
{1}1{/}

[\u0095]_{R}_{I}1_{/}In the eighth month of the second year of Darius, the 
word of Yahweh came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berechiah, the 
son of Iddo:
{I}2_{/}"Yahweh was very angry with your ancestors. {R}_{I}3_{/}Then you will 
tell them these words of Yahweh Sabaoth: 'Return to me and I will 
return to you.' [=]_{R}_{I}4_{/}Do not be like your ancestors whom the 
earlier prophets warned, reiterating to them Yahweh Sabaoth's 
words: 'Turn from your evil ways and your wicked deeds.' But they 
would not listen or pay attention to me. Yahweh asks you, 
{R}_{I}5_{/}"Where are your ancestors now? Those prophets also died 
[=]_{R}_{I}6_{/}but my words and decrees entrusted to my servants, the 
prophets, overtook your ancestors. They repented and confessed: 
"Yahweh Sabaoth has treated us just as he had determined to do, 
according to our ways and deeds."

{N}THE VISIONS{/}

{R}_{I}7_{/}On the twenty-fourth of Shebat, the eleventh month, in the 
second year of Darius, the word of Yahweh came to the prophet 
Zechariah son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, in the following 
manner.
[=]_{R}_{I}8_{/}In a vision at night, I saw a man riding a red horse. He 
was standing among the myrtle trees in a ravine, and behind him 
were red, brown and white horses. [=]_{I}9_{/}I asked, "What are 
these, my lord?" The angel with whom I was talking answered, "You 
will know." [=]_{R}_{I}10_{/}The man standing among the myrtle trees 
spoke, "They are those whom Yahweh sent to patrol the earth." 
{I}11_{/}These then reported to Yahweh's angel standing among the 
myrtle trees, "We have patrolled the whole earth and found it 
peaceful and tranquil."
[=]_{R}_{I}12_{/}The angel of Yahweh spoke, "O Yahweh of hosts, how long 
will you be without mercy for Jerusalem and the cities of Judah 
which you have afflicted in anger these seventy years?" 
{I}13_{/}Yahweh replied with comforting words to the angel who spoke 
to me. [=]_{R}_{I}14_{/}This angel then turned to me and said, "Proclaim 
this word which Yahweh Sabaoth speaks: 'I am very jealous for 
Jerusalem and Zion, {R}_{I}15_{/}but I am very angry with complacent 
nations. At first I was only a little angry with Jerusalem, but 
they made things worse.' [=]_{R}_{I}16_{/}Therefore Yahweh says: 'I will 
turn again with mercy to Jerusalem, where my house will be rebuilt 
and the measuring line stretched.'"
Then Yahweh Sabaoth said, {R}_{I}17_{/}"Proclaim this as well: 'My towns 
will once more overflow with prosperity; Yahweh will again comfort 
Zion and make Jerusalem his favorite.'"

{N}THE SECOND VISION{/}

{1}2{/}

{I}1_{/}I raised my eyes and saw four horns. [=]_{R}_{I}2_{/}I asked the 
angel who spoke to me what these were, and he answered, "These 
horns are the nations that scattered Judah and Jerusalem." 
{I}3_{/}Yahweh then showed me four blacksmiths, and I asked, "What are 
they coming to do?"
{R}_{I}4_{/}He answered, "Here are the horns that scattered Judah so that 
no one dared raise his head. But these blacksmiths have come to 
strike down the power of the nations that scattered the people of 
Judah."

{N}THE THIRD VISION{/}

[=]_{R}_{I}5_{/}Raising my eyes again, I saw a man with a measuring line 
in his hand. I asked, "Where are you going?" {R}_{I}6_{/}He answered, 
"I'm going to measure Jerusalem, to find its width and its 
length." {I}7_{/}As the angel who spoke to me came forward, another 
angel met him {R}_{I}8_{/}and said, "Run and tell this to that young man: 
'Jerusalem will remain unwalled because of its multitude of people 
and livestock.' {I}9_{/}For this is the word of Yahweh: I myself will 
be around her like a wall of fire, and also within her in Glory."
[=]_{I}10_{/}"Come, come! Flee from the land of the north," says 
Yahweh to all those whom he scattered to the four winds of heaven. 
{I}11_{/}"Come, escape O Zion, you who dwell in Babylon." [=]_{I}12_{/}For 
thus Yahweh Sabaoth says, after his Glory sent me to condemn the 
nations that have plundered you, "Whoever touches you touches the 
apple of my eye. {I}13_{/}Look, I will raise my hand against those 
nations, and they will be plundered by their slaves." Thus you 
will know that Yahweh Sabaoth has sent me.

