The Prophet Zechariah

⭑ Catholic Public Domain Version 2009 ⭑

- Chapter 2 -

(Ezekiel 40:1–4)

And I lifted up my eyes, and I saw, and behold, a man, and in his hand was a measuring line.

And I said, “Where are you going?” And he said to me, “To measure Jerusalem, so that I may see how great its width and how great its length may be.”

And behold, the angel, who had been speaking with me, departed, and another angel went out to meet him.

And he said to him: Hurry, speak to this young man, saying: Jerusalem will be inhabited without walls, because of the multitude of men and beasts of burden in its midst.(a)

(b)

And I will be to it, says the Lord, a wall of fire all around. And in glory, I will be in its midst.

The Redemption of Zion

(Hosea 3:1–5)

O, O flee from the land of the North, says the Lord, for I have scattered you into the four winds of heaven, says the Lord.(c)

O Zion, flee, you who dwell with the daughter of Babylon.

For thus says the Lord of hosts: After the glory, he has sent me to the Gentiles, which have despoiled you. For he who touches you, touches the pupil of my eye.

For behold, I lift up my hand over them, and they will be a prey to those who had served them. And you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me.

Sing praise and rejoice, daughter of Zion. For behold, I approach, and I will dwell in your midst, says the Lord.

And many nations will be joined to the Lord in that day, and they will be my people, and I will dwell in your midst. And you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you.

And the Lord will possess his portion, Judah, in the sanctified land, and still he will single out Jerusalem.(d)

Let all flesh be silent before the face of the Lord: for he has arisen from his holy dwelling place.(e)

Footnotes

(a)2:4 In the modern context, the phrase ‘beasts of burden’ could be taken to refer to motor vehicles.(Conte)

(b)2:4 Jerusalem shall be inhabited without walls:This must be understood of the spiritual Jerusalem, the church of Christ.(Challoner)

(c)2:6 This verse refers to the division of the great monarch’s kingdom into four lesser kingdoms. One of these four is the kingdom of the North, which becomes, hundreds of years later, the kingdom where the Antichrist rises to power. The kingdom of the North is Europe.(Conte)

(d)2:12 The word ‘eliget’ can mean ‘to choose’ or ‘to single out.’ If there are two fitting ways to translate a word, and if most translations choose the one, I will choose the other, so as to make more meaning and clarity available to the readers of the Bible.(Conte)

(e)2:13 The prefix ‘con’ intensifies the verb in Latin; the prefix ‘a’ intensifies the verb in English; hence ‘consurrexit’ becomes ‘has arisen,’ rather than ‘has risen.’(Conte)