The Shepherd's Gate and God's Kingdom

1. Then again I lifted up my eyes, and saw, and behold, a flying scroll. 2. He said to me, “What do you see?” I answered, “I see a flying scroll; its length is twenty cubits, and its width ten cubits.” 3. 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. 4. I will cause it to go out,” says Yahweh 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.” 5. Then the angel who talked with me came forward, and said to me, “Lift up now your eyes, and see what is this that is appearing.” 6. I said, “What is it?” He said, “This is the ephah basket that is appearing.” He said moreover, “This is their appearance in all the land 7. (and behold, a talent of lead was lifted up); and this is a woman sitting in the middle of the ephah basket.” 8. He said, “This is Wickedness”; and he threw her down into the middle of the ephah basket; and he threw the weight of lead on its mouth. 9. Then lifted I 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. 10. Then I said to the angel who talked with me, “Where are these carrying the ephah basket?” 11. 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.” 1. Again I lifted up my eyes, and saw, and behold, four chariots came out from between two mountains; and the mountains were mountains of brass. 2. In the first chariot were red horses; in the second chariot black horses; 3. in the third chariot white horses; and in the fourth chariot dappled horses, all of them powerful. 4. Then I asked the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?” 5. The angel answered me, “These are the four winds of the sky, which go out from standing before the Lord of all the earth. 6. The one with the black horses goes out toward the north country; and the white went out after them; and the dappled went out toward the south country.” 7. The strong went out, and sought to go that they might walk back and forth through the earth: and he said, “Go around and through the earth!” So they walked back and forth through the earth. 8. Then he called to me, and spoke to me, saying, “Behold, those who go toward the north country have quieted my spirit in the north country.” 9. Yahweh’s word came to me, saying, 10. “Take of them of the captivity, even of Heldai, of Tobijah, and of Jedaiah; and come the same day, and go into the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah, where they have come from Babylon. 11. Yes, take silver and gold, and make crowns, and set them on the head of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest; 12. and speak to him, saying, ‘Yahweh of Armies says, “Behold, the man whose name is the Branch: and he shall grow up out of his place; and he shall build Yahweh’s temple; 13. even he shall build Yahweh’s temple; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule on his throne; and he shall be a priest on his throne; and the counsel of peace shall be between them both. 14. The crowns shall be to Helem, and to Tobijah, and to Jedaiah, and to Hen the son of Zephaniah, for a memorial in Yahweh’s temple. 15. Those who are far off shall come and build in Yahweh’s temple; and you shall know that Yahweh of Armies has sent me to you. This will happen, if you will diligently obey Yahweh your God’s voice.”’” 1. In the fourth year of king Darius, Yahweh’s word came to Zechariah in the fourth day of the ninth month, the month of Chislev. 2. The people of Bethel sent Sharezer and Regem Melech, and their men, to entreat Yahweh’s favor, 3. and to speak to the priests of the house of Yahweh of Armies, and to the prophets, saying, “Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done these so many years?” 4. Then the word of Yahweh of Armies came to me, saying, 5. “Speak to all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and in the seventh month for these seventy years, did you at all fast to me, really to me? 6. When you eat, and when you drink, don’t you eat for yourselves, and drink for yourselves? 7. Aren’t these the words which Yahweh proclaimed by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and in prosperity, and its cities around her, and the South and the lowland were inhabited?’” 8. Yahweh’s word came to Zechariah, saying, 9. “Thus has Yahweh of Armies spoken, saying, ‘Execute true judgment, and show kindness and compassion every man to his brother. 10. Don’t oppress the widow, nor the fatherless, the foreigner, nor the poor; and let none of you devise evil against his brother in your heart.’ 11. But they refused to listen, and turned their backs, and stopped their ears, that they might not hear. 12. Yes, they made their hearts as hard as flint, lest they might hear the law, and the words which Yahweh of Armies had sent by his Spirit by the former prophets. Therefore great wrath came from Yahweh of Armies. 13. It has come to pass that, as he called, and they refused to listen, so they will call, and I will not listen,” said Yahweh of Armies; 14. “but I will scatter them with a whirlwind among all the nations which they have not known. Thus the land was desolate after them, so that no man passed through nor returned: for they made the pleasant land desolate.” 1. The word of Yahweh of Armies came to me. 2. Yahweh of Armies says: “I am jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I am jealous for her with great wrath.” 3. Yahweh says: “I have returned to Zion, and will dwell in the middle of Jerusalem. Jerusalem shall be called ‘The City of Truth;’ and the mountain of Yahweh of Armies, ‘The Holy Mountain.’” 4. Yahweh of Armies says: “Old men and old women will again dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, every man with his staff in his hand for very age. 5. The streets of the city will be full of boys and girls playing in its streets.” 6. Yahweh of Armies says: “If it is marvelous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in those days, should it also be marvelous in my eyes?” says Yahweh of Armies. 7. Yahweh of Armies says: “Behold, I will save my people from the east country, and from the west country; 8. and I will bring them, and they will dwell within Jerusalem; and they will be my people, and I will be their God, in truth and in righteousness.” 