The Message (MSG)

Fifth Vision: A Lampstand and Two Olive Trees

1 The Messenger-Angel again called me to attention. It was like being wakened out of deep sleep.

2-3 He said, “What do you see?”

I answered, “I see a lampstand of solid gold with a bowl on top. Seven lamps, each with seven spouts, are set on the bowl. And there are two olive trees, one on either side of the bowl.”

4 Then I asked the Messenger-Angel, “What does this mean, sir?”

5-7 The Messenger-Angel said, “Can’t you tell?”

“No, sir,” I said.

Then he said, “This isGod’s Message to Zerubbabel: ‘You can’t force these things. They only come about through my Spirit,’ saysGod-of-the-Angel-Armies. ‘So, big mountain, who do you think you are? Next to Zerubbabel you’re nothing but a molehill. He’ll proceed to set the Cornerstone in place, accompanied by cheers: Yes! Yes! Do it!’”

8-10 After that, the Word ofGodcame to me: “Zerubbabel started rebuilding this Temple and he will complete it. That will be your confirmation thatGod-of-the-Angel-Armies sent me to you. Does anyone dare despise this day of small beginnings? They’ll change their tune when they see Zerubbabel setting the last stone in place!”

Going back to the vision, the Messenger-Angel said, “The seven lamps are the eyes ofGodprobing the dark corners of the world like searchlights.”

11-12 “And the two olive trees on either side of the lampstand?” I asked. “What’s the meaning of them? And while you’re at it, the two branches of the olive trees that feed oil to the lamps—what do they mean?”

13 He said, “You haven’t figured that out?”

I said, “No, sir.”

14 He said, “These are the two who stand beside the Master of the whole earth and supply golden lamp oil worldwide.”

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/85/32k/ZEC/4-6173445361ced5fb62d33985350e5ac5.mp3?version_id=97—

Sixth Vision: The Flying Book

1 I looked up again and saw—surprise!—a book on the wing! A book flying!

2 The Messenger-Angel said to me, “What do you see now?”

I said, “I see a book flying, a huge book—thirty feet long and fifteen wide!”

3-4 He told me, “This book is the verdict going out worldwide against thieves and liars. The first half of the book disposes of everyone who steals; the second half takes care of everyone who lies. I launched it”—Decree ofGod-of-the-Angel-Armies—“and so it will fly into the house of every thief and every liar. It will land in each house and tear it down, timbers and stones.”

Seventh Vision: A Woman in a Basket

5 The Messenger-Angel appeared and said, “Look up. Tell me what you see.”

6 I said, “What in the world is that?”

He said, “This is a bushel basket on a journey. It holds the sin of everyone, everywhere.”

7 Then the lid made of lead was removed from the basket—and there was a woman sitting in it!

8 He said, “This is Miss Wicked.” He pushed her back down into the basket and clamped the lead lid over her.

9 Then I looked up and to my surprise saw two women flying. On outstretched wings they airlifted the bushel basket into the sky.

10 I said to the Messenger-Angel, “Where are they taking the bushel basket?”

11 He said, “East to the land of Shinar. They will build a garage to house it. When it’s finished, the basket will be stored there.”

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/85/32k/ZEC/5-09b288ecee56ef873aa820c67c10a930.mp3?version_id=97—

Eighth Vision: Four Chariots

1 Once again I looked up—another strange sight! Four chariots charging out from between two mountains. The mountains were bronze.

2-3 The first chariot was drawn by red horses, the second chariot by black horses, the third chariot by white horses, and the fourth chariot by dappled horses. All the horses were powerful.

4 I asked the Messenger-Angel, “Sir, what’s the meaning here?”

5-7 The angel answered, “These are the four winds of heaven, which originate with the Master of the whole earth. The black horses are headed north with the white ones right after them. The dappled horses are headed south.” The powerful horses galloped out, bursting with energy, eager to patrol through the earth. The Messenger-Angel commanded: “On your way! Survey the earth!” and they were off in every direction.

8 Then he called to me and said, “Look at them go! The ones going north are conveying a sense of my Spirit, serene and secure. No more trouble from that direction.”

A Man Named Branch

9-12 Then this Message fromGodcame to me: “Take up a collection from the exiles. Target Heldai, Tobiah, and Jedaiah. They’ve just arrived from Babylon. You’ll find them at the home of Josiah son of Zephaniah. Collect silver and gold from them and fashion crowns. Place one on the head of Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and give him this message:

12-13 “‘A Message fromGod-of-the-Angel-Armies. Be alert. We have a man here whose name is Branch. He will branch out from where he is and build the Temple ofGod. Yes, he’s the one. He’ll build the Temple ofGod. Then he’ll assume the role of royalty, take his place on the throne and rule—a priest sitting on the throne!—showing that king and priest can coexist in harmony.’

