Zechariah 5

Then I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a flying roll.

1Then I turned and looked up. I saw a scroll flying through the air. A scroll is a long sheet for writing that rolls up.

2And he said unto me, What seest thou? And I answered, I see a flying roll; the length thereof is twenty cubits, and the breadth thereof ten cubits.

2The angel, a messenger from God, asked me, "What do you see?" I said, "I see a flying scroll. It is twenty cubits long and ten cubits wide."

NoteA cubit was about the length of a grown-up's arm, from the elbow to the fingertips. So the scroll was about 30 feet long and 15 feet wide.

3Then said he unto me, This is the curse that goeth forth over the face of the whole earth: for every one that stealeth shall be cut off as on this side according to it; and every one that sweareth shall be cut off as on that side according to it.

3Then he said to me, "This is the curse that is going out over the whole land. One side of the scroll says every thief will be taken away. The other side says the same about everyone who makes a false promise."

Note"Cut off" in the King James Bible means taken away or removed.

4I will bring it forth, saith the LORD of hosts, and it shall enter into the house of the thief, and into the house of him that sweareth falsely by my name: and it shall remain in the midst of his house, and shall consume it with the timber thereof and the stones thereof.

4The LORD who commands armies says, "I will send this curse out. It will go into the thief's house. It will go into the house of anyone who lies while using my name. It will stay inside that house. It will destroy the house, even its wood and its stones."

5Then the angel that talked with me went forth, and said unto me, Lift up now thine eyes, and see what is this that goeth forth.

5Then the angel who was talking with me came forward. He said, "Look up now. See what is coming this way."

6And I said, What is it? And he said, This is an ephah that goeth forth. He said moreover, This is their resemblance through all the earth.

6I asked, "What is it?" He said, "It is a big measuring basket, and it is going out." Then he said, "This shows the people's sin in all the land."

NoteThe King James Bible calls this basket an "ephah." It was the basket people used to measure grain, and it held about half a bushel.

7And, behold, there was lifted up a talent of lead: and this is a woman that sitteth in the midst of the ephah.

7Then the heavy lead lid was lifted off the basket. A woman was sitting down inside it.

8And he said, This is wickedness. And he cast it into the midst of the ephah; and he cast the weight of lead upon the mouth thereof.

8He said, "This is Wickedness," which means doing what is evil. Then he pushed her back down into the basket. He shoved the heavy lead lid over the opening.

9Then lifted I up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came out two women, and the wind was in their wings; for they had wings like the wings of a stork: and they lifted up the ephah between the earth and the heaven.

9Then I looked up again. I saw two women coming, with the wind in their wings. Their wings were like a stork's wings. They lifted the basket up between the earth and the sky.

10Then said I to the angel that talked with me, Whither do these bear the ephah?

10So I asked the angel who was talking with me, "Where are they taking the basket?"

11And he said unto me, To build it an house in the land of Shinar: and it shall be established, and set there upon her own base.

11He said to me, "They will build a house for it in the land of Shinar. When the house is ready, the basket will be set there on its own stand."

NoteShinar is an old name for the land far to the east where the city of Babylon stood.