Zechariah 12

Jerusalem’s Enemies to Be Destroyed

1 A prophecy: The word of theLordconcerning Israel.

TheLord, who stretches out the heavens, who lays the foundation of the earth, and who forms the human spirit within a person, declares:

2 “I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling. Judah will be besieged as well as Jerusalem.

3 On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves.

4 On that day I will strike every horse with panic and its rider with madness,” declares theLord. “I will keep a watchful eye over Judah, but I will blind all the horses of the nations.

5 Then the clans of Judah will say in their hearts, ‘The people of Jerusalem are strong, because theLordAlmighty is their God.’

6 “On that day I will make the clans of Judah like a firepot in a woodpile, like a flaming torch among sheaves. They will consume all the surrounding peoples right and left, but Jerusalem will remain intact in her place.

7 “TheLordwill save the dwellings of Judah first, so that the honor of the house of David and of Jerusalem’s inhabitants may not be greater than that of Judah.

8 On that day theLordwill shield those who live in Jerusalem, so that the feeblest among them will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the angel of theLordgoing before them.

9 On that day I will set out to destroy all the nations that attack Jerusalem.

Mourning for the One They Pierced

10 “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spiritof grace and supplication. They will look onme, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.

11 On that day the weeping in Jerusalem will be as great as the weeping of Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo.

12 The land will mourn, each clan by itself, with their wives by themselves: the clan of the house of David and their wives, the clan of the house of Nathan and their wives,

13 the clan of the house of Levi and their wives, the clan of Shimei and their wives,

14 and all the rest of the clans and their wives.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/3/32k/ZEC/12-d855d35321c5c0e2eca81a6be3254d6a.mp3?version_id=111—

Zechariah 13

Cleansing From Sin

1 “On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity.

2 “On that day, I will banish the names of the idols from the land, and they will be remembered no more,” declares theLordAlmighty. “I will remove both the prophets and the spirit of impurity from the land.

3 And if anyone still prophesies, their father and mother, to whom they were born, will say to them, ‘You must die, because you have told lies in theLord’s name.’ Then their own parents will stab the one who prophesies.

4 “On that day every prophet will be ashamed of their prophetic vision. They will not put on a prophet’s garment of hair in order to deceive.

5 Each will say, ‘I am not a prophet. I am a farmer; the land has been my livelihood since my youth.’

6 If someone asks, ‘What are these wounds on your body?’ they will answer, ‘The wounds I was given at the house of my friends.’

The Shepherd Struck, the Sheep Scattered

7 “Awake, sword, against my shepherd,

against the man who is close to me!”

declares theLordAlmighty.

“Strike the shepherd,

and the sheep will be scattered,

and I will turn my hand against the little ones.

8 In the whole land,” declares theLord,

“two-thirds will be struck down and perish;

yet one-third will be left in it.

9 This third I will put into the fire;

I will refine them like silver

and test them like gold.

They will call on my name

and I will answer them;

I will say, ‘They are my people,’

and they will say, ‘TheLordis our God.’ ”

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/3/32k/ZEC/13-ac2e7305c9d0ef89a17b8997848d5fe8.mp3?version_id=111—

Haggai 1

A Call to Build the House of the Lord

1 In the second year of King Darius, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of theLordcame through the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jozadak,the high priest:

2 This is what theLordAlmighty says: “These people say, ‘The time has not yet come to rebuild theLord’s house.’ ”

3 Then the word of theLordcame through the prophet Haggai:

4 “Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?”

5 Now this is what theLordAlmighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways.

6 You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.”

7 This is what theLordAlmighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways.

8 Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build my house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored,” says theLord.

9 “You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?” declares theLordAlmighty. “Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with your own house.

10 Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops.

11 I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the olive oil and everything else the ground produces, on people and livestock, and on all the labor of your hands.”

12 Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and the whole remnant of the people obeyed the voice of theLordtheir God and the message of the prophet Haggai, because theLordtheir God had sent him. And the people feared theLord.

13 Then Haggai, theLord’s messenger, gave this message of theLordto the people: “I am with you,” declares theLord.

14 So theLordstirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of the whole remnant of the people. They came and began to work on the house of theLordAlmighty, their God,

15 on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month.

The Promised Glory of the New House

In the second year of King Darius,

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/3/32k/HAG/1-8f3b0e4e81a2d0deb19d988298af2b54.mp3?version_id=111—

Haggai 2

1 on the twenty-first day of the seventh month, the word of theLordcame through the prophet Haggai:

2 “Speak to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, to Joshua son of Jozadak,the high priest, and to the remnant of the people. Ask them,

3 ‘Who of you is left who saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Does it not seem to you like nothing?