14 “The other crown will be in the Temple ofGodas a symbol of royalty, under the custodial care of Helem, Tobiah, Jedaiah, and Hen son of Zephaniah.

15 “People will come from faraway places to pitch in and rebuild the Temple ofGod. This will confirm thatGod-of-the-Angel-Armies did, in fact, send me to you. All this follows as you put your minds to a life of responsive obedience to the voice of yourGod.”

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/85/32k/ZEC/6-9c7269fb50726a2197ac12f4fe1a5f01.mp3?version_id=97—

“You’re Interested in Religion, I’m Interested in People”

1 On the fourth day of the ninth month, in the fourth year of the reign of King Darius,God’s Message again came to Zechariah.

2-3 The town of Bethel had sent a delegation headed by Sarezer and Regem-Melech to pray forGod’s blessing and to confer with the priests of the Temple ofGod-of-the-Angel-Armies, and also with the prophets. They posed this question: “Should we plan for a day of mourning and abstinence next August, the seventieth anniversary of Jerusalem’s fall, as we have been doing all these years?”

4-6 God-of-the-Angel-Armies gave me this Message for them, for all the people and for the priests: “When you held days of fasting every fifth and seventh month all these seventy years, were you doing it for me? And when you held feasts, was that for me? Hardly. You’re interested in religion, I’m interested in people.

7-10 “There’s nothing new to say on the subject. Don’t you still have the message of the earlier prophets from the time when Jerusalem was still a thriving, bustling city and the outlying countryside, the Negev and Shephelah, was populated? [This is the message thatGodgave Zechariah.] Well, the message hasn’t changed.God-of-the-Angel-Armies said then and says now:

“‘Treat one another justly.

Love your neighbors.

Be compassionate with each other.

Don’t take advantage of widows, orphans, visitors, and the poor.

Don’t plot and scheme against one another—that’s evil.’

11-13 “But did your ancestors listen? No, they set their jaws in defiance. They shut their ears. They steeled themselves againstGod’s revelation and the Spirit-filled sermons preached by the earlier prophets by order ofGod-of-the-Angel-Armies. AndGodbecame angry, really angry, because he told them everything plainly and they wouldn’t listen to a word he said.

13-14 “So [this is whatGod-of-the-Angel-Armies said] if they won’t listen to me, I won’t listen to them. I scattered them to the four winds. They ended up strangers wherever they were. Their ‘promised land’ became a vacant lot—weeds and tin cans and thistles. Not a sign of life. They turned a dreamland into a wasteland.”

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/85/32k/ZEC/7-146ee021683eab2a836b878cdae772e6.mp3?version_id=97—

Rebuilding the Temple

1-2 And then these Messages fromGod-of-the-Angel-Armies:

A Message fromGod-of-the-Angel-Armies:

“I am zealous for Zion—Icare!

I’m angry about Zion—I’minvolved!”

God’s Message:

3 “I’ve come back to Zion,

I’ve moved back to Jerusalem.

Jerusalem’s new names will be Truth City,

and Mountain ofGod-of-the-Angel-Armies,

and Mount Holiness.”

4-5 A Message fromGod-of-the-Angel-Armies:

“Old men and old women will come back to Jerusalem, sit on benches on the streets and spin tales, move around safely with their canes—a good city to grow old in. And boys and girls will fill the public parks, laughing and playing—a good city to grow up in.”

6 A Message fromGod-of-the-Angel-Armies:

“Do the problems of returning and rebuilding by just a few survivors seem too much? But is anything too much for me? Not if I have my say.”

7-8 A Message fromGod-of-the-Angel-Armies:

“I’ll collect my people from countries to the east and countries to the west. I’ll bring them back and move them into Jerusalem. They’ll be my people and I’ll be their God. I’ll stick with them and do right by them.”

9-10 A Message fromGod-of-the-Angel-Armies:

“Get a grip on things. Hold tight, you who are listening to what I say through the preaching of the prophets. The Temple ofGod-of-the-Angel-Armies has been reestablished. The Temple is being rebuilt. We’ve come through a hard time: You worked for a pittance and were lucky to get that; the streets were dangerous; you could never let down your guard; I had turned the world into an armed camp.

11-12 “But things have changed. I’m taking the side of my core of surviving people:

Sowing and harvesting will resume,

Vines will grow grapes,

Gardens will flourish,

Dew and rain will make everything green.

