Zechariah 1

A Call to Repentance

1In the eighth month of the second year of 1Darius, the word of the Lord came to 2Zechariah the prophet, the son of Berechiah, the son of 3Iddo saying, 2“The Lord was very 4angry with your fathers. 3Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, “5Return to Me,” declares the Lord of hosts, “that I may return to you,” says the Lord of hosts. 4“Do not be 6like your fathers, to whom the 7former prophets proclaimed, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, “8Return now from your evil ways and from your evil deeds.”’ But they did 9not listen or give heed to Me,” declares the Lord. 5“Your 10fathers, where are they? And the 11prophets, do they live forever? 6But did not My words and My statutes, which I commanded My servants the prophets, 12overtake your fathers? Then they repented and said, ‘13As the Lord of hosts purposed to do to us in accordance with our ways and our deeds, so He has dealt with us.’”’”

Patrol of the Earth

7On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, which is the month Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah the prophet, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, as follows: 8I saw at night, and behold, a man was riding on a 14red horse, and he was standing among the 15myrtle trees which were in the ravine, with red, sorrel and 16white horses behind him. 9Then I said, “My 17lord, what are these?” And the 18angel who was speaking with me said to me, “I will show you what these are.” 10And the man who was standing among the myrtle trees answered and said, “These are those whom the Lord has sent to 1920patrol the earth.” 11So they answered the angel of the Lord who was 21standing among the myrtle trees and said, “We have 22patrolled the earth, and behold, 23all the earth is 24peaceful and quiet.”

12Then the angel of the Lord said, “O Lord of hosts, 25how long will You 26have no compassion for Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, with which You have been 27indignant these 28seventy years?” 13The Lord answered the 29angel who was speaking with me with 30gracious words, 31comforting words. 14So the angel who was speaking with me said to me, “32Proclaim, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, “I am 33exceedingly jealous for Jerusalem and Zion. 15But I am very 34angry with the nations who are 35at ease; for while I was only a little angry, they 3637furthered the disaster.” 16Therefore thus says the Lord, “I will 38return to Jerusalem with compassion; My 39house will be built in it,” declares the Lord of hosts, “and a measuring 40line will be stretched over Jerusalem.”’ 17Again, proclaim, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, “My 41cities will again overflow with prosperity, and the Lord will again 42comfort Zion and again 43choose Jerusalem.”’”

1844Then I lifted up my eyes and looked, and behold, there were four horns. 19So I said to the angel who was speaking with me, “What are these?” And he answered me, “These are the 45horns which have scattered Judah, Israel and Jerusalem.” 20Then the Lord showed me four 46craftsmen. 21I said, “What are these coming to do?” And he said, “These are the 47horns which have scattered Judah so that no man lifts up his head; but these craftsmen have come to terrify them, to 48throw down the horns of the nations who have lifted up their horns against the land of Judah in order to scatter it.”