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Minor Prophets · WORLD ENGLISH BIBLE

Zechariah 5

Night visions and prophetic oracles encourage rebuilding and anticipate God's coming king.

Old Testament

Zechariah 5

1Then again I lifted up my eyes and saw, and behold, a flying scroll.

2He said to me, “What do you see?” I answered, “I see a flying scroll; its length is twenty cubits, and its width ten cubits.”

3Then 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.

4I will cause it to go out,” says the LORD 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.”

5Then the angel who talked with me came forward and said to me, “Lift up now your eyes and see what this is that is appearing.”

6I 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—

7and behold, a lead cover weighing one talent was lifted up—and there was a woman sitting in the middle of the ephah basket.”

8He said, “This is Wickedness;” and he threw her down into the middle of the ephah basket; and he threw the lead weight on its mouth.

9Then I lifted 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.

10Then I said to the angel who talked with me, “Where are these carrying the ephah basket?”

11He 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.”

READ IN CONTEXT

Before applying this chapter

Night visions and prophetic oracles encourage rebuilding and anticipate God's coming king. Read Zechariah 5 within the complete Zechariah overview, and use the contextual Bible reading guide before forming a personal application. Chapter divisions aid navigation, but the literary unit may begin earlier or continue into the next chapter.

Observe first

Mark repeated words, changes of speaker, commands, promises, contrasts, questions, and the relationship between paragraphs.

Apply responsibly

Distinguish description from command and immediate audience from later readers before forming a personal application.

TEXT-DERIVED READING NOTES

What to notice in Zechariah 5

Zechariah 5 contains 11 verses and about 319 words in this translation. These observations come from the chapter itself; they are prompts for close reading, not claims about its only possible meaning.

The opening movement

Verse 1 begins: “Then again I lifted up my eyes and saw, and behold, a flying scroll.” Ask what situation, voice, image, or argument this opening establishes for everything that follows.

The closing movement

Verse 11 closes: “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.”” Compare the ending with the opening and note what changed, resolved, intensified, or remained open.

Vocabulary worth tracing

Recurring or prominent content words include will, ephah, basket, lifted, house, eyes. Follow where each word appears and whether its meaning shifts with the speaker or setting.

COMMON QUESTIONS

About Zechariah 5

Which Bible translation is shown here?+

This page reproduces the World English Bible Protestant edition (WEBP), a modern-English translation dedicated to the public domain.

How should I cite a specific verse?+

Use the book, chapter, and verse—for example, Zechariah 5:1—and name the World English Bible if the wording matters. Each verse number above is a direct anchor link.

Does the chapter number define the complete literary unit?+

Not always. Chapter and verse numbers were added for navigation. Check the paragraphs, scenes, poetic stanzas, or argument before and after this chapter.

A SMALL NEXT STEP

You do not have to have everything figured out.

Begin with one honest question, one passage read carefully, and one faithful next step.

Start with prayer