12-13 “My core survivors will get everything they need—and more. You’ve gotten a reputation as a bad-news people, you people of Judah and Israel, but I’m coming to save you. From now on, you’re the good-news people. Don’t be afraid. Keep a firm grip on what I’m doing.”

Keep Your Lives Simple and Honest

14-17 A Message fromGod-of-the-Angel-Armies:

“In the same way that I decided to punish you when your ancestors made me angry, and didn’t pull my punches, at this time I’ve decided to bless Jerusalem and the country of Judah. Don’t be afraid. And now here’s what I want you to do: Tell the truth, the whole truth, when you speak. Do the right thing by one another, both personally and in your courts. Don’t cook up plans to take unfair advantage of others. Don’t do or say what isn’t so. I hate all that stuff. Keep your lives simple and honest.” Decree ofGod.

18-19 Again I received a Message fromGod-of-the-Angel-Armies:

“The days of mourning set for the fourth, fifth, seventh, and tenth months will be turned into days of feasting for Judah—celebration and holiday. Embrace truth! Love peace!”

20-21 A Message fromGod-of-the-Angel-Armies:

“People and their leaders will come from all over to see what’s going on. The leaders will confer with one another: ‘Shouldn’t we try to get in on this? Get in onGod’s blessings? Pray toGod-of-the-Angel-Armies? What’s keeping us? Let’s go!’

22 “Lots of people, powerful nations—they’ll come to Jerusalem looking for what they can get fromGod-of-the-Angel-Armies, looking to get a blessing fromGod.”

23 A Message fromGod-of-the-Angel-Armies:

“At that time, ten men speaking a variety of languages will grab the sleeve of one Jew, hold tight, and say, ‘Let us go with you. We’ve heard that God is with you.’”

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/85/32k/ZEC/8-71e9c34e772c6c155df267c8494f7089.mp3?version_id=97—

The Whole World Has Its Eyes on God

1-6 War Bulletin:

God’s Message challenges the country of Hadrach.

It will settle on Damascus.

The whole world has its eyes onGod.

Israel isn’t the only one.

That includes Hamath at the border,

and Tyre and Sidon, clever as they think they are.

Tyre has put together quite a kingdom for herself;

she has stacked up silver like cordwood,

piled gold high as haystacks.

But God will certainly bankrupt her;

he will dump all that wealth into the ocean

and burn up what’s left in a big fire.

Ashkelon will see it and panic,

Gaza will wring its hands,

Ekron will face a dead end.

Gaza’s king will die.

Ashkelon will be emptied out,

And a villain will take over in Ashdod.

6-8 “I’ll take proud Philistia down a peg:

I’ll make him spit out his bloody booty

and abandon his vile ways.”

What’s left will be all God’s—a core of survivors,

a family brought together in Judah—

But enemies like Ekron will go the way of the Jebusites,

into the dustbin of history.

“I will set up camp in my home country

and defend it against invaders.

Nobody is going to hurt my people ever again.

I’m keeping my eye on them.

A Humble King Riding a Donkey

9-10 “Shout and cheer, Daughter Zion!

Raise the roof, Daughter Jerusalem!

Your king is coming!

a good king who makes all things right,

a humble king riding a donkey,

a mere colt of a donkey.

I’ve had it with war—no more chariots in Ephraim,

no more war horses in Jerusalem,

no more swords and spears, bows and arrows.

He will offer peace to the nations,

a peaceful rule worldwide,

from the four winds to the seven seas.

11-13 “And you, because of my blood covenant with you,

I’ll release your prisoners from their hopeless cells.

Come home, hope-filled prisoners!

This very day I’m declaring a double bonus—

everything you lost returned twice-over!

Judah is now my weapon, the bow I’ll pull,

setting Ephraim as an arrow to the string.

I’ll wake up your sons, O Zion,

to counter your sons, O Greece.

From now on

people are my swords.”

14-17 ThenGodwill come into view,

his arrows flashing like lightning!

MasterGodwill blast his trumpet

and set out in a whirlwind.

God-of-the-Angel-Armies will protect them—

all-out war,

The war to end all wars,

no holds barred.

TheirGodwill save the day. He’ll rescue them.

They’ll become like sheep, gentle and soft,

Or like gemstones in a crown,

catching all the colors of the sun.

Then how they’ll shine! shimmer! glow!

the young men robust, the young women lovely!

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/85/32k/ZEC/9-3973a17ccba1101823ef98809131549b.mp3?version_id=97—

God’s Work of Rebuilding

1 Pray toGodfor rain—it’s time for the spring rain—

toGod, the rainmaker,

Spring thunderstorm maker,

maker of grain and barley.