{N}A CALL TO THE DAUGHTER OF ZION{/}

[\u0095]_[=]_{I}14_{/}"Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for I am about 
to come, I shall dwell among you," says Yahweh.
{I}15_{/}"On that day, many nations will join Yahweh and be my people, 
but my dwelling is among you." {R}_{I}16_{/}The people of Judah will be 
for Yahweh as his portion in his holy land. He will choose 
Jerusalem again. 
[=]_{R}_{I}17_{/}Keep still in Yahweh's presence, for he comes, having 
risen from his holy dwelling."

{N}FOURTH VISION: THE MESSIAH COMES SOON{/}

{1}3{/}

[\u0095]_{R}_{I}1_{/}He showed me then the high priest Joshua standing before 
the Angel of Yahweh. At Joshua's right side stood Satan, ready to 
accuse him. [=]_{R}_{I}2_{/}But the angel of Yahweh said to Satan, "May 
Yahweh rebuke you, Satan! Yahweh who has chosen Jerusalem - may he 
rebuke you! Is not this man a burning brand snatched from the 
fire?"
{R}_{I}3_{/}Clad in filthy garments, Joshua stood before the Angel, 
{R}_{I}4_{/}who said to those in front of him, "Take off his filthy 
garments." Then turning to Joshua, he said, "See, I have taken 
away your guilt. Now I will clothe you with rich garments." {I}5_{/}He 
added, "Put a clean turban on his head." So they put a clean 
turban on his head and clothed him, as the Angel of Yahweh looked 
on.
{R}_{I}6_{/}The Angel of Yahweh gave Joshua this assurance, 
[=]_{I}7_{/}"Listen to this word of Yahweh Sabaoth: 'If you walk in my 
ways and heed my charge, you shall rule my house and keep my 
courts, and I will give you free access among those standing here. 
[=]_{R}_{I}8_{/}Listen further, O high priest Joshua and your associates 
who join in council with you: I am going to bring my servant the 
Branch. [=]_{R}_{I}9_{/}See, I am setting (before Joshua) a stone with 
seven eyes. I myself will engrave an inscription on it, and I will 
remove the guilt of this land in a single day. [=]_{I}10_{/}On that 
day, you will invite one another under your vines and fig trees.' 
This is what Yahweh Sabaoth says."

{N}THE FIFTH VISION{/}

{1}4{/}

[\u0095]_{I}1_{/}The angel who talked with me returned and shook me as one 
does to wake another from sleep. [=]_{I}2_{/}He asked, "What do you 
see?" I answered, "I see a lampstand all of gold, with a bowl on 
top. On the stand are seven lamps and there are seven pipes to 
feed them. {I}3_{/}There are also two olive trees, one at the right of 
the bowl and another at the left." {I}4_{/}I asked the angel, "What 
are these, my Lord?" {I}5_{/}He replied with a question, "Don't you 
know what they are?" I answered, "No, my Lord."

{C}Ver [Zec_4,10]{/}

{R}_{I}6_{/}This is a word of Yahweh for Zerubbabel, "Not by might nor by 
power, but by my Spirit."
[=]_{R}_{I}7_{/}"What are you, O mighty mountains? You will be leveled 
before Zerubbabel. He will quarry from you to the last stone which 
crowns the Temple amid shouts of: blessing, blessing on it!"
{I}8_{/}The word of Yahweh then came to me, {R}_{I}9_{/}"The hands of 
Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this House; his hands also 
shall finish it. (Then you will know that Yahweh Sabaoth has sent 
me to you.) [=]_{R}_{I}10_{/}Perhaps the beginning seems a small thing to 
you, yet you will rejoice on that day to see the crowning stone in 
the hands of Zerubbabel."
{I}10b_{/}He explained, "These seven are the eyes of Yahweh which 
range throughout the earth."
{I}11_{/}I asked the angel, "What are these two olive trees to the 
right and left of the lampstand?" ({I}12{/}){I}13_{/}His reply was a 
question. "Don't you know what these are?" I answered, "No, my 
Lord." {I}14_{/}He said, "These are the two anointed with fresh oil, 
who serve the Lord of the whole earth."

