Episode 230: A horse of a different color

Zechariah 1-8

Don't be like your fathers

1 ¹ The word of God came unto Zechariah in the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, saying,

³ Turn to me, and I'll turn to you.

⁴ Don't be like your fathers.

⁵ Where are your fathers now?

Do prophets live forever?

The first vision: A man on a red horse

⁷ The word of God came upon Zechariah again.

⁸ I [Zechariah] saw a man riding on a red horse, and a man standing by myrtle trees, and behind him were red horses, speckled with white.

¹⁰ A man by the myrtle trees said, "God has sent them to walk around on earth."

¹¹ They said, "We have walked around on the earth. The earth sits still and is at rest."

¹² God's angel said,

God, how long will you not have mercy on Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, with whom you've been angry for seventy years?

¹³ God answered the angel with good and comfortable words.

¹⁴ The angel said to me, This is what God says:

I'm jealous for Jerusalem. And I'm disappointed with the heathen.

¹⁶ I'm returning to Jerusalem, where I'll build my house.

The second vision: Four horns and four carpenters

¹⁸ Then I saw four horns.

¹⁹ I said to the angel, "What are these?"

He said, "They are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem."

²⁰ And God showed me four carpenters.

²¹ I said to God, "What are they going to do?"

God said, "They will cast out the horns of the Gentiles, whose horns scattered Judah."

The third vision: A man with a measuring line

2 ¹ I saw a man with a measuring line in his hand.

² I said to him, "Where are you going?"

He said, "To measure Jerusalem."

^3-4 Then another angel came to meet him, and said,

⁵ God will be a wall of fire around Jerusalem and will be the glory in the middle of the city.

The apple of God's eye

⁶ God said,

Ho, Ho, flee from the land of the north.

⁷ Deliver yourself, O Zion, who lives with the daughter of Babylon.

⁸ Whoever touches you, touches the apple of my eye.

⁹ And I'll shake my hand at them.

The fourth vision: Joshua and Satan

3 ¹ Then I saw the high priest Joshua and Satan at his right hand to resist him.

² God said to Satan,

Satan, I rebuke you.

Isn't this a stick pulled out of the fire?

³ Now Joshua's clothes were filthy as he stood before the angel.

⁴ The angel said to those who were standing by Joshua, "Take off his filthy clothes."

Then the angel told Joshua, "I've taken away your iniquity. And I'll get you some new clothes."

⁵ I [Zechariah] said, "Put a miter on his head."

So they put a miter on his head and put some clothes on him.

God's servant, the BRANCH

^6-7 Then the angel said,

This is what God says:

⁸ I'll bring forth my servant BRANCH.

⁹ The stone I laid in front of Joshua has seven eyes.

¹⁰ On that day, you'll call everyone your neighbor who sits under a vine or fig tree.

The fifth vision: Seven lamps and two olive trees

4 ¹ An angel woke me from my sleep, and said, "What do you see?"

² I said,

I see a gold candlestick, with a bowl on top of it, and seven lamps on top of the bowl.

³ And two olive trees, one on each side of the bowl.

⁴ I said to the angel, "What are these?"

⁶ The angel said,

This is a message from God to Zerubbabel, saying,

Not by power, but by my spirit.

⁷ Who are you, great mountain?

You will become a plain in front of Zerubbabel.

And a headstone will shout and say, "Grace to it."

⁸ Then the word of God came to me again, and said,

⁹ Zerubbabel will finish building this house.

¹⁰ The seven lamps are the eyes of God, which run to and fro through the whole earth.

¹¹ I said,

What are the two olive trees next to the candlestick?

¹² And what are the olive branches with the golden pipes and oil coming out of them?

¹⁴ He said, "These are the two anointed ones that stand by the Lord of all the earth."

The sixth vision: A flying scroll

5 ¹ I [Zechariah] saw a flying scroll.

² An angel said to me, "What do you see?"

I said, "I see a flying scroll, 20 cubits long and 10 cubits wide."

³ He said to me,

This is a curse over the whole earth.

⁴ God will bring this curse to the house of every thief and liar.

The curse will burn its wood and stone.

The seventh vision: Three women and a basket

⁵ Then the angel said to me, "What do you see now?"

⁶ I said, "What is it?"

He said, "It's a basket."

⁷ The basket had a heavy lead lid, with a woman sitting inside.

⁸ The angel said, "This is wickedness."

And he closed the basket's lead lid on the woman's mouth.

⁹ Then two women with stork-like wings lifted up the basket.

¹⁰ I asked the angel, "Where are they taking the basket?"

¹¹ The angel said, "To build a house in Shinar."

The eighth vision: Horses of different color

6 ¹ I saw four chariots coming between two brass mountains.

^2-3 Each chariot was pulled by horses of different colors: red, black, white, and grey-spotted.

⁴ I said to my angel companion, "What are these?"

⁵ He said,

They are the four spirits of heaven, who are sent from the Lord of all the earth.

⁶ The black and white horses go north, and the spotted go south.

⁷ The horses went forth to walk to and fro on the earth.

⁸ The angel cried out, saying, "The horses going north have quieted my spirit in the north country."

A man called BRANCH

⁹ The word of God came to me, saying,

¹¹ Put silver and gold crowns on Joshua's head.

¹² And say to him,

A man called BRANCH will build God's temple.

¹³ He will be a priest and will rule upon his throne.

Show mercy and compassion to everyone

7 ⁸ The word of God came to Zechariah, saying,

⁹ Judge truthfully and show mercy and compassion to everyone.

¹⁰ Don't oppress widows, orphans, strangers, or poor people.

And don't wish evil on other people.

God was jealous and furious (and behaved badly)

8 ¹ The word of God came to me again, and said,

² I was jealous for Zion with great jealousy and fury.

¹⁰ I forced everyone to fight against their neighbors.

But you should be good

¹⁶ But these are the things that you should do:

Speak truthfully and seek justice and peace.

¹⁷ Don't wish evil on your neighbors, and don't make false oaths.

¹⁹ Love truth and peace.

²³ In those days, ten men will grab the skirt of a Jew, saying,

We're going with you because God is with you.