Joy and enlargement promised. ZECHARIAH.-CHAP. IX., X. which were in the day that the foundation | A. M. 316. of the house of the LORD of hosts was laid, that the temple might be built. 10 For before these days there was no hire for man, nor any hire for beast; neither was there any peace to him that went out or came in because of the affliction: for I set all men every one against his neighbour. 11 But now I will not be unto the residue of this people as in the former days, saith the LORD of hosts. B. C. 518. o Ezr.5.1,2. p or, the man became q Mat. 10.31 A. M. 3494. B. C. 510. s of peace. 14 For thus saith the LORD of hosts; As I thought to punish you, when your fathers pro- b Je.526,12. voked me to wrath, saith the LORD of hosts, and I repented not: 15 So again have I thought in these days to do well unto Jerusalem and to the house of Judah fear ye not. y 16 These are the things that ye shall do ; Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates: © Je.41.1,2 g Ps. 122.1, h going, or, continu ally. Ho.6.3. 17 And let none of you imagine a evil in your hearts against his neighbour; and love no entreat false oath for all these are things that I hate, saith the Lord. 18 And the word of the LORD of hosts came unto me, saying, the face J Is.60.3, a Am. 1.3..8 28. 19 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; The fast of b Exe.c.26.. the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall be to the house of Judah joy and gladness, and 'cheerful feasts ; therefore love the truth and peace. d c bloods. 20 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; It shall yet f 18.45.21. come to pass, that there shall come people, and the inhabitants of many cities: h gor, saving corenant is by blood Zion is exhorted to rejoice 5 Ashkelon shall see it, and fear; Gaza also shall see it, and be very sorrowful, and Ekron; for her expectation shall be ashamed; and the king shall perish from Gaza, and Ashkelon shall not be inhabited. 6 And a bastard shall dwell in Ashdod, and I will cut off the pride of the Philistines. 7 And I will take away his blood out of his mouth, and his abominations from between his teeth but he that remaineth, even he, shall be for our God, and he shall be as a governor in Judah, and Ekron as a Jebusite. 8 And I will encamp about my house because of the army, because of him that passeth by, and because of him that returneth: and no oppressor shall pass through them any more: for now have I seen with mine eyes. 9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and e having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an X ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass. 10 And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off: and he shall speak peace unto the heathen: and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth. h 11 As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water. 12 Turn you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope: even to-day do I declare that I will render double unto thee; 13 When I have bent Judah for me, filled the bow with Ephraim, and raised up thy sons, O Zion, against thy sons, O Greece, and made thee as the sword of a mighty man. 14 And the LORD shall be seen over them, and his arrow shall go forth as the lightning: and the Lord God shall blow the trumpet, and shall go with whirlwinds of the south. 15 The LORD of hosts shall defend them; and they shall devour, and subdue m with sling stones; and they shall drink, and make a noise as through wine; and they shall " be filled like bowls, and as the corners of the 21 And the inhabitants of one city shall go to hor, whose altar. i Is.61.1. 1 God defendeth his church. 9 Zion is exhorted to rejoice for the coming of Christ, 2 And Hamath also shall border thereby; o Le.4.18, 25. 16 And the LORD their God shall save them in that day as the flock of his people: for P they shall be as the stones of a crown, lifted up as an ensign upon his land. 17 For how great is his goodness, and how great is his beauty! corn shall make the young men cheerful, and new wine the maids. r SK of the LORD rain a in the time of the ye latter rain; so the LORD shall make bright clouds, and give them showers of rain, to or, speak. every one grass in the field. q Is. 11.12. r or, grow, a De.11.13, 14. bor, light- cor, tera- d Job 13.4. or, an swered Eze.34.7, &c. e 2 For the idols have spoken vanity, and the diviners have seen a lie, and have told false dreams; they comfort in dvain: therefore they went their way as a flock, they were troubled because there was no shepherd. 3 Mine anger was kindled against the f shepherds, and I punished the goats: for the LORD of hosts hath visited his flock the house of Judah, and hath made them as his goodly horse in the battle. 4 Out of him came forth the i corner, out of him the nail, out of him the battle-bow, out of him every oppressor together. 5 And they shall be as mighty men, which The destruction of Jerusalem. B. C. 510. The restoration of Judah. the poor of the flock that waited upon me knew that it was the word of the LORD. ZECHARIAH.-CHAP. XI., XII. tread down their enemies in the mire of the AM streets in the battle: and they shall fight, because the LORD is with them, and the riders on horses shall be confounded. 