{N}THE SIXTH VISION{/}

{1}5{/}

{I}1_{/}Again I raised my eyes and saw a flying scroll. {I}2_{/}He asked 
me, "What do you see?" And I answered, "A flying scroll, thirty 
feet long and fifteen feet wide."
{I}3_{/}He said to me, "This is the curse going forth throughout the 
earth. On one side it is written that every thief shall be 
banished; on the other side, that everyone who swears falsely 
shall be expelled. [=]_{I}4_{/}I will send it out to the house of the 
thief, as well as to the house of anyone who swears falsely. It 
will lodge there and destroy the house - timber, stone and 
everything.

{N}THE SEVENTH VISION{/}

{I}5_{/}Then the angel who talked with me came forward and said, "Look 
up and see what this is that is coming forth." {I}6_{/}I asked, "What 
is it?" He answered, "This is a bushel container. This is the 
guilt of the people throughout the land." {I}7_{/}The lead cover was 
lifted, and there sitting inside was a woman. {I}8_{/}"This is 
wickedness," he said and thrust the woman inside the bushel 
stopping the opening with the lead cover.
{I}9_{/}I looked up and saw two winged women coming; their wings were 
like that of a stork. As they lifted the bushel into the air, 
{I}10_{/}I asked the angel who was speaking to me, "Where are they 
taking the bushel?" {R}_{I}11_{/}He answered, "To Babylonia, to build a 
temple for it and set it down on a plinth."

{N}THE EIGHTH VISION{/}

{1}6{/}

{I}1_{/}Once more I raised my eyes and saw four chariots coming out 
from between two mountains of bronze. {R}_{I}2_{/}The first chariot had 
red horses, the second black, {I}3_{/}the third white, and the fourth 
dapple gray. {I}4_{/}I asked the angel talking with me, "What are 
these, my Lord."
{I}5_{/}The angel replied, "These are the four winds of heaven, going 
forth after presenting themselves before the Lord of the whole 
earth. {I}6_{/}The chariot with black horses goes towards the north 
country, the one with white horses towards the west, and the one 
with dapple gray horses towards the land of the south."
{I}7_{/}As the reds asked to start off and to patrol the earth, the 
angel said to them, "Go, patrol the earth!" and they went. 
{R}_{I}8_{/}Then he cried out to me, "Look, those have just gone to the 
land of the north and they will set my spirit at rest in the land 
of the north."
{I}9_{/}The word of Yahweh came to me, {R}_{I}10_{/}"Take offerings from the 
returned captives, from the hands of Heldai, Tobijah and Jedaiah, 
and go this very day to the house of Josiah, Zephaniah's son, 
where they have arrived from Babylon. {R}_{I}11_{/}Take silver and gold 
and have crowns made, which you will set on the head of the high 
priest Joshua, son of Jehozadak. [=]_{R}_{I}12_{/}Repeat to him these 
words of Yahweh Sabaoth: 'Here is the man whose name is Branch. 
From where he is he will branch out and build the temple of 
Yahweh. {I}13_{/}It is he who will build the temple of Yahweh, and 
this will be his glory. He will sit and rule upon his throne. A 
priest will sit at his right, and there will be harmony between 
both.' {R}_{I}14_{/}As for the crowns, they will remain in the temple of 
Yahweh as a memorial of what Heldai, Tobijah, Jedaiah and Josiah, 
Zephaniah's son have done. {R}_{I}15_{/}Those from afar will come and 
help build the temple of Yahweh, and you will know that Yahweh 
Sabaoth has sent me to you. This will happen if you diligently 
listen to the voice of your God Yahweh."

