For thus saith the LORD of hosts; As I thought to punish you, when your fathers provoked me to wrath, saith the LORD of hosts, and I repented not:

Then said I, Whither goest thou? And he said unto me, To measure Jerusalem, to see what {is} the breadth thereof, and what {is} the length thereof.

Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building,

Then said I, What come these to do? And he spake, saying, These {are} the horns which have scattered Judah, so that no man did lift up his head: but these are come to fray them, to cast out the horns of the Gentiles, which lifted up {their} horn over the land of Judah to scatter it.

Israel {is} a scattered sheep; the lions have driven {him} away: first the king of Assyria hath devoured him; and last this Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon hath broken his bones.

Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity builded the temple unto the LORD God of Israel; {the children...: Heb. the sons of the transportation}

And in the days of Artaxerxes wrote Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of their companions, unto Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the writing of the letter {was} written in the Syrian tongue, and interpreted in the Syrian tongue. {Bishlam: or, in peace} {companions: Heb. societies}

Then said I, O my lord, what {are} these? And the angel that talked with me said unto me, I will shew thee what these {be}.

Thou didst strike through with his staves the head of his villages: they came out as a whirlwind to scatter me: their rejoicing {was} as to devour the poor secretly. {came...: Heb. were tempestuous}

And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?

And I heard the man clothed in linen, which {was} upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that {it shall be} for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these {things} shall be finished. {a time...: or, part}

Ye which rejoice in a thing of nought, which say, Have we not taken to us horns by our own strength?

Then answered I, and said unto him, What {are} these two olive trees upon the right {side} of the candlestick and upon the left {side} thereof?

At the same time came to them Tatnai, governor on this side the river, and Shetharboznai, and their companions, and said thus unto them, Who hath commanded you to build this house, and to make up this wall?

Then said I, What come these to do? And he spake, saying, These {are} the horns which have scattered Judah, so that no man did lift up his head: but these are come to fray them, to cast out the horns of the Gentiles, which lifted up {their} horn over the land of Judah to scatter it.

And the angel that talked with me came again, and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep,

And, behold, the angel that talked with me went forth, and another angel went out to meet him,

The horn of Moab is cut off, and his arm is broken, saith the LORD.

Then said I, O my lord, what {are} these? And the angel that talked with me said unto me, I will shew thee what these {be}.

So I answered and spake to the angel that talked with me, saying, What {are} these, my lord?

And it shall come to pass, {that} as ye were a curse among the heathen, O house of Judah, and house of Israel; so will I save you, and ye shall be a blessing: fear not, {but} let your hands be strong.

Then I answered and said unto the angel that talked with me, What {are} these, my lord?

Then 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.

And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. {Satan: that is, an adversary} {to...: Heb. to be his adversary}

Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain {saint} which spake, How long {shall be} the vision {concerning} the daily {sacrifice}, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot? {that...: or, the numberer of secrets, or, the wonderful numberer: Heb. Palmoni} {of...: or, making desolate}