The flying scroll
1I looked again, and there before me was a flying scroll.
2He asked me, ‘What do you see?’
I answered, ‘I see a flying scroll, twenty cubits long and ten cubits wide.5:2 That is, about 9 metres long and 4.5 metres wide’
3And he said to me, ‘This is the curse that is going out over the whole land; for according to what it says on one side, every thief will be banished, and according to what it says on the other, everyone who swears falsely will be banished. 4The Lord Almighty declares, “I will send it out, and it will enter the house of the thief and the house of anyone who swears falsely by my name. It will remain in that house and destroy it completely, both its timbers and its stones.” ’
The woman in a basket
5Then the angel who was speaking to me came forward and said to me, ‘Look up and see what is appearing.’
6I asked, ‘What is it?’
He replied, ‘It is a basket.’ And he added, ‘This is the iniquity5:6 Or appearance of the people throughout the land.’
7Then the cover of lead was raised, and there in the basket sat a woman! 8He said, ‘This is wickedness,’ and he pushed her back into the basket and pushed its lead cover down on it.
9Then I looked up – and there before me were two women, with the wind in their wings! They had wings like those of a stork, and they lifted up the basket between heaven and earth.
10‘Where are they taking the basket?’ I asked the angel who was speaking to me.
11He replied, ‘To the country of Babylonia5:11 Hebrew Shinar to build a house for it. When the house is ready, the basket will be set there in its place.’
A Vision of a Flying Scroll
1I looked up again and saw a flying scroll.
2“What do you see?” the angel asked me.
“A scroll flying in the air,” I replied. “It’s 30 feet long and 15 feet wide.”
3He said to me, “A curse sent by the Lord is written on it. It is going out over the whole land. Every thief will be driven out of the land. That is what it says on one side of the scroll. Everyone who lies when promising to tell the truth will also be driven out. That is what it says on the other side. 4The Lord who rules over all announces, ‘I will send the curse out. It will enter the house of the thief. It will also enter the house of anyone who lies when making a promise in my name. It will remain in that house and destroy it completely. It will pull down its beams and stones.’ ”
A Vision of a Woman in a Basket
5Then the angel who was talking with me came forward. He said to me, “Look at what is coming.”
6“What is it?” I asked.
“A basket,” he replied. “The sins of the people all through the land are in it.”
7Then the basket’s cover was lifted up. It was made out of lead. A woman was sitting in the basket! 8The angel said, “She stands for everything that is evil.” Then he pushed her down into the basket. He put the lead cover back over it.
9I looked up and saw two other women. They had wings like the wings of a stork. A wind sent by the Lord carried them along. They lifted the basket up between heaven and earth.
10“Where are they taking the basket?” I asked the angel.
11He replied, “To the country of Babylon. A temple will be built for it. When the temple is ready, the basket will be set there in its place.”
