A Vision of a Man with a Measuring Line
1 1 And I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, a man with a vmeasuring line in his hand! 2 Then I said, “Where are you going?” And he said to me, “To measure Jerusalem, to see what is its width and what is its length.” 3 And behold, the angel who talked with me came forward, and another angel came forward to meet him 4 and said to him, “Run, say to that young man, ‘Jerusalem shall be inhabited as villages without walls, because of the multitude of people and livestock in it. 5 And I will be to her a wall of fire all around, declares the Lord, and I will be the glory in her midst.’”
6 wUp! Up! Flee from the land of the north, declares the Lord. For I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heavens, declares the Lord. 7 Up! Escape to Zion, you who dwell with the daughter of Babylon. 8 For thus said the Lord of hosts, after his glory sent me2 to the nations who plundered you, for he who touches you touches the xapple of his eye: 9 “Behold, I will yshake my hand over them, and they shall become plunder for those who served them. Then you will know that zthe Lord of hosts has sent me. 10 aSing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for behold, I come and I will dwell in your midst, declares the Lord. 11 And many nations shall bjoin themselves to the Lord in that day, and shall be my people. And I will dwell in your midst, and you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. 12 And the Lord will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land, and will cagain choose Jerusalem.”
13 dBe silent, all flesh, before the Lord, for he has roused himself from ehis holy dwelling.
A Vision of Joshua the High Priest
1 Then he showed me fJoshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and gSatan3 hstanding at his right hand to accuse him. 2 And the Lord said to Satan, i“The Lord rebuke you, O Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is not this a jbrand4 plucked from the fire?” 3 Now Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments. 4 And the angel said to those who were standing before him, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” And to him he said, “Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will kclothe you with pure vestments.” 5 And I said, “Let them put a clean lturban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the Lord was standing by.
6 And the angel of the Lord solemnly assured Joshua, 7 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: If you will walk in my ways and keep my charge, then you shall rule my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you the right of access among those who are standing here. 8 Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, you and your friends who sit before you, for they are men who are a sign: behold, I will bring my servant the mBranch. 9 For behold, on the stone that I have set before Joshua, on a single stone with nseven eyes,5 I will engrave its inscription, declares the Lord of hosts, and I will remove the oiniquity of this land in a single day. 10 In that day, declares the Lord of hosts, pevery one of you will invite his neighbor to come under his vine and under his fig tree.”
The Example of Christ
1 We who are strong have an obligation to tbear with the failings of the uweak, and not to please ourselves. 2 Let each of us vplease his neighbor for his good, to build him up. 3 For wChrist did not please himself, but as it is written, x“The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.” 4 For whatever was written in former days ywas written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. 5 May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to zlive in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, 6 that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7 Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.
Christ the Hope of Jews and Gentiles
8 For I tell you that aChrist became a servant to the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, 9 and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written,
b“Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles,
and sing to your name.”
10 And again it says,
c“Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people.”
11 And again,
d“Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles,
and let all the peoples extol him.”
12 And again Isaiah says,
e“The froot of Jesse will come,
even he who arises to rule the Gentiles;
in him will the Gentiles hope.”
13 May the God of hope fill you with all gjoy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