{1}7{/}

{R}_{I}1_{/}On the fourth day of the ninth month in the fourth year of 
Darius, the king, {R}_{I}2_{/}the people of Bethel sent Sharezer and 
Regemmelech with their men to win the favor of Yahweh [=]_{R}_{I}3_{/}and 
to question the priests of the House of Yahweh, God of hosts, and 
the prophets, "Must we mourn and fast in the fifth month as we 
have done these many years?"

{N}THE TRUE RELIGION{/}

[\u0095]_{R}_{I}4_{/}And the word of Yahweh, God of hosts came to me: 
{R}_{I}5_{/}"Speak to the inhabitants of the land and to the priests; say 
to them: When you fasted and mourned in September and December for 
seventy years, was I the one who made you fast? {I}6_{/}Were you not 
those who decided to eat and to drink or not to do so? 
{R}_{I}7_{/}Remember the message that Yahweh proclaimed through earlier 
prophets when Jerusalem was peacefully inhabited and the 
surrounding region as well, when the Negeb and the western 
foothills were settled.
({I}8{/}) Yahweh said, {I}9_{/}Render true judgment, be kind and merciful 
to each other. [=]_{I}10_{/}Do not oppress the widow or the orphan, 
the alien or the poor, do not plot evil in your heart against one 
another.
[=]_{I}11_{/}But they refused to listen and stubbornly turned their 
back, stopping their ears. {R}_{I}12_{/}They made their hearts hard as 
diamonds so as not to hear the Law or the words that Yahweh, the 
God of hosts spoke by his spirit through the earlier prophets. 
{R}_{I}13_{/}Then Yahweh, God of hosts in his great anger proclaimed that 
just as they had not listened when he called to them, so when they 
cried to him he would not listen. {I}14_{/}Yahweh said he would 
scatter them as in a whirlwind among nations they did not know and 
the land behind them would be devastated without anyone passing 
through it. In that way a pleasant land was made desolate."

{1}8{/}

[*]_[\u0095]_{R}_{I}1_{/}The word of Yahweh, the God of hosts was directed to 
me in this way, {I}2_{/}"I am intensely jealous for Zion, stirred by a 
burning anger for her sake. [=]_{R}_{I}3_{/}Yahweh says: I will return to 
Zion and live in her midst. Jerusalem shall be called City of 
faithfulness and the Mountain of Yahweh of hosts, the Mountain of 
holiness."
[=]_{R}_{I}4_{/}Yahweh, God of hosts speaks, "Old men and women will 
again sit in the squares, each with a stick in hand on account of 
their great age. {I}5_{/}The squares of the city will be filled with 
girls and boys playing." 
[=]_{R}_{I}6_{/}Yahweh, God of hosts declares, "If that seems impossible 
in the eyes of those who have returned from exile, will it be 
impossible for me as well?" - word of Yahweh.
{R}_{I}7_{/}Yahweh, God of hosts says, "See, I am going to save my 
people, [=]_{R}_{I}8_{/}bringing them from the east and from the west and 
they will live in Jerusalem. They will be my people and I shall be 
their God in truth and in justice."
{R}_{I}9_{/}Yahweh, God of hosts declares, "In these days you have just 
heard the words of the prophets, because on this day the 
foundation stone is laid for the reconstruction of the Temple. Now 
do not be discouraged. [=]_{I}10_{/}Before these days there was no 
salary for anyone nor food for beasts, people could not travel 
because of the ambushes, and I myself let everyone quarrel with 
his neighbor. {I}11_{/}But from now on I will deal differently with 
this people."
{I}12_{/}Yahweh says, "I am sowing peace. The vine will give its 
fruit, the earth its produce, the heavens its dew and to the 
remnant of this people I will give all these things.
{R}_{I}13_{/}So it will happen that just as you were a curse among the 
nations, now I will save you, Judah and Israel, and make you a 
blessing. Have no fear and let your hands be strong!"
{R}_{I}14_{/}This is what Yahweh, God of hosts, says: "Just as I resolved 
to do you harm because your fathers angered me and I did not 
relent, {R}_{I}15_{/}so now in these days am I determined to deal kindly 
with Jerusalem and Judah. Have no fear! {I}16_{/}This is what you must 
do: Speak the truth to one another; let those who judge give peace 
through honest sentences {I}17_{/}and do not plot evil in your heart 
against one another. Refrain from false oaths for it is what I 
detest" - word of Yahweh.
{I}18_{/}The word of Yahweh came to me, saying: {I}19_{/}"This is what you 
will say for my sake: From now on the fasts of the fourth, fifth, 
seventh and tenth months will be days of joy, happy feastdays. 
Only be peacemakers and sincere people."
[=]_{R}_{I}20_{/}Yahweh, the God of hosts speaks, "People will come from 
other nations, people from great cities. {I}21_{/}The inhabitants of 
one town will talk with those of another and say: 'Come, let us go 
and implore the favor of Yahweh, and I, too, will seek Yahweh.' 
{R}_{I}22_{/}Many great peoples and powerful nations will come seeking 
Yahweh, God of hosts, in Jerusalem and pray to him."
{R}_{I}23_{/}Yahweh, the God of hosts assures you, "In those days ten men 
of different languages spoken in various lands, will take hold of 
a Jew by the hem of his garment and say: We, too, want to go with 
you for we have heard that God is with you."