6 And I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph, and I will bring them again to place them; for m I have mercy upon them: and they shall be as though I had not cast them off: for I am the LORD their God, and will hear them. k Mal.4.3. 1 or, they The riders on horses m 1.54.7.. c.9.15. ..15. p De.30.1..3 r Col.2.6. 7 And they of Ephraim shall be like a mighty man, and their heart shall rejoice as through wine: yea, their children shall see it, and be 1.49.20. glad; their heart shall rejoice in the LORD. 8 I will hiss for them, and gather them; for I or gal have redeemed them: and they shall increase as they have increased. 9 And I will sow them among the people: and they shall remember P me in far countries; and they shall live with their children, and turn again. lants. b or, de c Jn 21.15 d De.29.19 be found. f or verily 10 I will bring them again also out of the land make to of Egypt, and gather them out of Assyria; and I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon; and place shall not be found for them. q the poor. g Mat.11.5. hor,binders 1 Ho.5.7. 11 And he shall pass through the sea with affliction, and shall smite the waves in the sea, and all the deeps of the river shall dry up: was strat and the pride of Assyria shall be brought down, and the sceptre of Egypt shall depart away. ened for. fellow or, neigh- or, the poor, &c. m it be good n Ex.21.32 o Mat.27.3 ..10. Por, Bind ств. q or,hidden 3 There is a voice of the howling of the shepherds; for their glory is spoiled: a voice of or, bear. the roaring of young lions; for the pride of Jordan is spoiled. с 4 T Thus saith the LORD my God; Feed the flock of the slaughter; 5 Whose possessors slay them, and hold themselves not guilty: and they that sell them say, Blessed be the LORD; for I am rich: and their own shepherds pity them not. e 6 For I will no more pity the inhabitants of the land, saith the LORD: but, lo, I will deliver the men every one into his neighbour's hand, and into the hand of his king: and they shall smite the land, and out of their hand I will not deliver them. f s Jn. 10.12, AM. 3504. B. C. 500. 13 And the LORD said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prized at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the LORD. 14 Then I cut asunder mine other staff, even P Bands, that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel. 15 ¶ And the LORD said unto me, Take unto thee yet the instruments of a foolish shepherd. 16 For, lo, I will raise up a shepherd in the land, which shall not visit those that be cut off, neither shall seek the young one, nor heal that that is broken, nor feed that that standeth still: but he shall eat the flesh of the sat, and tear their claws in pieces. 17 Wo to the idol-shepherd that leaveth⚫ the flock! the sword shall be upon his arm, and upon his right eye: his arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye shall be utterly darkened. CHAPTER XII. 1 Jerusalem a cup of trembling to herself, 3 and a burdensome stone to her adversaries. 6 The victorious restoring of Judah. 9 The repentance of Jerusalem. THE burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him. 2 Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, b when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. C 3 And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it. 4 In that day, saith the LORD, I will smite every horse with astonishment, and his rider with madness: I will open mine eyes upon the house of Judah, and will smite every horse of the people with blindness. 5 And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, The inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be my strength in the LORD of hosts their God. 6 In that day will I make the governors of Judah like a hearth of fire among the wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf; and they shall devour all the people round about, on the right hand and on the left: and Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place, even in Jerusalem. 7 The LORD also shall save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem do not magnify themselves against Judah. 7 And I will feed the flock of slaughter, even you, O poor of the flock. And I took unto me two staves; the one I called Beauty, and the other I called Bands; and I fed the flock. 8 Three shepherds also I cut off in one 8 In that day shall the LORD defend the ini month; and my soul loathed them, and theirf fallen, or, habitants of Jerusalem; and he that is ' feeble soul also abhorred me. 9 Then said I, I will not feed you: that that dieth, let it die; and that that is to be cut off, let it be cut off; and let the rest eat every one the flesh of another. to the inJoel 3.16. abject. Mi.7.8. g He.11.34. i Is.54.17. J Je.31.9 10 And I took my staff, even Beauty, and cut it asunder, that I might break my covenant which I had made with all the people. k P.51.12 11 And it was broken in that day: and 1 SO|1 Ro.8.26. Xx The coming of Christ, and ... A. M. 3504. 3 ZECHARIAH.-CHAP. XIII., XIV. the graces of his kingdom. Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn " for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his first-born. n m Mat.21.30 Re. 1.7. n Ac.2.37. o2 Ch.35.22 ..25. 11 In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadad-Pfamilies rimmon in the valley of Megiddon. q 2 Sa.5.14. ror, Simeon as LXX. 12 And the land shall mourn, P every family apart; the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house • Pr.9.12. of Nathan apart, and their wives apart; a He.9.14. Re. 1.5. 7.13,14. 13 The family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart; the family of Shimei b separaapart, and their wives apart; 14 All the families that remain, every family apart, and their wives apart. 8 2 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD of hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they shall no more be remembered: and also I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land. 3 And it shall come to pass, that when any shall yet prophesy, then his father and his mother that begat him shall say unto him, Thou shalt not live; for thou speakest lies in the name of the LORD: and his father and his mother that begat him shall 'thrust him through when he prophesieth. 4 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the prophets shall be ashamed every one of his vision, when he hath prophesied; neither shall they wear a rough garment to i de ceive: 5 But he shall say, I am no prophet, I am a husbandman; for man taught me to keep cattle from my youth. 6 And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thy hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends. 7 ¶ Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn my hand upon the little ones. tion for unclean ness. c Ex.23.13. Ps. 16.4. d la.2.18,20. e Lu.11.20. f De. 13.6,9. 7 But it shall be one day which shall be Mi.36,7. known to the LORD, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light. h garment of hair. i lie. 9 And the LORD shall be king over all the earth in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one. 10 All the land shall be turned as a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem: and it shall be lifted up, and inhabited in her place, from Benjamin's gate unto the place of the first gate, unto the corner gate, and from the tower of Hananeel unto the king's winepresses. 11 And men shall dwell in it, and there shall f That is, it be no more m utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited. 8 And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be leftm therein. 9 And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God. Re.21.4. n or, abide. o 18a.14.15, 20. P Eze.38.21. a also, O Judah. 17. 1.66.22 Le.23.33, 13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour. 14 And Judah also shall fight rat Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the heathen round about shall be gathered together, gold, and silver, and apparel, in great abundance. 15 And so shall be the plague of the horse, of the mule, of the camel, and of the ass, and of all the beasts that shall be in these tents, as this plague. r or,against 16 And it shall come to pass, that every Eze.39.10, one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of " tabernacles. 17 And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain. &c. B. C. The priests and people reproved. heathen that come not up to keep the feast of A. M. 350 | house shall be like the bowls before the tabernacles. yor, sin. altar. 21 Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto the LORD of hosts: and all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them, and seethe therein: and in that day there shall be no more the Canaanite in the d house of the LORD of hosts. b A. M. 3584ficeth unto the LORD a corrupt thing: for I am a great King, saith the LORD of hosts, and my name is dreadful among the heathen. a by the b De.7.7,8. c Ro.9.13. d Je. 49.17, Eze.35.3, Ob.10,&c. on, or, upon. of God. your D Ro.2.11. o 1 Co.9.13. Is.60.3.5. CHAPTER II. 1 He sharply reproveth the priests for neglecting their covenant, 11 and the peopls for idolatry, 14 for adultery, 17 and for infidelity. A ND now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you. 2 If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto my name, saith the LORD of hosts, I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings: yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to heart. с 3 Behold, I will corrupt your seed, and spread dung upon your faces, even the dung of your solemn feasts; and one shall take you away with it. e 4 And ye shall know that I have sent this commandment unto you, that my covenant might be with Levi, saith the LORD of hosts. 5 My covenant was with him of life and peace; and I gave them to him for the fear wherewith he feared me, and was afraid before my name. 6 The law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips: he walked with me in peace and equity, and did turn many away from iniquity. 6 ¶ A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if f then I be a father, where is my honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the LORD of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name? 7h Ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar; and ye say, Wherein have we polluted thee? 7 For the priest's lips should keep knowIn that ye say, The table of the LORD is con- or, where ledge, and they should seek the law at his temptible. Jn.4.2, Re.8.3. t Ia.66.19, 20. ar ye might away. v or, in a De. 28.15, bor, re- prove. take you away to it e Nu.25. 