4 But now be strong, Zerubbabel,’ declares theLord. ‘Be strong, Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land,’ declares theLord, ‘and work. For I am with you,’ declares theLordAlmighty.

5 ‘This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. And my Spirit remains among you. Do not fear.’

6 “This is what theLordAlmighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land.

7 I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says theLordAlmighty.

8 ‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares theLordAlmighty.

9 ‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says theLordAlmighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares theLordAlmighty.”

Blessings for a Defiled People

10 On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of theLordcame to the prophet Haggai:

11 “This is what theLordAlmighty says: ‘Ask the priests what the law says:

12 If someone carries consecrated meat in the fold of their garment, and that fold touches some bread or stew, some wine, olive oil or other food, does it become consecrated?’ ”

The priests answered, “No.”

13 Then Haggai said, “If a person defiled by contact with a dead body touches one of these things, does it become defiled?”

“Yes,” the priests replied, “it becomes defiled.”

14 Then Haggai said, “ ‘So it is with this people and this nation in my sight,’ declares theLord. ‘Whatever they do and whatever they offer there is defiled.

15 “ ‘Now give careful thought to this from this day on—consider how things were before one stone was laid on another in theLord’s temple.

16 When anyone came to a heap of twenty measures, there were only ten. When anyone went to a wine vat to draw fifty measures, there were only twenty.

17 I struck all the work of your hands with blight, mildew and hail, yet you did not return to me,’ declares theLord.

18 ‘From this day on, from this twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, give careful thought to the day when the foundation of theLord’s temple was laid. Give careful thought:

19 Is there yet any seed left in the barn? Until now, the vine and the fig tree, the pomegranate and the olive tree have not borne fruit.

“ ‘From this day on I will bless you.’ ”

Zerubbabel the Lord’s Signet Ring

20 The word of theLordcame to Haggai a second time on the twenty-fourth day of the month:

21 “Tell Zerubbabel governor of Judah that I am going to shake the heavens and the earth.

22 I will overturn royal thrones and shatter the power of the foreign kingdoms. I will overthrow chariots and their drivers; horses and their riders will fall, each by the sword of his brother.

23 “ ‘On that day,’ declares theLordAlmighty, ‘I will take you, my servant Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel,’ declares theLord, ‘and I will make you like my signet ring, for I have chosen you,’ declares theLordAlmighty.”

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/3/32k/HAG/2-e398ac1115960c8db1c17426b330e261.mp3?version_id=111—

Zephaniah 1

1 The word of theLordthat came to Zephaniah son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, during the reign of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah:

Judgment on the Whole Earth in the Day of the Lord

2 “I will sweep away everything

from the face of the earth,”

declares theLord.

3 “I will sweep away both man and beast;

I will sweep away the birds in the sky

and the fish in the sea—

# and the idols that cause the wicked to stumble.”

“When I destroy all mankind

on the face of the earth,”

declares theLord,

4 “I will stretch out my hand against Judah

and against all who live in Jerusalem.

I will destroy every remnant of Baal worship in this place,

the very names of the idolatrous priests—

5 those who bow down on the roofs

to worship the starry host,

those who bow down and swear by theLord

# and who also swear by Molek,

6 those who turn back from following theLord

and neither seek theLordnor inquire of him.”

7 Be silent before the SovereignLord,

for the day of theLordis near.

TheLordhas prepared a sacrifice;

he has consecrated those he has invited.

8 “On the day of theLord’s sacrifice

I will punish the officials

and the king’s sons

and all those clad

in foreign clothes.

9 On that day I will punish

# all who avoid stepping on the threshold,

who fill the temple of their gods

with violence and deceit.

10 “On that day,”

declares theLord,

“a cry will go up from the Fish Gate,

wailing from the New Quarter,

and a loud crash from the hills.

11 Wail, you who live in the market district;

all your merchants will be wiped out,

# all who trade withsilver will be destroyed.

12 At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps

and punish those who are complacent,

who are like wine left on its dregs,

who think, ‘TheLordwill do nothing,

either good or bad.’

13 Their wealth will be plundered,

their houses demolished.

Though they build houses,

they will not live in them;

though they plant vineyards,

they will not drink the wine.”

14 The great day of theLordis near—

near and coming quickly.