{C}SECOND PART OF THE BOOK{/}

{1}9{/}

An oracle:
[\u0095]_{R}_{I}1_{/}Word of Yahweh. Yahweh dwells in the land of Hadrach and 
Damascus for the cities of Aram belong to him as do all the tribes 
of Israel, {I}2_{/}and Hamath as well, on its border, and Tyre and 
Sidon, the people who do good business. {I}3_{/}Tyre built herself a 
stronghold and piled up silver like dust, gold like the mud in the 
street. {R}_{I}4_{/}But the Lord will take away her possessions and throw 
down her power on the sea and she herself will perish by fire.
{R}_{I}5_{/}Ashkelon will see and be afraid; Gaza, too, will tremble and 
Ekron as well for her hope will fade. The king will disappear from 
Gaza and Ashkelon will be without inhabitants. {R}_{I}6_{/}People of low 
birth will occupy Ashdod. I will put an end to the pride of the 
Philistines. {R}_{I}7_{/}I shall take the meat with blood from their 
mouth and their unclean food from between their teeth. Only a 
remnant of them will be left and they will become like a clan 
among the Judeans. The people of Ekron will be like the Jebusites 
at the present time. {I}8_{/}I shall camp as a guard near my House to 
protect it from all who come and go. No longer shall an oppressor 
crush them now for I am aware of their affliction.

{N}YOUR KING COMES, RIDING ON A DONKEY{/}

[\u0095]_[=]_{R}_{I}9_{/}Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion!
Shout for joy, daughter of Jerusalem!
For your king is coming, just and victorious,
humble and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
[=]_{R}_{I}10_{/}No more chariots in Ephraim,
no more horses in Jerusalem,
for he will do away with them.
The warrior's bow shall be broken when he dictates peace to the 
nations.
He will reign from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
[=]_{R}_{I}11_{/}As for you, for the sake of your covenant sealed with 
blood, I shall release your prisoners from the ancient cistern. 
{R}_{I}12_{/}The prisoners who wait in expectation will return to you, O 
Zion; today I declare that I will repay you double for your exile. 
{R}_{I}13_{/}I shall bend my bow - Judah - and Ephraim shall be my arrow. 
I shall send your sons, O Zion, against the Greeks! For me you 
shall be a warrior's sword.
[=]_{I}14_{/}Yahweh will appear above them, his arrows flashing like 
lightning. He will sound his horn and come in a storm from the 
south. [=]_{R}_{I}15_{/}Yahweh, God of hosts, will protect them; they 
will triumph and trample the wicked. They will drink blood like 
wine and be filled with it like the bowls of the drink offering, 
like the horns of an altar.
{R}_{I}16_{/}On that day, Yahweh, their God, will save them and pasture 
them like a flock. [=]_{I}17_{/}How happy! how beautiful it will be! 
Grain will make young men flourish and new wine, the maidens!

