Today's Reading

¹He showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to be his adversary.

²The Lord said to Satan, "The Lord rebuke you, Satan! Yes, the Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Isn't this a burning stick plucked out of the fire?"

³Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and was standing before the angel.

⁴He answered and spoke to those who stood before him, saying, "Take the filthy garments off of him." To him he said, "Behold, I have caused your iniquity to pass from you, and I will clothe you with rich clothing."

⁵I said, "Let them set a clean turban on his head." So they set a clean turban on his head, and clothed him; and the angel of the Lord was standing by.

⁶The angel of the Lord protested to Joshua, saying,

⁷"Thus says the Lord of hosts: 'If you will walk in my ways, and if you will follow my instructions, then you also shall judge my house, and shall also keep my courts, and I will give you a place of access among these who stand by.

⁸Hear now, Joshua the high priest, you and your fellows who sit before you; for they are men who are a sign: for, behold, I will bring forth my servant, the Branch.

⁹For, behold, the stone that I have set before Joshua; on one stone are seven eyes: behold, I will engrave its engraving,' says the Lord of hosts, 'and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.

¹⁰In that day,' says the Lord of hosts, 'you will invite every man his neighbor under the vine and under the fig tree.'"

¹The angel who talked with me came again, and wakened me, as a man who is wakened out of his sleep.

²He said to me, "What do you see?" I said, "I have seen, and behold, a menorah all of gold, with its bowl on the top of it, and its seven lamps thereon; there are seven pipes to each of the lamps, which are on the top of it;

³and two olive trees by it, one on the right side of the bowl, and the other on the left side of it."

⁴I answered and spoke to the angel who talked with me, saying, "What are these, my lord?"

⁵Then the angel who talked with me answered me, "Do you not know what these are?" I said, "No, my lord."

⁶Then he answered and spoke to me, saying, "This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel, saying, 'Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the Lord of hosts.

⁷Who are you, great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you are a plain; and he will bring out the capstone with shouts of 'Grace, grace, to it!'"

⁸Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

⁹"The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house. His hands shall also finish it; and you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you.

¹⁰Indeed, who despises the day of small things? For these seven shall rejoice, and shall see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. These are the eyes of the Lord, which run back and forth through the whole earth."

¹¹Then I asked him, "What are these two olive trees on the right side of the menorah and on the left side of it?"

¹²I asked him the second time, "What are these two olive branches, which are beside the two golden spouts, that pour the golden oil out of themselves?"

¹³He answered me, "Do you not know what these are?" I said, "No, my lord."

¹⁴Then he said, "These are the two anointed ones who stand by the Lord of the whole earth."

¹Then again I lifted up my eyes, and saw, and behold, a flying scroll.

²He said to me, "What do you see?" I answered, "I see a flying scroll; its length is twenty cubits, and its breadth ten cubits."

³Then he said to me, "This is the curse that goes out over the surface of the whole land; for everyone who steals shall be cut off according to it on the one side; and everyone who swears falsely shall be cut off according to it on the other side.

⁴I will cause it to go out," says the Lord of hosts, "and it will enter into the house of the thief, and into the house of him who swears falsely by my name; and it will remain in the midst of his house, and will destroy it with its timber and its stones."

⁵Then the angel who talked with me came forward, and said to me, "Lift up now your eyes, and see what is this that is appearing."

⁶I said, "What is it?" He said, "This is the ephah basket that is appearing." He said moreover, "This is their appearance in all the land

⁷(and behold, a talent of lead was lifted up); and this is a woman sitting in the midst of the ephah basket."

⁸He said, "This is Wickedness;" and he threw her down into the midst of the ephah basket; and he threw the weight of lead on its mouth.

⁹Then lifted I up my eyes, and saw, and behold, there were two women, and the wind was in their wings. Now they had wings like the wings of a stork, and they lifted up the ephah basket between earth and the sky.

¹⁰Then said I to the angel who talked with me, "Where are these carrying the ephah basket?"

