22nd December

¹ Moreover Job continued his parable, and said,² Oh that I were as in months past, as in the days when God preserved me;³ When his candle shined upon my head, and when by his light I walked through darkness;⁴ As I was in the days of my youth, when the secret of God was upon my tabernacle;⁵ When the Almighty was yet with me, when my children were about me;⁶ When I washed my steps with butter, and the rock poured me out rivers of oil;⁷ When I went out to the gate through the city, when I prepared my seat in the street!⁸ The young men saw me, and hid themselves: and the aged arose, and stood up.⁹ The princes refrained talking, and laid their hand on their mouth.¹⁰ The nobles held their peace, and their tongue cleaved to the roof of their mouth.¹¹ When the ear heard me, then it blessed me; and when the eye saw me, it gave witness to me:¹² Because I delivered the poor that cried, and the fatherless, and him that had none to help him.¹³ The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me: and I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy.¹⁴ I put on righteousness, and it clothed me: my judgment was as a robe and a diadem.¹⁵ I was eyes to the blind, and feet was I to the lame.¹⁶ I was a father to the poor: and the cause which I knew not I searched out.¹⁷ And I brake the jaws of the wicked, and plucked the spoil out of his teeth.¹⁸ Then I said, I shall die in my nest, and I shall multiply my days as the sand.¹⁹ My root was spread out by the waters, and the dew lay all night upon my branch.²⁰ My glory was fresh in me, and my bow was renewed in my hand.²¹ Unto me men gave ear, and waited, and kept silence at my counsel.²² After my words they spake not again; and my speech dropped upon them.²³ And they waited for me as for the rain; and they opened their mouth wide as for the latter rain.²⁴ If I laughed on them, they believed it not; and the light of my countenance they cast not down.²⁵ I chose out their way, and sat chief, and dwelt as a king in the army, as one that comforteth the mourners.

¹ But now they that are younger than I have me in derision, whose fathers I would have disdained to have set with the dogs of my flock.² Yea, whereto might the strength of their hands profit me, in whom old age was perished?³ For want and famine they were solitary; fleeing into the wilderness in former time desolate and waste.⁴ Who cut up mallows by the bushes, and juniper roots for their meat.⁵ They were driven forth from among men, (they cried after them as after a thief;)⁶ To dwell in the cliffs of the valleys, in caves of the earth, and in the rocks.⁷ Among the bushes they brayed; under the nettles they were gathered together.⁸ They were children of fools, yea, children of base men: they were viler than the earth.⁹ And now am I their song, yea, I am their byword.¹⁰ They abhor me, they flee far from me, and spare not to spit in my face.¹¹ Because he hath loosed my cord, and afflicted me, they have also let loose the bridle before me.¹² Upon my right hand rise the youth; they push away my feet, and they raise up against me the ways of their destruction.¹³ They mar my path, they set forward my calamity, they have no helper.¹⁴ They came upon me as a wide breaking in of waters: in the desolation they rolled themselves upon me.¹⁵ Terrors are turned upon me: they pursue my soul as the wind: and my welfare passeth away as a cloud.¹⁶ And now my soul is poured out upon me; the days of affliction have taken hold upon me.¹⁷ My bones are pierced in me in the night season: and my sinews take no rest.¹⁸ By the great force of my disease is my garment changed: it bindeth me about as the collar of my coat.¹⁹ He hath cast me into the mire, and I am become like dust and ashes.²⁰ I cry unto thee, and thou dost not hear me: I stand up, and thou regardest me not.²¹ Thou art become cruel to me: with thy strong hand thou opposest thyself against me.²² Thou liftest me up to the wind; thou causest me to ride upon it, and dissolvest my substance.²³ For I know that thou wilt bring me to death, and to the house appointed for all living.²⁴ Howbeit he will not stretch out his hand to the grave, though they cry in his destruction.²⁵ Did not I weep for him that was in trouble? was not my soul grieved for the poor?²⁶ When I looked for good, then evil came unto me: and when I waited for light, there came darkness.²⁷ My bowels boiled, and rested not: the days of affliction prevented me.²⁸ I went mourning without the sun: I stood up, and I cried in the congregation.²⁹ I am a brother to dragons, and a companion to owls.³⁰ My skin is black upon me, and my bones are burned with heat.³¹ My harp also is turned to mourning, and my organ into the voice of them that weep.

¹ And I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came four chariots out from between two mountains; and the mountains were mountains of brass.² In the first chariot were red horses; and in the second chariot black horses;³ And in the third chariot white horses; and in the fourth chariot grisled and bay horses.⁴ Then I answered and said unto the angel that talked with me, What are these, my lord?⁵ And the angel answered and said unto me, These are the four spirits of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the LORD of all the earth.⁶ The black horses which are therein go forth into the north country; and the white go forth after them; and the grisled go forth toward the south country.⁷ And the bay went forth, and sought to go that they might walk to and fro through the earth: and he said, Get you hence, walk to and fro through the earth. So they walked to and fro through the earth.⁸ Then cried he upon me, and spake unto me, saying, Behold, these that go toward the north country have quieted my spirit in the north country.⁹ And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,¹⁰ Take of them of the captivity, even of Heldai, of Tobijah, and of Jedaiah, which are come from Babylon, and come thou the same day, and go into the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah;¹¹ Then take silver and gold, and make crowns, and set them upon the head of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest;¹² And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD:¹³ Even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.¹⁴ And the crowns shall be to Helem, and to Tobijah, and to Jedaiah, and to Hen the son of Zephaniah, for a memorial in the temple of the LORD.¹⁵ And they that are far off shall come and build in the temple of the LORD, and ye shall know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto you. And this shall come to pass, if ye will diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God.

¹ And it came to pass in the fourth year of king Darius, that the word of the LORD came unto Zechariah in the fourth day of the ninth month, even in Chisleu;² When they had sent unto the house of God Sherezer and Regemmelech, and their men, to pray before the LORD,³ And to speak unto the priests which were in the house of the LORD of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done these so many years?⁴ Then came the word of the LORD of hosts unto me, saying,⁵ Speak unto all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh month, even those seventy years, did ye at all fast unto me, even to me?⁶ And when ye did eat, and when ye did drink, did not ye eat for yourselves, and drink for yourselves?⁷ Should ye not hear the words which the LORD hath cried by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and in prosperity, and the cities thereof round about her, when men inhabited the south and the plain?⁸ And the word of the LORD came unto Zechariah, saying,⁹ Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother:¹⁰ And oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart.¹¹ But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear.¹² Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the LORD of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the LORD of hosts.¹³ Therefore it is come to pass, that as he cried, and they would not hear; so they cried, and I would not hear, saith the LORD of hosts:¹⁴ But I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations whom they knew not. Thus the land was desolate after them, that no man passed through nor returned: for they laid the pleasant land desolate.

¹ And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.² Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.³ Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.⁴ Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.⁵ He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.⁶ He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.⁷ And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;⁸ I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.⁹ Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.¹⁰ Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.¹¹ Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.¹² Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.¹³ He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.¹⁴ And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;¹⁵ I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.¹⁶ So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.¹⁷ Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:¹⁸ I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.¹⁹ As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.²⁰ Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.²¹ To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.²² He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

¹ After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.² And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.³ And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.⁴ And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.⁵ And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.⁶ And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind.⁷ And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.⁸ And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, LORD God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.⁹ And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever,¹⁰ The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying,¹¹ Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.