{N}TRUST IN THE LORD{/}

{1}10{/}

{I}1_{/}Ask from Yahweh the spring rain, and Yahweh, who makes the 
lightnings, will send showers of rain and make grass sprout in 
each one's field.
{R}_{I}2_{/}The home idols utter empty words and diviners have false 
visions, dreams that foretell illusions and offer empty comfort. 
[=]_{R}_{I}3_{/}This is why the people stray like sheep without a 
shepherd. Against these shepherds my anger is aroused and I will 
punish the leaders.
When Yahweh of hosts visits his flock, the nation of Judah, he 
will make it his proud war horse. {I}4_{/}He will provide the host and 
the spear, the bow in battle and all the leaders. {I}5_{/}They will be 
like warriors trampling mud in battle. They will fight recalling 
that Yahweh is with them and rout those on horses.
{R}_{I}6_{/}"I will strengthen the nation of Judah and save the 
descendants of Joseph. I will bring them back for I have 
compassion on them and they will be as if I had never rejected 
them, for I am Yahweh, their God, who hears their cry.
{R}_{I}7_{/}Ephraim's men will be like heroes and feel joyful as if 
warmed by wine. Their children will rejoice on seeing it; their 
hearts will exult in Yahweh.
{I}8_{/}Yahweh says: I shall whistle and gather them together for I 
have redeemed them and they shall be as numerous as before. 
{R}_{I}9_{/}Then I shall spread them among the nations, but from the most 
distant lands they will remember me. There they shall raise their 
children who will return.
{R}_{I}10_{/}I shall bring them back from Egypt and gather them from 
Assyria. I shall give them again the land of Gilead and Lebanon 
but these will not suffice for them. {R}_{I}11_{/}They will pass through 
the sea of Egypt and the depths of the Nile will be dried up. Then 
the arrogance of Assyria will be cast down and Egypt will no 
longer have a king. {I}12_{/}I shall strengthen them, says Yahweh, and 
they shall advance confident in my Name."

{1}11{/}

{I}1_{/}Open your gateways, Lebanon, to let fire devour your cedars. 
{I}2_{/}Lament, cypresses, for the cedar has fallen. The majestic ones 
have been brought low. Wail, oaks of Bashan, for the impenetrable 
forest has been cut down. {R}_{I}3_{/}The sighs of the shepherds reecho 
because their beautiful plain has been ravaged. The young lions' 
roar reechoes because the fruitful valley of the Jordan is laid 
waste.

{N}THE EXAMPLE OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD{/}

[\u0095]_[=]_{R}_{I}4_{/}Yahweh, my God, said to me: "Pasture the sheep to be 
slaughtered, {I}5_{/}for their buyers slay them and get away with it, 
whereas those who sell them say: 'Praised be Yahweh! I am rich!' 
And their shepherds hardly give them a thought. {R}_{I}6_{/}Yahweh says: 
I shall no longer give a thought to the inhabitants of this land, 
and I am handing over each one to the power of his shepherd; 
although their king may oppress the land, I shall not rescue this 
people from their power."
{I}7_{/}So I became the shepherd of the sheep to be slaughtered and 
provided myself with two staffs - one I called Favor and the other 
Bonds. I then pastured my flock, {I}8_{/}doing away with three leaders 
in one month. I lost patience with them and they, for their part, 
were disgusted with me. {I}9_{/}So I said, "No longer shall I shepherd 
you: whatever is to die, let it die and let what is to perish, 
perish, and let those who are left devour each other's flesh." 
[=]_{R}_{I}10_{/}Then I took and broke my staff Favor to break the 
covenant I had made with all nations. {I}11_{/}It was broken off that 
day and the sheep merchants who watched knew it was Yahweh who had 
spoken.
{I}12_{/}I then said to them, "If you agree, give me my wages, 
otherwise let it go." So they weighed out my wages, thirty pieces 
of silver. [=]_{I}13_{/}And Yahweh said to me, "Throw it into the 
treasury, this splendid sum at which they valued me!" So I took 
the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the treasury in 
Yahweh's House.
{R}_{I}14_{/}I then snapped in two my second staff Bonds, doing away with 
the friendship between Judah and Israel.
{I}15_{/}Then Yahweh said to me, "Take another disguise, one that is 
fitting for a foolish shepherd {I}16_{/}for I am going to raise up 
another shepherd who will care nothing for lost sheep nor will he 
search for strays, or bind up the injured and pasture those that 
survive. No, but he will eat the fat ones and tear off their 
hoofs."
[=]_{I}17_{/}Woe to the worthless shepherd who abandons his flock! May 
the sword strike his arm and his right eye! Let his arm wither and 
his right eye be blind!

