The MacArthur Study Bible, NKJV
Page 437
Future Joy of Zion and Many Nations
6“Up, up! Flee ffrom the land of the north,” says the LORD; “for I have gspread you abroad like the four winds of heaven,” says the LORD.
7“Up, Zion! hEscape, you who dwell with the daughter of Babylon.”
8For thus says the LORD of hosts: “He sent Me after glory, to the nations which plunder you; for he who itouches you touches the 1apple of His eye.
9“For surely I will jshake My hand against them, and they shall become 2spoil for their servants. Then kyou will know that the LORD of hosts has sent Me.
10l“Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion! For behold, I am coming and I mwill dwell in your midst,” says the LORD.
11n“Many nations shall be joined to the LORD oin that day, and they shall become pMy people. And I will dwell in your midst. Then qyou will know that the LORD of hosts has sent Me to you.
12“And the LORD will rtake possession of Judah as His inheritance in the Holy Land, and will again choose Jerusalem.
13s“Be silent, all flesh, before the LORD, for He is aroused tfrom His holy habitation!”
Zechariah 3
Vision of the High Priest
1Then he showed me aJoshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the LORD, and bSatan1 standing at his right hand to oppose him.
2And the LORD said to Satan, c“The LORD rebuke you, Satan! The LORD who dhas chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! eIs this not a brand plucked from the fire?”
3Now Joshua was clothed with ffilthy garments, and was standing before the Angel.
4Then 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, gand I will clothe you with rich robes.”
5And I said, “Let them put a clean hturban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head, and they put the clothes on him. And the Angel of the LORD stood by.
The Coming Branch
6Then the Angel of the LORD admonished Joshua, saying,
7“Thus says the LORD of hosts:
‘If you will walk in My ways,
And if you will ikeep My command,
Then you shall also jjudge My house,
And likewise have charge of My courts;
I will give you places to walk
Among these who kstand here.
8‘Hear, O Joshua, the high priest,
You and your companions who sit before you,
For they are la2 wondrous sign;
For behold, I am bringing forth mMy Servant the nBRANCH.
9For behold, the stone
That I have laid before Joshua:
o Upon the stone are pseven eyes.
Behold, I will engrave its inscription,’
Says the LORD of hosts,
‘And qI will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.
10r In that day,’ says the LORD of hosts,
‘Everyone will invite his neighbor
s Under his vine and under his fig tree.’ ”
Zechariah 4
Vision of the Lampstand and Olive Trees
1Now athe angel who talked with me came back and wakened me, bas a man who is wakened out of his sleep.
2And he said to me, “What do you see?” So I said, “I am looking, and there is ca lampstand of solid gold with a bowl on top of it, dand on the stand seven lamps with seven pipes to the seven lamps.
3e“Two olive trees are by it, one at the right of the bowl and the other at its left.”
4So I answered and spoke to the angel who talked with me, saying, “What are these, my lord?”
5Then the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” And I said, “No, my lord.”
6So he answered and said to me:
“This is the word of the LORD to fZerubbabel:
g‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’
Says the LORD of hosts.
7‘Who are you, hO great mountain?
Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain!
And he shall bring forth ithe capstone
j With shouts of “Grace, grace to it!” ’ ”
8Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying:
9“The hands of Zerubbabel
k Have laid the foundation of this 1temple;
His hands lshall also finish it.
Then myou will know
That the nLORD of hosts has sent Me to you.
10For who has despised the day of osmall things?
For these seven rejoice to see
The 2plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel.
p They are the eyes of the LORD,
Which scan to and fro throughout the whole earth.”
11Then I answered and said to him, “What are these qtwo olive trees—at the right of the lampstand and at its left?”
12And I further answered and said to him, “What are these two olive branches that drip 3into the receptacles of the two gold pipes from which the golden oil drains?”
13Then he answered me and said, “Do you not know what these are?” And I said, “No, my lord.”
14So he said, r“These are the two 4anointed ones, swho stand beside the Lord of the whole earth.”
Zechariah 5
Vision of the Flying Scroll
1Then I turned and raised my eyes, and saw there a flying ascroll.
2And 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.”
3Then he said to me, “This is the bcurse 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.”
4“I will send out the curse,” says the LORD of hosts;
“It shall enter the house of the cthief
And the house of dthe one who swears falsely by My name.