The cry on the day of theLordis bitter;

the Mighty Warrior shouts his battle cry.

15 That day will be a day of wrath—

a day of distress and anguish,

a day of trouble and ruin,

a day of darkness and gloom,

a day of clouds and blackness—

16 a day of trumpet and battle cry

against the fortified cities

and against the corner towers.

17 “I will bring such distress on all people

that they will grope about like those who are blind,

because they have sinned against theLord.

Their blood will be poured out like dust

and their entrails like dung.

18 Neither their silver nor their gold

will be able to save them

on the day of theLord’s wrath.”

In the fire of his jealousy

the whole earth will be consumed,

for he will make a sudden end

of all who live on the earth.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/3/32k/ZEP/1-b702d22fa00242322b5ca91ca08378d5.mp3?version_id=111—

Zephaniah 2

Judah and Jerusalem Judged Along With the Nations

Judah Summoned to Repent

1 Gather together, gather yourselves together,

you shameful nation,

2 before the decree takes effect

and that day passes like windblown chaff,

before theLord’s fierce anger

comes upon you,

before the day of theLord’s wrath

comes upon you.

3 Seek theLord, all you humble of the land,

you who do what he commands.

Seek righteousness, seek humility;

perhaps you will be sheltered

on the day of theLord’s anger.

Philistia

4 Gaza will be abandoned

and Ashkelon left in ruins.

At midday Ashdod will be emptied

and Ekron uprooted.

5 Woe to you who live by the sea,

you Kerethite people;

the word of theLordis against you,

Canaan, land of the Philistines.

He says, “I will destroy you,

and none will be left.”

6 The land by the sea will become pastures

having wells for shepherds

and pens for flocks.

7 That land will belong

to the remnant of the people of Judah;

there they will find pasture.

In the evening they will lie down

in the houses of Ashkelon.

TheLordtheir God will care for them;

# he will restore their fortunes.

Moab and Ammon

8 “I have heard the insults of Moab

and the taunts of the Ammonites,

who insulted my people

and made threats against their land.

9 Therefore, as surely as I live,”

declares theLordAlmighty,

the God of Israel,

“surely Moab will become like Sodom,

the Ammonites like Gomorrah—

a place of weeds and salt pits,

a wasteland forever.

The remnant of my people will plunder them;

the survivors of my nation will inherit their land.”

10 This is what they will get in return for their pride,

for insulting and mocking

the people of theLordAlmighty.

11 TheLordwill be awesome to them

when he destroys all the gods of the earth.

Distant nations will bow down to him,

all of them in their own lands.

Cush

12 “You Cushites,too,

will be slain by my sword.”

Assyria

13 He will stretch out his hand against the north

and destroy Assyria,

leaving Nineveh utterly desolate

and dry as the desert.

14 Flocks and herds will lie down there,

creatures of every kind.

The desert owl and the screech owl

will roost on her columns.

Their hooting will echo through the windows,

rubble will fill the doorways,

the beams of cedar will be exposed.

15 This is the city of revelry

that lived in safety.

She said to herself,

“I am the one! And there is none besides me.”

What a ruin she has become,

a lair for wild beasts!

All who pass by her scoff

and shake their fists.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/3/32k/ZEP/2-301a3bbfdb7bfadd3fddcf0c579c6e21.mp3?version_id=111—

Zephaniah 3

Jerusalem

1 Woe to the city of oppressors,

rebellious and defiled!

2 She obeys no one,

she accepts no correction.

She does not trust in theLord,

she does not draw near to her God.

3 Her officials within her

are roaring lions;

her rulers are evening wolves,

who leave nothing for the morning.

4 Her prophets are unprincipled;

they are treacherous people.

Her priests profane the sanctuary

and do violence to the law.

5 TheLordwithin her is righteous;

he does no wrong.

Morning by morning he dispenses his justice,

and every new day he does not fail,

yet the unrighteous know no shame.

Jerusalem Remains Unrepentant

6 “I have destroyed nations;

their strongholds are demolished.

I have left their streets deserted,

with no one passing through.

Their cities are laid waste;

they are deserted and empty.

7 Of Jerusalem I thought,

‘Surely you will fear me

and accept correction!’

# Then her place of refugewould not be destroyed,

# nor all my punishments come uponher.

But they were still eager

to act corruptly in all they did.

8 Therefore wait for me,”

declares theLord,

# “for the day I will stand up to testify.

I have decided to assemble the nations,

to gather the kingdoms

and to pour out my wrath on them—

all my fierce anger.

