt will not come up and enter it, they 00:11:00.139 --> 00:11:03.500 shall have no rain. They shall receive the plague 00:11:03.500 --> 00:11:06.460 with which the Lord strikes the nations who do 00:11:06.460 --> 00:11:08.960 not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. 00:11:09.240 --> 00:11:12.200 This shall be the punishment of Egypt and the 00:11:12.200 --> 00:11:14.820 punishment of all the nations that do not come 00:11:14.820 --> 00:11:18.100 up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. In that 00:11:18.100 --> 00:11:21.620 day, holiness to the Lord shall be engraved on 00:11:21.620 --> 00:11:24.620 the bells of the horses. The pots in the Lord's 00:11:24.620 --> 00:11:27.299 house shall be like the bowls before the altar. 00:11:27.480 --> 00:11:31.320 Yes, every pot in Jerusalem and Judah shall be 00:11:31.320 --> 00:11:34.600 holiness to the Lord of hosts. Everyone who sacrifices 00:11:34.600 --> 00:11:38.080 shall come and take them and cook in them. In 00:11:38.080 --> 00:11:41.279 that day there shall no longer be a Canaanite 00:11:41.279 --> 00:11:49.659 in the house of the Lord of hosts. I hope you 00:11:49.659 --> 00:11:52.059 enjoyed today's reading as much as I did. And 00:11:52.059 --> 00:11:53.879 I look forward to seeing you again tomorrow to 00:11:53.879 --> 00:11:56.139 continue on our journey. God bless you and have 00:11:56.139 --> 00:11:56.679 a great day.