{N}THE FINAL BATTLE{/}

{1}12{/}

[\u0095]_{R}_{I}1_{/}An oracle. This is the word of Yahweh concerning Israel. 
Word of Yahweh, who spread out the heavens, laid the foundations 
of the earth and formed the spirit of man within him. 
[=]_{R}_{I}2_{/}"See, I am making of Jerusalem a cup that will send the 
nations reeling; it will happen when Jerusalem is besieged.
{R}_{I}3_{/}On that day I shall make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all 
the nations around her. All the nations will be united against her 
and all who try to lift the rock will be badly injured."
{R}_{I}4_{/}Yahweh says: "On that day I will make every horse wild with 
fright, every rider demented. All the horses of the nations will 
be blinded but I will watch over Judah {R}_{I}5_{/}and the leaders of the 
clans of Judah will say to themselves: 'The strength of the 
inhabitants of Jerusalem comes from Yahweh their God.'
{R}_{I}6_{/}On that day I will make the leaders of the clans of Judah 
like a fire in a woodland and a flaming torch among the sheaves. 
They will devour right and left all the nations around them, while 
Jerusalem will continue to hold its site.
{R}_{I}7_{/}Yahweh will first save the towns and villages of Judah so 
that David's people and the inhabitants of Jerusalem will not feel 
more important than the rest of Judah.
{R}_{I}8_{/}On that day Yahweh will strengthen the inhabitants of 
Jerusalem in such a way that the weaklings among them shall be 
like David and David's people who lead them, will be like God, 
like an angel of Yahweh.
{R}_{I}9_{/}On that day I will see to the destroying of all the nations 
that came against Jerusalem.
[=]_{R}_{I}10_{/}I will pour out on the family of David and the 
inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of love and supplication. They 
will look at the one who was pierced and mourn for him as for an 
only child, weeping bitterly as for a firstborn. {R}_{I}11_{/}The 
mourning in Jerusalem will be as great as the mourning of 
Haddadrimmon in the plain of Megiddo.
[=]_{R}_{I}12_{/}Each family will mourn individually: the family of David 
by themselves and their wives separately; the family of Nathan by 
themselves and their wives separately, {I}13_{/}the family of Levi by 
themselves and their wives separately, the family of Shimei by 
themselves and their wives separately {I}14_{/}and the same with the 
other families, each family by themselves and their wives 
separately.

{1}13{/}

[\u0095]_[=]_{R}_{I}1_{/}On that day a spring will well up for the family of 
David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem to cleanse themselves 
of sin and defilement. 
Yahweh, God of hosts says: [=]_{I}2_{/}On that day I will wipe out the 
names of idols from the land and never again will they be 
mentioned. {R}_{I}3_{/}I will also remove the prophets and their unclean 
spirits and expel them from the land. If a prophet does prophesy, 
his parents: father and mother, will say to him: "You shall live 
no longer for you uttered lies in the name of Yahweh." His own 
father and mother will stab him when he prophesies.
{R}_{I}4_{/}On that day the prophets will be ashamed of their prophetical 
visions and no longer wear a prophet's garment of hair in order to 
deceive. [=]_{R}_{I}5_{/}Instead, each of them will say: "I am not a 
prophet, I am a farmer, the land has owned me since my youth." 
[=]_{I}6_{/}And if anyone says to him: "What are these wounds on your 
hands?" He will answer: "With these I was wounded in my friend's 
house."

