The Prophet Zechariah

⭑ Catholic Public Domain :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Kapitel 5 -

And I turned and lifted up my eyes. And I saw, and behold, a book flying.(a)

And he said to me, “What do you see?” And I said, “I see a book flying. Its length is twenty cubits, and its width is ten cubits.”

And he said to me, “This is the curse that goes forth over the face of the whole earth. For every thief will be judged, just as it has been written there, and everyone who swears by this, will be judged in like manner.”(b)

I will bring it forth, says the Lord of hosts, and it will approach to the house of the thief, and to the house of him who swears falsely by my name, and it will remain in the midst of his house and will consume it, with its wood and its stones.

The Vision of the Woman in a Basket

And the angel had departed, who was speaking with me. And he said to me, “Lift up your eyes, and see what this is, that goes forth.”

And I said, “What, then, is it?” And he said, “This is a container going forth.” And he said, “This is their eye in all the earth.”(c)

And behold, a talent of lead was being carried; and behold, one woman sitting in the middle of the container.

And he said, “This is impiety.” And he cast her into the middle of the container, and he sent the weight of lead into its mouth.

And I lifted up my eyes and I saw. And behold, two women were departing, and a spirit was in their wings, and they had wings like the wings of a kite, and they lifted up the container between earth and heaven.

And I said to the angel who was speaking with me, “Where are they taking the container?”

And he said to me, “To a house that may be built for it in the land of Shinar, and so that it may be established and set there upon its own base.”(d)

Fußnoten

(a)5:1 A volume:That is, a parchment, according to the form of the ancient books, which, from being rolled up, were called volumes.(Challoner)

(b)5:3 The Bible contains curses against those who depart from its teachings and transgress against its laws. The Book that flies through the world is the Bible. Those who break the ten commandments, as in the example of the thief, will be punished according to its words. And everyone who swears to live by the Bible will be judged by it.(Conte)

(c)5:6 This is their eye:This is what they fix their eye upon: or this is a resemblance and figure of them, viz., of sinners.(Challoner)

(d)5:11 The land of Sennaar:Where Babel or Babylon was built, Gen. 11., where note, that Babylon in holy writ is often taken for the city of the devil: that is, for the whole congregation of the wicked: as Jerusalem is taken for the city and people of God.(Challoner)

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

He said to me, “What do you see?” I answered, “I see a flying scroll; its length is twenty cubits,(a) and its width ten cubits.”

Then 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.

I will cause it to go out,” says the LORD 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.”

The Vision of the Woman in a Basket

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

I said, “What is it?” He said, “This is the ephah(b) basket that is appearing.” He said moreover, “This is their appearance in all the land—

and behold, a lead cover weighing one talent

(c)

was lifted up—and there was a woman sitting in the middle of the ephah(d) basket.”

He said, “This is Wickedness;” and he threw her down into the middle of the ephah basket; and he threw the lead weight on its mouth.

Then I lifted 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.

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

He 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.”

Fußnoten

(a)5:2 A cubit is the length from the tip of the middle finger to the elbow on a man’s arm, or about 18 inches or 46 centimeters.

(b)5:6 An ephah is a measure of volume of about 22 liters, 5.8 U. S. gallons, or about 2/3 of a bushel.

(d)5:7 1 ephah is about 22 liters or about 2/3 of a bushel