1 I lift vp mine eyes againe and looked, and behold, a man with a measuring line in his hand. 2 Then saide I, Whither goest thou? And he saide vnto me, To measure Ierusalem, that I may see what is the breadth thereof, and what is the length thereof. 3 And beholde, the Angel that talked with me, went foorth: and another Angel went out to meete him, 4 And saide vnto him, Runne, speake to this yong man, and say, Ierusalem shalbe inhabited without walles, for the multitude of men and cattell therein. 5 For I, saith the Lord, will be vnto her a wall of fire round about, and wil be the glory in the middes of her. 6 Ho, ho, come forth, and flee from the land of the North, saith the Lord: for I haue scattered you into the foure winds of the heauen, saith ye Lord. 7 Saue thy selfe, O Zion, that dwellest with the daughter of Babel. 8 For thus saith the Lord of hostes, After this glory hath hee sent me vnto the nations, which spoyled you: for he that toucheth you, toucheth the apple of his eye. 9 For beholde, I will lift vp mine hand vpon them: and they shalbe a spoyle to those that serued them, and ye shall knowe, that the Lord of hostes hath sent me. 10 Reioyce, and be glad, O daughter Zion: for loe, I come, and will dwell in the middes of thee, saith the Lord. 11 And many nations shall be ioyned to the Lord in that day, and shalbe my people: and I will dwell in the middes of thee, and thou shalt knowe that the Lord of hostes hath sent me vnto thee. 12 And the Lord shall inherite Iudah his portion in the holy lande, and shall chuse Ierusalem againe. 13 Let all flesh be still before the Lord: for he is raised vp out of his holy place.
The Vision of the Measuring Line
1 In another vision I saw a man with a measuring line in his hand. 2 “Where are you going?” I asked.
“To measure Jerusalem,” he answered, “to see how long and how wide it is.”
3 Then I saw the angel who had been speaking to me step forward, and another angel came to meet him. 4 The first one said to the other, “Run and tell that young man with the measuring line that there are going to be so many people and so much livestock in Jerusalem that it will be too big to have walls. 5 The Lord has promised that he himself will be a wall of fire around the city to protect it and that he will live there in all his glory.”
The Exiles Are Called to Come Home
6-7 The Lord said to his people, “I scattered you in all directions. But now, you exiles, escape from Babylonia and return to Jerusalem. 8 Anyone who strikes you strikes what is most precious to me.”
So the Lord Almighty sent me with this message for the nations that had plundered his people: 9 “The Lord himself will fight against you, and you will be plundered by the people who were once your servants.”
When this happens, everyone will know that the Lord Almighty sent me.
10 The Lord said, “Sing for joy, people of Jerusalem! I am coming to live among you!”
11 At that time many nations will come to the Lord and become his people. He will live among you, and you will know that he has sent me to you. 12 Once again Judah will be the special possession of the Lord in his sacred land, and Jerusalem will be the city he loves most of all.
13 Be silent, everyone, in the presence of the Lord, for he is coming from his holy dwelling place.