{N}FINAL PERSECUTION{/}

[\u0095]_[=]_{R}_{I}7_{/}"Sword, awake and strike my shepherd, the man who is 
near to me!" says Yahweh, God of hosts. "Strike the shepherd and 
let the flock be scattered!" Yahweh threatens, "I will turn 
against the little ones, {I}8_{/}and in all the land, two thirds shall 
be destroyed and one third left. [=]_{R}_{I}9_{/}This third shall be 
cleansed by fire; I shall refine them as silver is refined; I 
shall test them as gold is tested. They shall call upon my Name 
and I will hear them. I will say, "They are my peo-ple," and they 
shall say, "Yahweh is my God."

{N}ANOTHER DESCRIPTION OF THE FINAL BATTLE{/}

{1}14{/}

[\u0095]_{I}1_{/}The day of Yahweh will come when people will divide spoils 
in your midst. [=]_{R}_{I}2_{/}I will let all the nations come against 
Jerusalem to attack it. The city will be taken and houses 
pillaged, women violated. Half of the city will be deported but 
the rest will not be removed. {I}3_{/}Then Yahweh will go forth and 
fight against the nations as he does on the day of battle. 
[=]_{R}_{I}4_{/}On that day his feet will rest on the mount of Olives, 
facing Jerusalem on the east and the mount of Olives will be split 
in two from east to west by a deep valley leaving half of the 
mountain to the north and half to the south. [=]_{R}_{I}5_{/}You will 
flee through my mountain valley for it will extend as far as Azel. 
You will flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of 
Uzziah, king of Judah, and Yahweh will come and all his holy ones 
with him.
{I}6_{/}On that day there will be no cold or frost. [=]_{I}7_{/}It will be 
a unique day, known to Yahweh, without day or night and when 
evening comes there will still be light.
[=]_{R}_{I}8_{/}On that day living water will flow from Jerusalem, half 
to the sea in the east, half to the sea in the west; it will never 
dry up in summer or in winter. {R}_{I}9_{/}Yahweh will be king of all the 
earth. On that day there will be Yahweh alone and only his Name.
{R}_{I}10_{/}All the land will be turned into a plain from Geba to Rimmon 
in the Negeb, but Jerusalem shall be outstanding on its heights, 
from the Benjamin Gate to the First Gate, to the Corner Gate and 
from the tower of Hananel to the royal winepress. {R}_{I}11_{/}Its people 
shall no longer fear any disaster. Jerusalem shall be inhabited 
and secure.
{R}_{I}12_{/}And this is how Yahweh will punish all the nations that made 
war on Jerusalem: each one's flesh will rot even as he stands, and 
their eyes will rot in their sockets, their tongue in their mouth. 
{I}15_{/}A similar plague shall strike the horses, mules, camels and 
donkeys, and all the animals in their camps. [=]_{I}13_{/}On that day 
Yahweh will cause great panic among them: they will take hold of 
one another and attack one another {R}_{I}14_{/}while the men of Judah 
fight in Jerusalem. The wealth of all the neighboring nations will 
be left in that place, gold, silver and garments in great 
quantities.
{I}16_{/}The survivors of all the nations that fought against 
Jerusalem will come, year by year, to worship Yahweh, God of hosts 
and celebrate the feast of Tabernacles. [=]_{R}_{I}17_{/}If any peoples 
of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King Yahweh, 
God of hosts, they will have no rain. {I}18_{/}If the Egyptian people 
do not go up and take part, they too will be afflicted with the 
plague destined for those who do not go up to celebrate the feast 
of Tabernacles. {R}_{I}19_{/}That shall be the punishment of Egypt and of 
all the nations who do not go up to celebrate the feast of 
Tabernacles.
{I}20_{/}On that day, even the bells of the horses shall be inscribed: 
"Consecrated to Yahweh." [=]_{R}_{I}21_{/}The cooking pots of the Temple 
will be as sacred as the bowls of offering that are used for the 
altar, and even the ordinary cooking pots of the people of 
Jerusalem and Judah will be consecrated to Yahweh, God of hosts. 
So everyone who offers sacrifice may use them for cooking. Still 
more: from that day, there will no longer be merchants in the 
House of Yahweh, God of hosts.