12, h f mouth: for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts. out of the way; ye stumble at the law; 8 But ye are departed I have caused many to ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith the LORD of hosts. 9 Therefore have I also made you contemptible and base before all the people, according as ye have not kept my ways, but i have been partial in the law. 10 Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us? why do we deal treacherDe 33.8. ously every man against his brother, by profaning the covenant of our fathers? 13. 10. f Je.23.22. 10 Who is there even among you that would shut the doors for nought? neither do ye kindle fire on mine altar for nought. I have no pleasure in you, saith the LORD of hosts, neither will I accept an offering at your hand. 11 For from the rising of the sun even unto h the going down of the same, my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the LORD of hosts. 12 But ye have profaned it, in that ye say, The table of the LORD is polluted; and the fruit thereof, even his meat, is contemptible. 13 Ye said also, Behold, what a weariness is it!" and ye have snuffed at it, saith the LORD of hosts; and ye brought that which was torn, and the lame, and the sick; thus ye brought an offering should I accept this of your hand? saith the LORD. g Le. 10.11. Ac.16.17. 2 Co. 5.20. i 1 Sa.2.17, 30. Lu.11.45, 46. 1 accepted the face 11 Judah hath dealt treacherously, and an abomination is committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah hath profaned the holiness of the LORD which he loved, and hath married the daughter of a strange god. or, fallin. 12 The LORD will cut off P the man that doeth m 1 Co.8.6. n or, ought Ezr91,2 13. that wa keth, and him that r Pa. 78.34.. 14 T But cursed be the deceiver, which hath in his flock a male, and voweth and sacri- * 37. 14 Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the LORD hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: yet is she thy companion and the wife of thy covenant. The majesty and grace of Christ. MALACHI.-CHAP. III., IV. 15 And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a "godly ▾ seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth. W 16 For the LORD, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away: for one covereth violence with his garment, saith the LORD of hosts therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously. B. C. 420. Mat.19.4,5 tor, excelLency. u seed of God. 1 Ca.7.14. W or, un faithfully x De.24.1. y or, if he hate her, put her 17 Ye have wearied the LORD with your words. Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied him? When ye say, Every one that t doeth evil is good in the sight of the LORD, and he delighteth in them; or, Where is the God of judgment? CHAPTER III. 1 Of the Lessenger, majesty, and grace of Christ. 7 Of the rebellion, 8 sacrilege, 13 and infidelity of the people. 16 The promise of blessing to them that fear God. BE EHOLD, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts. 2 But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's d fire, and like fuller's soap: 3 And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness. e 4 Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the LORD, as in the days of old, and as in former years. away. Mat. 19.8. away. a Is. 43.24. Am.213. a Lu 1.76. 7.27. n Elijah's coming and office. heaven, and " pour you out a blessing, that • there shall not be room enough to receive it. 11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not P destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts. 12 And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts. have been stout against me, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, What have we spoken so much against thee? 14 Ye have said, It is vain to serve God: and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the LORD of hosts ? 15 And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that tempt " God are even delivered. 16 Then they that feared the LORD spake ▾ often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name. W 17 And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. 18 Then shall ye return, and discern beMattween the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not. m Ne.13.10, 12. 5 And I will come near to you to judgment: p corrupt and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts. 6 For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore 1 ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. 7¶ Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return? 8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. 3 And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts. 4 Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments. 5¶ Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: 6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse. END OF THE OLD TESTAMENT 581 |