Study Desk

'If someone carries holy meat in the fold of his garment, and touches bread with this fold, or touches cooked food, wine, oil, or any other food, will it become holy?'" And the priests answered, "No."

'I struck you and every work of your hands with scorching wind, mildew, and hail; yet you did not come back to Me,' declares the LORD.

"The LORD was very angry with your fathers.

"But did My words and My statutes, which I commanded My servants the prophets, not overtake your fathers? Then they repented and said, 'Just as the LORD of armies planned to do to us in accordance with our ways and our deeds, so He has dealt with us.'"'"

I saw at night, and behold, a man was riding on a red horse, and he was standing among the myrtle trees which were in the ravine, with red, sorrel, and white horses behind him.

Then I said, "What are these, my lord?" And the angel who was speaking with me said to me, "I will show you what these are."

Then the angel of the LORD said, "LORD of armies, how long will You take no pity on Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, with which You have been indignant for these seventy years?"

And the LORD responded to the angel who was speaking with me with gracious words, comforting words.

So the angel who was speaking with me said to me, "Proclaim, saying, 'This is what the LORD of armies says: "I am exceedingly jealous for Jerusalem and Zion.

"But I am very angry with the nations who are carefree; for while I was only a little angry, they furthered the disaster."

'Therefore the LORD says this: "I will return to Jerusalem with compassion; My house will be built in it," declares the LORD of armies, "and a measuring line will be stretched over Jerusalem."'

"Again, proclaim, saying, 'This is what the LORD of armies says: "My cities will again overflow with prosperity, and the LORD will again comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem."'"

So I said to the angel who was speaking with me, "What are these?" And he said to me, "These are the horns that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem."

Then I raised my eyes and looked, and behold, there was a man with a measuring line in his hand.

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

"You, Zion! Escape, you who are living with the daughter of Babylon."

And he responded and said to those who were standing before him, saying, "Remove the filthy garments from him." Again he said to him, "See, I have taken your guilt away from you and will clothe you with festive robes."

Then I said, "Have them put a clean headband on his head." So they put the clean headband on his head and clothed him with garments, while the angel of the LORD was standing by.

Then the angel who had been speaking with me returned and woke me, like a person who is awakened from his sleep.

And he said to me, "What do you see?" And I said, "I see, and behold, a lampstand all of gold with its bowl on the top of it, and its seven lamps on it with seven spouts belonging to each of the lamps which are on the top of it;