It shall remain in the midst of his house
And consume eit, with its timber and stones.”
Vision of the Woman in a Basket
5Then the angel who talked with me came out and said to me, “Lift your eyes now, and see what this is that goes forth.”
6So I asked, “What is it?” And he said, “It is a 1basket that is going forth.” He also said, “This is their resemblance throughout the earth:
7“Here is a lead disc lifted up, and this is a woman sitting inside the basket”;
8then he said, “This is Wickedness!” And he thrust her down into the basket, and threw the lead 2cover over its mouth.
9Then 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 fstork, and they lifted up the basket between earth and heaven.
10So I said to the gangel who talked with me, “Where are they carrying the basket?”
11And he said to me, “To hbuild a house for it in ithe land of 3Shinar; when it is ready, the basket will be set there on its base.”
Zechariah 6
Vision of the Four Chariots
1Then 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.
2With the first chariot were ared horses, with the second chariot bblack horses,
3with the third chariot white horses, and with the fourth chariot dappled horses—strong steeds.
4Then I answered cand said to the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?”
5And the angel answered and said to me, d“These are four spirits of heaven, who go out from their estation before the Lord of all the earth.
61“The one with the black horses is going to fthe north country, the white are going after them, and the dappled are going toward the south country.”
7Then the strong steeds went out, eager to go, that they might gwalk to and fro throughout the earth. And He said, �
�Go, walk to and fro throughout the earth.” So they walked to and fro throughout the earth.
8And He called to me, and spoke to me, saying, “See, those who go toward the north country have given rest to My hSpirit in the north country.”
The Command to Crown Joshua
9Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying:
10“Receive the gift from the captives—from Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah, who have come from Babylon—and go the same day and enter the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah.
11“Take the silver and gold, make ian2 elaborate crown, and set it on the head of jJoshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest.
12“Then speak to him, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, saying:
“Behold, kthe Man whose name is the lBRANCH!
From His place He shall 3branch out,
m And He shall build the temple of the LORD; Other Names for Jerusalem
13Yes, He shall build the temple of the LORD.
He nshall bear the glory,
And shall sit and rule on His throne;
So oHe shall be a priest on His throne,
And the counsel of peace shall be between 4them both.” ’
14“Now the 5elaborate crown shall be pfor a memorial in the temple of the LORD 6for Helem, Tobijah, Jedaiah, and Hen the son of Zephaniah.
15“Even qthose 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.”
Zechariah 7
Obedience Better than Fasting
1Now 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, Chislev,
2when 1the people sent 2Sherezer, with Regem-Melech and his men, to 3the house of God, 4to pray before the LORD,
3and to aask the priests who were in the house of the LORD of hosts, and the prophets, saying, “Should I weep in bthe fifth month and 5fast as I have done for so many years?”
4Then the word of the LORD of hosts came to me, saying,
5“Say to all the people of the land, and to the priests: ‘When you cfasted and mourned in the fifth dand seventh months eduring those seventy years, did you really fast ffor Me—for Me?
6g‘When you eat and when you drink, do you not eat and drink for yourselves?
7‘Should you not have obeyed the words which the LORD proclaimed through the hformer prophets when Jerusalem and the cities around it were inhabited and prosperous, and ithe 6South and the Lowland were inhabited?’ ”
Disobedience Resulted in Captivity
8Then the word of the LORD came to Zechariah, saying,
9“Thus says the LORD of hosts:
j‘Execute true justice,
Show 7mercy and compassion
Everyone to his brother.
10k Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless,
The alien or the poor.
l Let none of you plan evil in his heart
Against his brother.’
11“But they refused to heed, mshrugged8 their shoulders, and nstopped9 their ears so that they could not hear.
12“Yes, they made their ohearts like flint, prefusing to hear the law and the words which the LORD of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets. qThus great wrath came from the LORD of hosts.
13“Therefore it happened, that just as He proclaimed and they would not hear, so rthey called out and I would not listen,” says the LORD of hosts.
14“But sI 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.”
Zechariah 8
Jerusalem, Holy City of the Future
1Again the word of the LORD of hosts came, saying,
2“Thus says the LORD of hosts:
a‘I am 1zealous for Zion with great 2zeal;
With great 3fervor I am zealous for her.’