2-3 “Store-bought gods babble gibberish.

Religious experts spout rubbish.

They pontificate hot air.

Their prescriptions are nothing but smoke.

And so the people wander like lost sheep,

poor lost sheep without a shepherd.

I’m furious with the so-called shepherds.

They’re worse than billy goats, and I’ll treat them like goats.”

3-5 God-of-the-Angel-Armies will step in

and take care of his flock, the people of Judah.

He’ll revive their spirits,

make them proud to be on God’s side.

God will use them in his work of rebuilding,

use them as foundations and pillars,

Use them as tools and instruments,

use them to oversee his work.

They’ll be a workforce to be proud of, working as one,

their heads held high, striding through swamps and mud,

Courageous and vigorous becauseGodis with them,

undeterred by the world’s thugs.

6-12 “I’ll put muscle in the people of Judah;

I’ll save the people of Joseph.

I know their pain and will make them good as new.

They’ll get a fresh start, as if nothing had ever happened.

And why? Because I am their very ownGod,

I’ll do what needs to be done for them.

The people of Ephraim will be famous,

their lives brimming with joy.

Their children will get in on it, too—

oh, let them feel blessed byGod!

I’ll whistle and they’ll all come running.

I’ve set them free—oh, how they’ll flourish!

Even though I scattered them to the far corners of earth,

they’ll remember me in the faraway places.

They’ll keep the story alive in their children,

and they will come back.

I’ll bring them back from the Egyptian west

and round them up from the Assyrian east.

I’ll bring them back to sweet Gilead,

back to leafy Lebanon.

Every square foot of land

will be marked by homecoming.

They’ll sail through troubled seas, brush aside brash ocean waves.

Roaring rivers will turn to a trickle.

Gaudy Assyria will be stripped bare,

bully Egypt exposed as a fraud.

But my people—oh, I’ll make them strong,God-strong!

and they’ll live my way.”Godsays so!

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/85/32k/ZEC/10-b5547d1c07ae13f5efd444e9baf0bc48.mp3?version_id=97—

1-4 Open your borders to the immigrants, proud Lebanon!

Your sentinel trees will burn.

Weep, great pine trees! Mourn, you sister cedars!

Your towering trees are cordwood.

Weep Bashan oak trees!

Your thick forest is now a field of stumps.

Do you hear the wailing of shepherds?

They’ve lost everything they once owned.

Do you hear the outrage of the lions?

The mighty jungle of the Jordan is wasted.

Make room for the returning exiles!

Breaking the Beautiful Covenant

4-5 Godcommanded me, “Shepherd the sheep that are soon to be slaughtered. The people who buy them will butcher them for quick and easy money. What’s worse, they’ll get away with it. The people who sell them will say, ‘Lucky me! God’s on my side; I’ve got it made!’ They have shepherds who couldn’t care less about them.”

6 God’s Decree: “I’m washing my hands of the people of this land. From now on they’re all on their own. It’s dog-eat-dog, survival of the fittest, and the devil take the hindmost. Don’t look for help from me.”

7-8 So I took over from the crass, money-grubbing owners, and shepherded the sheep marked for slaughter. I got myself two shepherd staffs. I named one Lovely and the other Harmony. Then I went to work shepherding the sheep. Within a month I got rid of the corrupt shepherds. I got tired of putting up with them—and they couldn’t stand me.

9 And then I got tired of the sheep and said, “I’ve had it with you—no more shepherding from me. If you die, you die; if you’re attacked, you’re attacked. Whoever survives can eat what’s left.”

10-11 Then I took the staff named Lovely and broke it across my knee, breaking the beautiful covenant I had made with all the peoples. In one stroke, both staff and covenant were broken. The money-hungry owners saw me do it and knewGodwas behind it.

12 Then I addressed them: “Pay me what you think I’m worth.” They paid me an insulting sum, counting out thirty silver coins.

13 Godtold me, “Throw it in the poor box.” This stingy wage was all they thought of me and my work! So I took the thirty silver coins and threw them into the poor box inGod’s Temple.

14 Then I broke the other staff, Harmony, across my knee, breaking the concord between Judah and Israel.

15-16 Godthen said, “Dress up like a stupid shepherd. I’m going to install just such a shepherd in this land—a shepherd indifferent to victims, who ignores the lost, abandons the injured, and disdains decent citizens. He’ll only be in it for what he can get out of it, using and abusing any and all.

17 “Doom to you, useless shepherd,

walking off and leaving the sheep!