The whole world will be consumed

by the fire of my jealous anger.

Restoration of Israel’s Remnant

9 “Then I will purify the lips of the peoples,

that all of them may call on the name of theLord

and serve him shoulder to shoulder.

10 From beyond the rivers of Cush

my worshipers, my scattered people,

will bring me offerings.

11 On that day you, Jerusalem, will not be put to shame

for all the wrongs you have done to me,

because I will remove from you

your arrogant boasters.

Never again will you be haughty

on my holy hill.

12 But I will leave within you

the meek and humble.

The remnant of Israel

will trust in the name of theLord.

13 They will do no wrong;

they will tell no lies.

A deceitful tongue

will not be found in their mouths.

They will eat and lie down

and no one will make them afraid.”

14 Sing, Daughter Zion;

shout aloud, Israel!

Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,

Daughter Jerusalem!

15 TheLordhas taken away your punishment,

he has turned back your enemy.

TheLord, the King of Israel, is with you;

never again will you fear any harm.

16 On that day

they will say to Jerusalem,

“Do not fear, Zion;

do not let your hands hang limp.

17 TheLordyour God is with you,

the Mighty Warrior who saves.

He will take great delight in you;

in his love he will no longer rebuke you,

but will rejoice over you with singing.”

18 “I will remove from you

all who mourn over the loss of your appointed festivals,

which is a burden and reproach for you.

19 At that time I will deal

with all who oppressed you.

I will rescue the lame;

I will gather the exiles.

I will give them praise and honor

in every land where they have suffered shame.

20 At that time I will gather you;

at that time I will bring you home.

I will give you honor and praise

among all the peoples of the earth

# when I restore your fortunes

before your very eyes,”

says theLord.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/3/32k/ZEP/3-6a578d9e9ea6510338600c6218dcde81.mp3?version_id=111—

Habakkuk 1

1 The prophecy that Habakkuk the prophet received.

Habakkuk’s Complaint

2 How long,Lord, must I call for help,

but you do not listen?

Or cry out to you, “Violence!”

but you do not save?

3 Why do you make me look at injustice?

Why do you tolerate wrongdoing?

Destruction and violence are before me;

there is strife, and conflict abounds.

4 Therefore the law is paralyzed,

and justice never prevails.

The wicked hem in the righteous,

so that justice is perverted.

The Lord’s Answer

5 “Look at the nations and watch—

and be utterly amazed.

For I am going to do something in your days

that you would not believe,

even if you were told.

6 I am raising up the Babylonians,

that ruthless and impetuous people,

who sweep across the whole earth

to seize dwellings not their own.

7 They are a feared and dreaded people;

they are a law to themselves

and promote their own honor.

8 Their horses are swifter than leopards,

fiercer than wolves at dusk.

Their cavalry gallops headlong;

their horsemen come from afar.

They fly like an eagle swooping to devour;

9 they all come intent on violence.

# Their hordesadvance like a desert wind

and gather prisoners like sand.

10 They mock kings

and scoff at rulers.

They laugh at all fortified cities;

by building earthen ramps they capture them.

11 Then they sweep past like the wind and go on—

guilty people, whose own strength is their god.”

Habakkuk’s Second Complaint

12 Lord, are you not from everlasting?

# My God, my Holy One, youwill never die.

You,Lord, have appointed them to execute judgment;

you, my Rock, have ordained them to punish.

13 Your eyes are too pure to look on evil;

you cannot tolerate wrongdoing.

Why then do you tolerate the treacherous?

Why are you silent while the wicked

swallow up those more righteous than themselves?

14 You have made people like the fish in the sea,

like the sea creatures that have no ruler.

15 The wicked foe pulls all of them up with hooks,

he catches them in his net,

he gathers them up in his dragnet;

and so he rejoices and is glad.

16 Therefore he sacrifices to his net

and burns incense to his dragnet,

for by his net he lives in luxury

and enjoys the choicest food.

17 Is he to keep on emptying his net,

destroying nations without mercy?

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/3/32k/HAB/1-d9e2d2859157bb8eccfa8b1c14324963.mp3?version_id=111—

Habakkuk 2

1 I will stand at my watch

and station myself on the ramparts;

I will look to see what he will say to me,

# and what answer I am to give to this complaint.

The Lord’s Answer

2 Then theLordreplied:

“Write down the revelation

and make it plain on tablets

# so that a heraldmay run with it.

3 For the revelation awaits an appointed time;

it speaks of the end

and will not prove false.