3“Thus says the LORD:
b‘I will return to Zion,
And cdwell in the midst of Jerusalem.
Jerusalem dshall be called the City of Truth,
e The Mountain of the LORD of hosts,
f The Holy Mountain.’
4“Thus says the LORD of hosts:
g‘Old men and old women shall again sit
In the streets of Jerusalem,
Each one with his staff in his hand
Because of 4great age.
5The streets of the city
Shall be hfull of boys and girls
Playing in its streets.’
6“Thus says the LORD of hosts:
‘If it is 5marvelous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these days,
i Will it also be marvelous in My eyes?’
Says the LORD of hosts.
7“Thus says the LORD of hosts:
‘Behold, jI will save My people from the land of the 6east
And from the land of the 7west;
8I will kbring them back,
And they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem.
l They shall be My people
And I will be their God,
m In truth and righteousness.’
9“Thus says the LORD of hosts:
n‘Let your hands be strong,
You who have been hearing in these days
These words by the mouth of othe prophets,
Who spoke in pthe day the foundation was laid
For the house of the LORD of hosts,
That the temple might be built.
10For before these days
There were no qwages 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 neighbor.
11r‘But now I will not treat the remnant of this people as in the former days,’ says the LORD of hosts.
12‘Fors the 8seed shall be prosperous,
The vine shall give its fruit,
t The ground shall give her increase,
And uthe heavens shall give their dew—
I will cause the remnant of this people
To possess all these.
13And it shall come to pass
That just as you were va curse among the nations,
O house of Judah and house of Israel,
So I will save you, and wyou shall be a blessing.
Do not fear,
Let your hands be strong.’
14“For thus says the LORD of hosts:
x‘Just as I determined to 9punish you
When your fathers provoked Me to wrath,’
Says the LORD of hosts,
y‘And I would not relent,
15So again in these days
I am determined to do good
To Jerusalem and to the house of Judah.
Do not fear.
16These are the things you shall zdo:
a Speak each man the truth to his neighbor;
Give judgment in your gates for truth, justice, and peace;
17b Let none of you think evil in 10your heart against your neighbor;
And do not love a false oath.
For all these are things that I hate,’
Says the LORD.”
18Then the word of the LORD of hosts came to me, saying,
19“Thus says the LORD of hosts:
c‘The fast of the fourth month,
d The fast of the fifth,
e The fast of the seventh,
f And the fast of the tenth,
Shall be gjoy and gladness and cheerful feasts
For the house of Judah.
h Therefore love truth and peace.’
20“Thus says the LORD of hosts:
‘Peoples shall yet come,
Inhabitants of many cities;
21The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying,
<
br /> i“Let us continue to go and pray before the LORD,
And seek the LORD of hosts.
I myself will go also.”
22Yes, jmany peoples and strong nations
Shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem,
And to pray before the LORD.’
23“Thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘In those days ten men kfrom every language of the nations shall lgrasp the 11sleeve of a Jewish man, saying, “Let us go with you, for we have heard mthat God is with you.” ’ ”
Zechariah 9
Israel Defended Against Enemies
1The 1burden of the word of the LORD
Against the land of Hadrach,
And aDamascus its resting place
(For bthe eyes of men
And all the tribes of Israel
Are on the LORD);
2Also against cHamath, which borders on it,
And against dTyre and eSidon, though they are very fwise.
3For Tyre built herself a tower,
Heaped up silver like the dust,
And gold like the mire of the streets.
4Behold, gthe LORD will cast her out;
He will destroy hher power in the sea,
And she will be devoured by fire.
5Ashkelon shall see it and fear;
Gaza also shall be very sorrowful;
And iEkron, for He dried up her expectation.
The king shall perish from Gaza,
And Ashkelon shall not be inhabited.
6“A2 mixed race shall settle jin Ashdod,
And I will cut off the pride of the kPhilistines.
7I will take away the blood from his mouth,
And the abominations from between his teeth.
But he who remains, even he shall be for our God,
And shall be like a leader in Judah,
And Ekron like a Jebusite.
8l I will camp around My house
Because of the army,
Because of him who passes by and him who returns.
No more shall an oppressor pass through them,
For now I have seen with My eyes.
The Coming King
(Matt. 21:5; John 12:14, 15)
9“Rejoice mgreatly, O daughter of Zion!