¹¹He said to me, "To build her a house in the land of Shinar. When it is prepared, she will be set there in her own place."

¹After this, I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, so that no wind would blow on the earth, or on the sea, or on any tree.

²I saw another angel ascend from the sunrise, having the seal of the living God. He called out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was given to harm the earth and the sea,

³saying, "Do not harm the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, until we have sealed the bondservants of our God on their foreheads!"

⁴I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred forty-four thousand, sealed out of every tribe of the children of Israel:

⁵of the tribe of Judah were sealed twelve thousand, of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand, of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand,

⁶of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand, of the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand, of the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand,

⁷of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand, of the tribe of Levi twelve thousand, of the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand,

⁸of the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand, of the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand, of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.

⁹After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude, which no man could number, out of every nation and of all tribes, peoples, and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, dressed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands.

¹⁰They shouted with a loud voice, saying, "Salvation be to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!"

¹¹All the angels were standing around the throne, the elders, and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before the throne, and worshiped God,

¹²saying, "Amen! Blessing, glory, wisdom, thanksgiving, honor, power, and might, be to our God forever and ever! Amen."

¹³One of the elders answered, saying to me, "These who are arrayed in white robes, who are they, and from where did they come?"

¹⁴So I said to him, "My lord, you know." He said to me, "These are the ones who came out of the great tribulation. They washed their robes, and made them white in the Lamb's blood.

¹⁵Therefore they are before the throne of God, they serve him day and night in his temple. He who sits on the throne will spread his tabernacle over them.

¹⁶They will hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither will the sun beat on them, nor any heat;

¹⁷for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne shepherds them, and leads them to springs of waters of life. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."

¹The wicked flee when no one pursues; but the righteous are as bold as a lion.

²In rebellion, a land has many rulers, but order is maintained by a man of understanding and knowledge.

³A needy man who oppresses the poor is like a driving rain which leaves no crops.

⁴Those who forsake the Law praise the wicked; but those who keep the Law contend with them.

⁵Evil men do not understand justice; but those who seek the Lord understand it fully.

⁶Better is the poor who walks in his integrity, than he who is perverse in his ways, and he is rich.

⁷Whoever keeps the Law is a wise son; but he who is a companion of gluttons shames his father.

⁸He who increases his wealth by excessive interest gathers it for one who has pity on the poor.

⁹He who turns away his ear from hearing the Law, even his prayer is an abomination.

¹⁰Whoever causes the upright to go astray in an evil way, he will fall into his own trap; but the blameless will inherit good.

¹¹The rich man is wise in his own eyes; but the poor who has understanding sees through him.

¹²When the righteous triumph, there is great glory; but when the wicked rise, men hide themselves.

¹³He who conceals his sins doesn't prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.

¹⁴Blessed is the man who always fears; but one who hardens his heart falls into trouble.

¹⁵As a roaring lion or a charging bear, so is a wicked ruler over helpless people.

¹⁶A tyrannical ruler lacks judgment. One who hates ill-gotten gain will have long days.

¹⁷A man who is tormented by life blood will be a fugitive until death; no one will support him.

¹⁸Whoever walks blamelessly is kept safe; but one with perverse ways will fall suddenly.

¹⁹One who works his land will have an abundance of food; but one who chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty.

²⁰A faithful man is rich with blessings; but one who is eager to be rich will not go unpunished.

²¹To show partiality is not good; yet a man will do wrong for a piece of bread.

²²A stingy man hurries after riches, and doesn't know that poverty waits for him.

²³One who rebukes a man will afterward find more favor than one who flatters with the tongue.

²⁴Whoever robs his father or his mother, and says, "It's not wrong." He is a partner with a destroyer.

²⁵One who is greedy stirs up strife; but one who trusts in the Lord will prosper.

²⁶One who trusts in himself is a fool; but one who walks in wisdom is kept safe.

²⁷One who gives to the poor has no lack; but one who closes his eyes will have many curses.

²⁸When the wicked rise, men hide themselves; but when they perish, the righteous thrive.