Zechariah 5

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

I looked up again, and I saw a scroll that was flying [through the air].

2 And he said to me, What seest thou? And I answered, I see a flying roll; its length [is] twenty cubits, and its breadth ten cubits.

The angel asked me, “What do you see?” I replied, “I see a flying scroll that is [huge], (10 yards/9 meters) long and (5 yards/4.5 meters) wide.”

3 Then said he to 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.

Then he said to me, “On this scroll is written the [words that Yahweh is speaking to] curse the entire country. On [one side of] the scroll it is written that every thief will be banished. On [the other side] it is written that everyone who tells a lie when he is solemnly promising to tell the truth will also be banished from the country.

4 I 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 its timber and its stones.

The Commander of the armies of angels says, ‘I will send [copies of] this scroll to the places where thieves live and to the houses of those who use my name when they solemnly promise to tell the truth. [The copies of] this scroll will stay in their houses, until those houses and all their wood and stones are destroyed.’”

5 Then the angel that talked with me went forth, and said to me, Lift up now thy eyes, and see what [is] this that goeth forth.

Then the angel who had been talking to me came closer to me and said, “Look up and see what is appearing!”

6 And 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.

I asked him, “What is it?” He replied, “It is a big basket [for measuring grain]. But it represents the sins that everyone in this nation has committed.”

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

Then [the angel] lifted the basket’s cover, [which was made] of lead. There was a woman sitting inside the basket!

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

The angel said, “She represents the wicked things [that people do].” Then the angel pushed her back into the basket and closed the very heavy lid [again].

9 Then I lifted up my 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.

Then I looked up and saw two women in front of me. They [were flying toward us], with their wings spread out in the wind. Their wings were [large], like [SIM] storks’ wings. They lifted the big basket up into the sky.

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

I asked the angel who had been talking to me, “Where are they taking that basket?”

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

He replied, “[They are taking it] to Babylonia to build a temple for it. When the temple is finished, they will set the basket there on a pedestal [for people to worship it].”