Though it linger, wait for it;

# itwill certainly come

and will not delay.

4 “See, the enemy is puffed up;

his desires are not upright—

# but the righteous person will live by his faithfulness—

5 indeed, wine betrays him;

he is arrogant and never at rest.

Because he is as greedy as the grave

and like death is never satisfied,

he gathers to himself all the nations

and takes captive all the peoples.

6 “Will not all of them taunt him with ridicule and scorn, saying,

“ ‘Woe to him who piles up stolen goods

and makes himself wealthy by extortion!

How long must this go on?’

7 Will not your creditors suddenly arise?

Will they not wake up and make you tremble?

Then you will become their prey.

8 Because you have plundered many nations,

the peoples who are left will plunder you.

For you have shed human blood;

you have destroyed lands and cities and everyone in them.

9 “Woe to him who builds his house by unjust gain,

setting his nest on high

to escape the clutches of ruin!

10 You have plotted the ruin of many peoples,

shaming your own house and forfeiting your life.

11 The stones of the wall will cry out,

and the beams of the woodwork will echo it.

12 “Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed

and establishes a town by injustice!

13 Has not theLordAlmighty determined

that the people’s labor is only fuel for the fire,

that the nations exhaust themselves for nothing?

14 For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of theLord

as the waters cover the sea.

15 “Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbors,

pouring it from the wineskin till they are drunk,

so that he can gaze on their naked bodies!

16 You will be filled with shame instead of glory.

# Now it is your turn! Drink and let your nakedness be exposed!

The cup from theLord’s right hand is coming around to you,

and disgrace will cover your glory.

17 The violence you have done to Lebanon will overwhelm you,

and your destruction of animals will terrify you.

For you have shed human blood;

you have destroyed lands and cities and everyone in them.

18 “Of what value is an idol carved by a craftsman?

Or an image that teaches lies?

For the one who makes it trusts in his own creation;

he makes idols that cannot speak.

19 Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Come to life!’

Or to lifeless stone, ‘Wake up!’

Can it give guidance?

It is covered with gold and silver;

there is no breath in it.”

20 TheLordis in his holy temple;

let all the earth be silent before him.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/3/32k/HAB/2-bbd529460b39ba50b179291dac4cb696.mp3?version_id=111—

Habakkuk 3

Habakkuk’s Prayer

1 A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet. Onshigionoth.

2 Lord, I have heard of your fame;

I stand in awe of your deeds,Lord.

Repeat them in our day,

in our time make them known;

in wrath remember mercy.

3 God came from Teman,

# the Holy One from Mount Paran.

His glory covered the heavens

and his praise filled the earth.

4 His splendor was like the sunrise;

rays flashed from his hand,

where his power was hidden.

5 Plague went before him;

pestilence followed his steps.

6 He stood, and shook the earth;

he looked, and made the nations tremble.

The ancient mountains crumbled

and the age-old hills collapsed—

but he marches on forever.

7 I saw the tents of Cushan in distress,

the dwellings of Midian in anguish.

8 Were you angry with the rivers,Lord?

Was your wrath against the streams?

Did you rage against the sea

when you rode your horses

and your chariots to victory?

9 You uncovered your bow,

you called for many arrows.

You split the earth with rivers;

10 the mountains saw you and writhed.

Torrents of water swept by;

the deep roared

and lifted its waves on high.

11 Sun and moon stood still in the heavens

at the glint of your flying arrows,

at the lightning of your flashing spear.

12 In wrath you strode through the earth

and in anger you threshed the nations.

13 You came out to deliver your people,

to save your anointed one.

You crushed the leader of the land of wickedness,

you stripped him from head to foot.

14 With his own spear you pierced his head

when his warriors stormed out to scatter us,

gloating as though about to devour

the wretched who were in hiding.

15 You trampled the sea with your horses,

churning the great waters.

16 I heard and my heart pounded,

my lips quivered at the sound;

decay crept into my bones,

and my legs trembled.

Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity

to come on the nation invading us.

17 Though the fig tree does not bud

and there are no grapes on the vines,

though the olive crop fails

and the fields produce no food,

though there are no sheep in the pen

and no cattle in the stalls,

18 yet I will rejoice in theLord,

I will be joyful in God my Savior.

19 The SovereignLordis my strength;

he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,

he enables me to tread on the heights.

For the director of music. On my stringed instruments.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/3/32k/HAB/3-52cc074605dbdc31909112919723a608.mp3?version_id=111—