9. Yahweh of Armies says: “Let your hands be strong, you who hear in these days these words from the mouth of the prophets who were in the day that the foundation of the house of Yahweh of Armies was laid, even the temple, that it might be built. 10. For before those days there was no wages for man, nor any wages for an animal; neither was there any peace to him who went out or came in, because of the adversary. For I set all men everyone against his neighbor. 11. But now I will not be to the remnant of this people as in the former days,” says Yahweh of Armies. 12. “For the seed of peace and the vine will yield its fruit, and the ground will give its increase, and the heavens will give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to inherit all these things. 13. It shall come to pass that, as you were a curse among the nations, house of Judah and house of Israel, so will I save you, and you shall be a blessing. Don’t be afraid. Let your hands be strong.” 14. For Yahweh of Armies says: “As I thought to do evil to you, when your fathers provoked me to wrath,” says Yahweh of Armies, “and I didn’t repent; 15. so again I have thought in these days to do good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. Don’t be afraid. 16. These are the things that you shall do: speak every man the truth with his neighbor. Execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates, 17. and let none of you devise evil in your hearts against his neighbor, and love no false oath: for all these are things that I hate,” says Yahweh. 18. The word of Yahweh of Armies came to me. 19. Yahweh of Armies says: “The fasts of the fourth, fifth, seventh, and tenth months shall be for the house of Judah joy and gladness, and cheerful feasts. Therefore love truth and peace.” 20. Yahweh of Armies says: “Many peoples, and the inhabitants of many cities will yet come; 21. and the inhabitants of one shall go to another, saying, ‘Let us go speedily to entreat the favor of Yahweh, and to seek Yahweh of Armies. I will go also.’ 22. Yes, many peoples and strong nations will come to seek Yahweh of Armies in Jerusalem, and to entreat the favor of Yahweh.” 23. Yahweh of Armies says: “In those days, ten men will take hold, out of all the languages of the nations, they will take hold of the skirt of him who is a Jew, saying, ‘We will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.’”

1. “Most certainly, I tell you, one who doesn’t enter by the door into the sheep fold, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. 2. But one who enters in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name, and leads them out. 4. Whenever he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5. They will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him; for they don’t know the voice of strangers.” 6. Jesus spoke this parable to them, but they didn’t understand what he was telling them. 7. Jesus therefore said to them again, “Most certainly, I tell you, I am the sheep’s door. 8. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep didn’t listen to them. 9. I am the door. If anyone enters in by me, he will be saved, and will go in and go out, and will find pasture. 10. The thief only comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly. 11. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12. He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who doesn’t own the sheep, sees the wolf coming, leaves the sheep, and flees. The wolf snatches the sheep, and scatters them. 13. The hired hand flees because he is a hired hand, and doesn’t care for the sheep. 14. I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and I’m known by my own; 15. even as the Father knows me, and I know the Father. I lay down my life for the sheep. 16. I have other sheep, which are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will hear my voice. They will become one flock with one shepherd. 17. Therefore the Father loves me, because I lay down my life, that I may take it again. 18. No one takes it away from me, but I lay it down by myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. I received this commandment from my Father.” 19. Therefore a division arose again among the Jews because of these words. 20. Many of them said, “He has a demon, and is insane! Why do you listen to him?” 21. Others said, “These are not the sayings of one possessed by a demon. It isn’t possible for a demon to open the eyes of the blind, is it?” 22. It was the Feast of the Dedication at Jerusalem. 23. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in Solomon’s porch. 24. The Jews therefore came around him and said to him, “How long will you hold us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” 25. Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you don’t believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name, these testify about me. 26. But you don’t believe, because you are not of my sheep, as I told you. 27. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28. I give eternal life to them. They will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30. I and the Father are one.” 31. Therefore Jews took up stones again to stone him. 32. Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from my Father. For which of those works do you stone me?” 33. The Jews answered him, “We don’t stone you for a good work, but for blasphemy: because you, being a man, make yourself God.” 34. Jesus answered them, “Isn’t it written in your law, ‘I said, you are gods?’ 35. If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture can’t be broken), 36. do you say of him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You blaspheme,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God?’ 37. If I don’t do the works of my Father, don’t believe me. 38. But if I do them, though you don’t believe me, believe the works; that you may know and believe that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.” 39. They sought again to seize him, and he went out of their hand. 40. He went away again beyond the Jordan into the place where John was baptizing at first, and there he stayed. 41. Many came to him. They said, “John indeed did no sign, but everything that John said about this man is true.” 42. Many believed in him there. 1. Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus from Bethany, of the village of Mary and her sister, Martha. 2. It was that Mary who had anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother, Lazarus, was sick. 3. The sisters therefore sent to him, saying, “Lord, behold, he for whom you have great affection is sick.” 4. But when Jesus heard it, he said, “This sickness is not to death, but for the glory of God, that God’s Son may be glorified by it.” 5. Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. 6. When therefore he heard that he was sick, he stayed two days in the place where he was. 7. Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let’s go into Judea again.” 8. The disciples told him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just trying to stone you, and are you going there again?” 9. Jesus answered, “Aren’t there twelve hours of daylight? If a man walks in the day, he doesn’t stumble, because he sees the light of this world. 10. But if a man walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light isn’t in him.” 11. He said these things, and after that, he said to them, “Our friend, Lazarus, has fallen asleep, but I am going so that I may awake him out of sleep.” 12. The disciples therefore said, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” 13. Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he spoke of taking rest in sleep. 14. So Jesus said to them plainly then, “Lazarus is dead. 15. I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe. Nevertheless, let’s go to him.” 16. Thomas therefore, who is called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, “Let’s go also, that we may die with him.” 17. So when Jesus came, he found that he had been in the tomb four days already. 18. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about fifteen stadia away. 19. Many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to console them concerning their brother. 20. Then when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary stayed in the house. 21. Therefore Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you would have been here, my brother wouldn’t have died. 22. Even now I know that, whatever you ask of God, God will give you.” 23. Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24. Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” 25. Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will still live, even if he dies. 26. Whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” 27. She said to him, “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, God’s Son, he who comes into the world.” 28. When she had said this, she went away, and called Mary, her sister, secretly, saying, “The Teacher is here, and is calling you.” 29. When she heard this, she arose quickly, and went to him. 30. Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was in the place where Martha met him. 31. Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and were consoling her, when they saw Mary, that she rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, “She is going to the tomb to weep there.” 32. Therefore when Mary came to where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you would have been here, my brother wouldn’t have died.” 33. When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews weeping who came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled, 34. and said, “Where have you laid him?” They told him, “Lord, come and see.” 35. Jesus wept. 36. The Jews therefore said, “See how much affection he had for him!” 37. Some of them said, “Couldn’t this man, who opened the eyes of him who was blind, have also kept this man from dying?” 38. Jesus therefore, again groaning in himself, came to the tomb. Now it was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to him, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.” 40. Jesus said to her, “Didn’t I tell you that if you believed, you would see God’s glory?” 41. So they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, “Father, I thank you that you listened to me. 42. I know that you always listen to me, but because of the multitude standing around I said this, that they may believe that you sent me.” 43. When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44. He who was dead came out, bound hand and foot with wrappings, and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Free him, and let him go.” 45. Therefore many of the Jews, who came to Mary and saw what Jesus did, believed in him. 46. But some of them went away to the Pharisees, and told them the things which Jesus had done. 47. The chief priests therefore and the Pharisees gathered a council, and said, “What are we doing? For this man does many signs. 48. If we leave him alone like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” 49. But a certain one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all, 50. nor do you consider that it is advantageous for us that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation not perish.” 51. Now he didn’t say this of himself, but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, 52. and not for the nation only, but that he might also gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. 53. So from that day forward they took counsel that they might put him to death. 54. Jesus therefore walked no more openly among the Jews, but departed from there into the country near the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim. He stayed there with his disciples. 55. Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand. Many went up from the country to Jerusalem before the Passover, to purify themselves. 56. Then they sought for Jesus and spoke one with another, as they stood in the temple, “What do you think—that he isn’t coming to the feast at all?” 57. Now the chief priests and the Pharisees had commanded that if anyone knew where he was, he should report it, that they might seize him. 1. Then six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, who had been dead, whom he raised from the dead. 2. So they made him a supper there. Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with him. 3. Mary, therefore, took a pound of ointment of pure nard, very precious, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment. 4. Then Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, one of his disciples, who would betray him, said, 5. “Why wasn’t this ointment sold for three hundred denarii, and given to the poor?” 6. Now he said this, not because he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and having the money box, used to steal what was put into it. 7. But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. She has kept this for the day of my burial. 8. For you always have the poor with you, but you don’t always have me.” 9. A large crowd therefore of the Jews learned that he was there, and they came, not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead. 10. But the chief priests conspired to put Lazarus to death also, 11. because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus. 12. On the next day a great multitude had come to the feast. When they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 13. they took the branches of the palm trees, and went out to meet him, and cried out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel!” 14. Jesus, having found a young donkey, sat on it. As it is written, 15. “Don’t be afraid, daughter of Zion. Behold, your King comes, sitting on a donkey’s colt.” 16. His disciples didn’t understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about him, and that they had done these things to him. 17. The multitude therefore that was with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb, and raised him from the dead, was testifying about it. 18. For this cause also the multitude went and met him, because they heard that he had done this sign. 19. The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, “See how you accomplish nothing. Behold, the world has gone after him.” 20. Now there were certain Greeks among those that went up to worship at the feast. 21. These, therefore, came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, “Sir, we want to see Jesus.” 22. Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn, Andrew came with Philip, and they told Jesus. 23. Jesus answered them, “The time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24. Most certainly I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains by itself alone. But if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25. He who loves his life will lose it. He who hates his life in this world will keep it to eternal life. 26. If anyone serves me, let him follow me. Where I am, there will my servant also be. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. 27. “Now my soul is troubled. What shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this time?’ But for this cause I came to this time. 28. Father, glorify your name!” Then there came a voice out of the sky, saying, “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.” 29. The multitude therefore, who stood by and heard it, said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” 30. Jesus answered, “This voice hasn’t come for my sake, but for your sakes. 31. Now is the judgment of this world. Now the prince of this world will be cast out. 32. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” 33. But he said this, signifying by what kind of death he should die. 34. The multitude answered him, “We have heard out of the law that the Christ remains forever. How do you say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up?’ Who is this Son of Man?” 35. Jesus therefore said to them, “Yet a little while the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, that darkness doesn’t overtake you. He who walks in the darkness doesn’t know where he is going. 36. While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become children of light.” Jesus said these things, and he departed and hid himself from them. 37. But though he had done so many signs before them, yet they didn’t believe in him, 38. that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke, “Lord, who has believed our report? To whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” 39. For this cause they couldn’t believe, for Isaiah said again, 40. “He has blinded their eyes and he hardened their heart, lest they should see with their eyes, and perceive with their heart, and would turn, and I would heal them.” 41. Isaiah said these things when he saw his glory, and spoke of him. 42. Nevertheless even of the rulers many believed in him, but because of the Pharisees they didn’t confess it, so that they wouldn’t be put out of the synagogue, 43. for they loved men’s praise more than God’s praise. 44. Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me, believes not in me, but in him who sent me. 45. He who sees me sees him who sent me. 46. I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in me may not remain in the darkness. 47. If anyone listens to my sayings, and doesn’t believe, I don’t judge him. For I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. 48. He who rejects me, and doesn’t receive my sayings, has one who judges him. The word that I spoke, the same will judge him in the last day. 49. For I spoke not from myself, but the Father who sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. 50. I know that his commandment is eternal life. The things therefore which I speak, even as the Father has said to me, so I speak.”

1. Oh clap your hands, all you nations. Shout to God with the voice of triumph! 2. For Yahweh Most High is awesome. He is a great King over all the earth. 3. He subdues nations under us, and peoples under our feet. 4. He chooses our inheritance for us, the glory of Jacob whom he loved. Selah. 5. God has gone up with a shout, Yahweh with the sound of a trumpet. 6. Sing praises to God, sing praises. Sing praises to our King, sing praises. 7. For God is the King of all the earth. Sing praises with understanding. 8. God reigns over the nations. God sits on his holy throne. 9. The princes of the peoples are gathered together, the people of the God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong to God. He is greatly exalted!