ZECHARIAH

230. THE COMING OF THE PRINCE OF PEACE

Rejoice greatly, O city of Zion!

Shout joyfully, O Jerusalem!

Behold your king will come to you;
Vindicated and victorious is he,
Yet humble, riding upon an ass,
Even upon the colt of an ass.

He shall destroy the chariots from Ephraim,
And horses from Jerusalem;

The battle-bow shall also be destroyed,

And he shall proclaim peace to the nations;
His rule shall be from sea to sea,

From the Euphrates to the ends of the earth.

MALACHI

231. THE DIVINE DISAPPROVAL OF DIVORCE

Have we not all one father?

Has not one God created us?

Why deal we treacherously with each other,
Breaking the compact made by our fathers?

And this you also do:

You cover the altar of Jehovah with tears,
So he no longer looks on your offering favorably,
Nor receives it acceptably from your hand.
Yet you say, 'Why is this?'

It is because Jehovah has been a witness
Between you and the wife of your youth,
To whom you have been untrue,

Though she is your companion and wedded wife.

Therefore guard your impulses,

And let no one be untrue to the wife of his youth; 'For I hate divorce,'

Jehovah, the God of Israel, declares,

'And the man who violates his marriage vow.' So guard your impulses and be not untrue.

232. THE PRIESTLY SERVICE THAT JEHOVAH DESIRES

You have wearied Jehovah with your words.
Yet you say, 'How have we wearied him?'

In that you say, 'All who do wrong
Are good in the sight of Jehovah,
And with them he is greatly pleased;
Or where is the God of justice?'

Behold, I will send my messenger,
To prepare the way before me;
And the Lord, whom you seek,
Will suddenly come to his temple;

Who can face then the day of his coming?
Who shall stand when he appears?

For he will be like a refiner's fire,

And like fullers' lyes;

He will sit as refiner and purifier,

Purifying the priests of Levi,

And as gold and silver refining them.

Then as upright men they shall present the offerings,

And the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem shall be pleas

ing to me,

As in the days of old, as in former years.

I pledged the priest life and peace,

I gave them to him that he should revere me.
He revered me and stood in awe of my name.
True instruction came from his mouth,
And untruth was not found on his lips;

He lived an upright life in harmony with me,
And turned many away from wrong-doing.

For the priest's lips should be a storehouse of knowledge,
And men should seek the law from his mouth;

For he is a messenger of Jehovah of hosts.

233. THE REWARDS OF FAITHFUL SERVICE

'Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, That there may be provision in my house;

And test me in this way,' says Jehovah of hosts, ! "And see if I will not open for you the windows of heaven, And pour out for you a blessing, until there is more than

enough.

I will rebuke for your sakes the devourer,

That he destroy not the fruits of your ground;
Your vines shall not fail to ripen their fruit,

And all nations shall call you happy,

For

you shall be a delightful land,' says Jehovah of hosts.

Jehovah declares, "Your words have been too hard upon

me,

Yet you say, "What have we said against thee?"
You have said, "It is useless to serve God,

And what gain is it to us that we have obeyed him,
And that we have walked as mourners before him?
As it is, those who do wrong thrive,

Yes, they defy God and escape!"'

Then those who revered Jehovah spoke to one another,
So that Jehovah gave heed, and heard,

And a book of remembrance was written before him,
Regarding those who revered him and honored his name.
And Jehovah of hosts declared, "They shall be mine
On the day that I gather together my special treasures.
And I will show them tender consideration,

As a man does toward his son who serves him.

Then you shall again distinguish between the upright and the wicked,

Between him who serves God and him who serves him not.

'For the day is coming that shall burn as a furnace, When all the proud and all wrong-doers shall be stubble, And the day that is coming shall set them ablaze,

So that there shall be left of them neither root nor branch;

But to you who revere my name there shall arise

The sun of righteousness with healing on its wings,

And you shall go forth and leap with joy like calves let loose,

And you shall trample down the wicked,

For they shall be as ashes under your feet,

On the day on which I act,' Jehovah of hosts declares.

'Behold I send you Elijah the prophet,

Before the coming of the great and terrible day of Je

hovah;

And he will bring the older and younger generations into

harmony,

Lest I come and utterly destroy the land.'