I asked him, "Sir, what do these horses mean?" He answered, "I will show you what they mean.

The LORD answered the angel with comforting words,

I asked the angel that had been speaking to me, "What do these horns mean?" He answered, "They stand for the world powers that have scattered the people of Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem."

Then I saw the angel who had been speaking to me step forward, and another angel came to meet him.

Listen then, Joshua, you who are the High Priest; and listen, you fellow priests of his, you that are the sign of a good future: I will reveal my servant, who is called The Branch!

Make a crown out of the silver and gold they have given, and put it on the head of the High Priest, Joshua son of Jehozadak.

When Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Joshua son of Jehozadak heard their messages, they began to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem, and the two prophets helped them.

During the second year that Darius was emperor of Persia, on the first day of the sixth month, the LORD spoke through the prophet Haggai. The message was for the governor of Judah, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and for the High Priest, Joshua son of Jehozadak.

Then Zerubbabel and Joshua and all the people who had returned from the exile in Babylonia, did what the LORD their God told them to do. They were afraid and obeyed the prophet Haggai, the LORD's messenger.

But now don't be discouraged, any of you. Do the work, for I am with you.

At the mountain the LORD appointed the men of the tribe of Levi to be in charge of the Covenant Box, to serve him as priests, and to pronounce blessings in his name. And these are still their duties.

Instead, he will send you a prophet like me from among your own people, and you are to obey him.

So the men of Beth Shemesh said, "Who can stand before the LORD, this holy God? Where can we send him to get him away from us?"

My sons, do not lose any time. You are the ones that the LORD has chosen to burn incense to him and to lead the people in worshiping him."

When God said that he would destroy his people, his chosen servant, Moses, stood up against God and kept his anger from destroying them.

To this the LORD replied, "If you return, I will take you back, and you will be my servant again. If instead of talking nonsense you proclaim a worthwhile message, you will be my prophet again. The people will come back to you, and you will not need to go to them.

They may serve me in the Temple by taking charge of the gates and by performing the work of the Temple. They may kill the animals which the people offer for burnt offerings and for sacrifices, and they are to be on duty to serve the people.

The Sovereign LORD said, "Those priests belonging to the tribe of Levi who are descended from Zadok, however, continued to serve me faithfully in the Temple when the rest of the people of Israel turned away from me. So now they are the ones who are to serve me and come into my presence to offer me the fat and the blood of the sacrifices.

Be on watch and pray always that you will have the strength to go safely through all those things that will happen and to stand before the Son of Man."

May the angel, who has rescued me from all harm, bless them! May my name and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac live on through these boys! May they have many children, many descendants!"

There the angel of the LORD appeared to him as a flame coming from the middle of a bush. Moses saw that the bush was on fire but that it was not burning up.

When the LORD saw that Moses was coming closer, he called to him from the middle of the bush and said, "Moses! Moses!" He answered, "Yes, here I am."

I am the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." So Moses covered his face, because he was afraid to look at God.

"I will send an angel ahead of you to protect you as you travel and to bring you to the place which I have prepared.

Pay attention to him and obey him. Do not rebel against him, for I have sent him, and he will not pardon such rebellion.

he fought against an angel and won. He wept and asked for a blessing. And at Bethel God came to our ancestor Jacob and spoke with him.

This was the LORD God Almighty---the LORD is the name by which he is to be worshiped.

The LORD Almighty answers, "I will send my messenger to prepare the way for me. Then the Lord you are looking for will suddenly come to his Temple. The messenger you long to see will come and proclaim my covenant."

"After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai.

'I am the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.' Moses trembled with fear and dared not look.

I have seen the cruel suffering of my people in Egypt. I have heard their groans, and I have come down to set them free. Come now; I will send you to Egypt.'

He led the people out of Egypt, performing miracles and wonders in Egypt and at the Red Sea and for forty years in the desert.

He is the one who was with the people of Israel assembled in the desert; he was there with our ancestors and with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and he received God's living messages to pass on to us.

When the day came for the heavenly beings to appear before the LORD, Satan was there among them.

"Did you notice my servant Job?" the LORD asked. "There is no one on earth as faithful and good as he is. He worships me and is careful not to do anything evil."

You have always protected him and his family and everything he owns. You bless everything he does, and you have given him enough cattle to fill the whole country.

"All right," the LORD said to Satan, "everything he has is in your power, but you must not hurt Job himself." So Satan left.

When the day came for the heavenly beings to appear before the LORD again, Satan was there among them.

"Did you notice my servant Job?" the LORD asked. "There is no one on earth as faithful and good as he is. He worships me and is careful not to do anything evil. You persuaded me to let you attack him for no reason at all, but Job is still as faithful as ever."

But now suppose you hurt his body---he will curse you to your face!"

Then Satan left the LORD's presence and made sores break out all over Job's body.

Choose some corrupt judge to try my enemy, and let one of his own enemies accuse him.

"Simon, Simon! Listen! Satan has received permission to test all of you, to separate the good from the bad, as a farmer separates the wheat from the chaff.

Be alert, be on watch! Your enemy, the Devil, roams around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.

The huge dragon was thrown out---that ancient serpent, named the Devil, or Satan, that deceived the whole world. He was thrown down to earth, and all his angels with him.

Then I heard a loud voice in heaven saying, "Now God's salvation has come! Now God has shown his power as King! Now his Messiah has shown his authority! For the one who stood before our God and accused believers day and night has been thrown out of heaven.

I will make you and the woman hate each other; her offspring and yours will always be enemies. Her offspring will crush your head, and you will bite her offspring's heel."