Then I took my staff “Pleasantness” and cut it in two to annul my covenant that I had made with all the people.

Then I cut the second staff “Binders” in two in order to annul the covenant of brotherhood between Judah and Israel.

Then I will bring the remaining third into the fire; I will refine them like silver is refined and will test them like gold is tested. They will call on my name and I will answer; I will say, ‘These are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’” ¹ 

He then said, “This woman represents wickedness,” and he pushed her down into the basket and placed the lead cover on top.

so, to the contrary, I have planned in these days to do good to Jerusalem and Judah – do not fear!

Many peoples and powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to seek the Lord who rules over all and to ask his favor.

I then said, “I will not shepherd you. What is to die, let it die, and what is to be eradicated, let it be eradicated. As for those who survive, let them eat each other’s flesh!”

(2:1) ¹  Once again I looked and this time I saw four horns.

The Lord my God says this: “Shepherd the flock set aside for slaughter.

“The Lord who rules over all says, ‘If you live ¹  and work according to my requirements, you will be able to preside over my temple ²  and attend to my courtyards, and I will allow you to come and go among these others who are standing by you.

“Choose some people ¹  from among the exiles, namely, Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah, all of whom have come from Babylon, and when you have done so go to the house of Josiah son of Zephaniah. ² 

Indeed, they made their heart as hard as diamond, ¹  so that they could not obey the Torah and the other words the Lord who rules over all had sent by his Spirit through the former prophets. Therefore, the Lord who rules over all had poured out great wrath.

‘for there will be a peaceful time of sowing, the vine will produce its fruit and the ground its yield, and the skies ¹  will rain down dew. Then I will allow the remnant of my people to possess all these things.

I am enraged at the shepherds and will punish the lead-goats. For the Lord who rules over all has brought blessing to his flock, the house of Judah, and will transform them into his majestic warhorse.

And also on that day,” says the Lord who rules over all, “I will remove ¹  the names of the idols from the land and they will never again be remembered. Moreover, I will remove the prophets and the unclean spirit from the land.

I asked, “What are these going to do?” He answered, “These horns are the ones that have scattered Judah so that there is no one to be seen. ¹  But the blacksmiths have come to terrify Judah’s enemies ²  and cut off the horns of the nations that have thrust themselves against the land of Judah in order to scatter its people.” ³ 

The Lord then addressed good, comforting words to the angelic messenger who was speaking to me.

The Lord will take possession of ¹  Judah as his portion in the holy land and he will choose Jerusalem once again.

I asked the messenger who was speaking to me, “Where are they taking the basket?”

Now the people of Bethel ¹  had sent Sharezer and Regem-Melech and their companions to seek the Lord’s favor