Zechariah — Chapter 5

1Again I lifted up my eyes and saw before me a flying scroll.

2“What do you see?” asked the angel. “I see a flying scroll,” I replied, “twenty cubits long and ten cubits wide.”

3Then he told me, “This is the curse that is going out over the face of all the land, for according to one side of the scroll, every thief will be removed; and according to the other side, every perjurer will be removed.

4I will send it out, declares the LORD of Hosts, and it will enter the house of the thief and the house of him who swears falsely by My name. It will remain inside his house and destroy it, down to its timbers and stones.”

5Then the angel who was speaking with me came forward and told me, “Now lift up your eyes and see what is approaching.”

6“What is it?” I asked. And he replied, “A measuring basket is going forth.” Then he continued, “This is their iniquity in all the land.”

7And behold, the cover of lead was raised, and there was a woman sitting inside the basket.

8“This is Wickedness,” he said. And he shoved her down into the basket, pushing down the lead cover over its opening.

9Then I lifted up my eyes and saw two women approaching, with the wind in their wings. Their wings were like those of a stork, and they lifted up the basket between heaven and earth.

10“Where are they taking the basket?” I asked the angel who was speaking with me.

11“To build a house for it in the land of Shinar,” he told me. “And when it is ready, the basket will be set there on its pedestal.”

1Then I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a flying roll.

2And he said unto me, What seest thou? And I answered, I see a flying roll; the length thereof is twenty cubits, and the breadth thereof ten cubits.

3Then said he unto me, This is the curse that goeth forth over the face of the whole earth: for every one that stealeth shall be cut off as on this side according to it; and every one that sweareth shall be cut off as on that side according to it.

4I will bring it forth, saith the LORD of hosts, and it shall enter into the house of the thief, and into the house of him that sweareth falsely by my name: and it shall remain in the midst of his house, and shall consume it with the timber thereof and the stones thereof.

5Then the angel that talked with me went forth, and said unto me, Lift up now thine eyes, and see what is this that goeth forth.

6And I said, What is it? And he said, This is an ephah that goeth forth. He said moreover, This is their resemblance through all the earth.

7And, behold, there was lifted up a talent of lead: and this is a woman that sitteth in the midst of the ephah.

8And he said, This is wickedness. And he cast it into the midst of the ephah; and he cast the weight of lead upon the mouth thereof.

9Then lifted I up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came out two women, and the wind was in their wings; for they had wings like the wings of a stork: and they lifted up the ephah between the earth and the heaven.

10Then said I to the angel that talked with me, Whither do these bear the ephah?

11And he said unto me, To build it an house in the land of Shinar: and it shall be established, and set there upon her own base.

1Then again I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, a flying roll.

2And he said unto me, What seest thou? And I answered, I see a flying roll; the length thereof is twenty cubits, and the breadth thereof ten cubits.

3Then said he unto me, This is the curse that goeth forth over the face of the whole land: for every one that stealeth shall be cut off on the one side according to it; and every one that sweareth shall be cut off on the other side according to it.

4I will cause it to go forth, saith Jehovah of hosts, and it shall enter into the house of the thief, and into the house of him that sweareth falsely by my name; and it shall abide in the midst of his house, and shall consume it with the timber thereof and the stones thereof.

5Then the angel that talked with me went forth, and said unto me, Lift up now thine eyes, and see what is this that goeth forth.

6And I said, What is it? And he said, This is the ephah that goeth forth. He said moreover, This is their appearance in all the land

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

8And he said, This is Wickedness: and he cast her down into the midst of the ephah; and he cast the weight of lead upon the mouth thereof.

9Then lifted I up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, there came forth 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 between earth and heaven.

10Then said I to the angel that talked with me, Whither do these bear the ephah?

11And he said unto me, To build her a house in the land of Shinar: and when it is prepared, she shall be set there in her own place.

1Then I turned to look, and there was a flying scroll!

2Someone asked me, “What do you see?” I replied, “I see a flying scroll 30 feet long and 15 feet wide.”

3The speaker went on to say, “This is a curse traveling across the whole earth. For example, according to the curse whoever steals will be removed from the community; or on the other hand (according to the curse) whoever swears falsely will suffer the same fate.”

4“I will send it out,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “and it will enter the house of the thief and of the person who swears falsely in my name. It will land in the middle of his house and destroy both timber and stones.”

5After this the angelic messenger who had been speaking to me went out and said, “Look, see what is leaving.”

6I asked, “What is it?” And he replied, “It is a basket for measuring grain that is moving away from here.” Moreover, he said, “This is their ‘eye’ throughout all the earth.”

7Then a round lead cover was raised up, revealing a woman sitting inside the basket.

8He then said, “This woman represents wickedness,” and he pushed her down into the basket and placed the lead cover on top.

9Then I looked again and saw two women going forth with the wind in their wings (they had wings like those of a stork), and they lifted up the basket between the earth and the sky.

10I asked the messenger who was speaking to me, “Where are they taking the basket?”

11He replied, “To build a temple for her in the land of Babylonia. When it is finished, she will be placed there in her own residence.”

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 width 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 Yahweh of Armies, “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 middle 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 middle of the ephah basket.”

8He said, “This is Wickedness”; and he threw her down into the middle 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 I said 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.”