« | Zechariah 5 | » |
1 AGAIN I lifted up my eyes and behold, I saw a scroll flying or floating in the air!
2 And the angel said to me, What do you see? And I answered, I see a flying scroll; its length is twenty cubits or thirty feet and its breadth is ten cubits or fifteen feet.
3 Then he said to me, This is the curse that goes out over the face of the whole land; for everyone who steals shall be cut off from henceforth according to it [the curse written on this subject on the scroll], and everyone who swears falsely shall be cut off from henceforth according to it. [Isa. 24:6; Mal. 3:8, 9.]
4 I will bring [the curse] forth, says the Lord of hosts, and it shall enter into the house of the thief and into the house of him who swears falsely by My name; and it shall abide in the midst of his house and shall consume it, both its timber and its stones.
5 Then the angel who talked with me came forward and said to me, Lift up now your eyes and see what this is that goes forth.
6 And I said, What is it? [What does it symbolize?] And he said, This that goes forth is an ephah[-sized vessel for separate grains all collected together]. This, he continued, is the symbol of the sinners mentioned above and is the resemblance of their iniquity throughout the whole land. [Amos 8:5.]
7 And behold, a round, flat weight of lead was lifted and there sat a woman in the midst of the ephah[-sized vessel].
8 And he said, This is lawlessness (wickedness)! And he thrust her back into the ephah[-sized vessel] and he cast the weight of lead upon the mouth of it!
9 Then lifted I up my eyes and looked, and behold, there were two women coming forward! The wind was in their wings, for they had wings like the wings of a stork, and they lifted up the ephah[-sized vessel] between the earth and the heavens.
10 Then said I to the angel who talked with me, Where are they taking the ephah[-sized vessel]?
11 And he said to me, To the land of Shinar [Babylonia] to build it a house, and when it is finished, to set up the ephah[-sized vessel--the symbol of such sinners and their guilt] there upon its own base.
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The Amplified Bible (AMP) is a unique translation of the Bible that aims to provide a richer and deeper understanding of the scriptures by incorporating various shades of meaning found in the original languages. First published in 1965, the AMP was developed by The Lockman Foundation and its team of scholars, who sought to expand on the text by including additional words and phrases within brackets and parentheses. These amplifications are intended to clarify and explain the nuances of the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek words, offering readers a more comprehensive view of the biblical text.
One of the defining features of the Amplified Bible is its use of multiple English words to translate single Hebrew or Greek terms. This approach acknowledges that no single English word can fully capture the breadth of meaning contained in the original languages. By providing synonyms and explanatory phrases, the AMP helps readers grasp the fuller implications of the text, enhancing their understanding and appreciation of the scriptures. This makes the AMP particularly valuable for in-depth Bible study, as it opens up the text in a way that more concise translations might not.
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