A curse on your arm!

A curse on your right eye!

Your arm will hang limp and useless.

Your right eye will go stone blind.”

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/85/32k/ZEC/11-bd4107f8760b907d548c7521e862b495.mp3?version_id=97—

Home Again in Jerusalem

1-2 War Bulletin:

God’s Message concerning Israel,God’s Decree—the veryGodwho threw the skies into space, set earth on a firm foundation, and breathed his own life into men and women: “Watch for this: I’m about to turn Jerusalem into a cup of strong drink that will have the people who have set siege to Judah and Jerusalem staggering in a drunken stupor.

3 “On the Big Day, I’ll turn Jerusalem into a huge stone blocking the way for everyone. All who try to lift it will rupture themselves. All the pagan nations will come together and try to get rid of it.

4-5 “On the Big Day”—this isGodspeaking—“I’ll throw all the war horses into a crazed panic, and their riders along with them. But I’ll keep my eye on Judah, watching out for her at the same time that I make the enemy horses go blind. The families of Judah will then realize, ‘Why, our leaders are strong and able throughGod-of-the-Angel-Armies, their personal God.’

6 “On the Big Day, I’ll turn the families of Judah into something like a burning match in a tinder-dry forest, like a fiercely flaming torch in a barn full of hay. They’ll burn up everything and everyone in sight—people to the right, people to the left—while Jerusalem fills up with people moving in and making themselves at home—home again in Jerusalem.

7-8 “I,God, will begin by restoring the common households of Judah so that the glory of David’s family and the leaders in Jerusalem won’t overshadow the ordinary people in Judah. On the Big Day, I’ll look after everyone who lives in Jerusalem so that the lowliest, weakest person will be as glorious as David and the family of David itself will be godlike, like the Angel ofGodleading the people.

9 “On the Big Day, I’ll make a clean sweep of all the godless nations that fought against Jerusalem.

10-14 “Next I’ll deal with the family of David and those who live in Jerusalem. I’ll pour a spirit of grace and prayer over them. They’ll then be able to recognize me as the One they so grievously wounded—that piercing spear-thrust! And they’ll weep—oh, how they’ll weep! Deep mourning as of a parent grieving the loss of the firstborn child. The lamentation in Jerusalem that day will be massive, as famous as the lamentation over Hadad-Rimmon on the fields of Megiddo:

Everyone will weep and grieve,

the land and everyone in it:

The family of David off by itself

and their women off by themselves;

The family of Nathan off by itself

and their women off by themselves;

The family of Levi off by itself

and their women off by themselves;

The family of Shimei off by itself

and their women off by themselves;

And all the rest of the families off by themselves

and their women off by themselves.”

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/85/32k/ZEC/12-56faf6603532eb6549b0f04050c63704.mp3?version_id=97—

Washing Away Sins

1 “On the Big Day, a fountain will be opened for the family of David and all the leaders of Jerusalem for washing away their sins, for scrubbing their stained and soiled lives clean.

2-3 “On the Big Day”—this isGod-of-the-Angel-Armies speaking—“I will wipe out the store-bought gods, erase their names from memory. People will forget they ever heard of them. And I’ll get rid of the prophets who polluted the air with their diseased words. If anyone dares persist in spreading diseased, polluting words, his very own parents will step in and say, ‘That’s it! You’re finished! Your lies aboutGodput everyone in danger,’ and then they’ll stab him to death in the very act of prophesying lies aboutGod—his own parents, mind you!

4-6 “On the Big Day, the lying prophets will be publicly exposed and humiliated. Then they’ll wish they’d never swindled people with their ‘visions.’ No more masquerading in prophet clothes. But they’ll deny they’ve even heard of such things: ‘Me, a prophet? Not me. I’m a farmer—grew up on the farm.’ And if someone says, ‘And so where did you get that black eye?’ they’ll say, ‘I ran into a door at a friend’s house.’

7-9 “Sword, get moving against my shepherd,

against my close associate!”

Decree ofGod-of-the-Angel-Armies.

“Kill the shepherd! Scatter the sheep!

The back of my hand against even the lambs!

All across the country”—God’s Decree—

“two-thirds will be devastated

and one-third survive.

I’ll deliver the surviving third to the refinery fires.

I’ll refine them as silver is refined,

test them for purity as gold is tested.

Then they’ll pray to me by name

and I’ll answer them personally.

I’ll say, ‘That’s my people.’

They’ll say, ‘God—my God!’”

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/85/32k/ZEC/13-2cde678111f95ef558087a9d55e0e15b.mp3?version_id=97—