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, ‘This is what the Lord of armies says: “5Return to Me,” declares the Lord of armies, “6that I may return to you,” says the Lord of armies. 4“Do not be 7like your fathers, to whom the 8former prophets proclaimed, saying, ‘This is what the Lord of armies says: “9Return now from your evil ways and from your evil deeds.”’ But they did 10not listen or pay attention to Me,” declares the Lord. 5“Your 11fathers, where are they? And the 12prophets, do they live forever? 6But did My words and My statutes, which I commanded My servants the prophets, not 1314overtake your fathers? Then they repented and said, ‘15Just as the Lord of armies planned 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, that 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, 16as follows: 8I saw at night, and behold, a man was riding on a 17red horse, and he was standing among the 18myrtle trees which were in the ravine, with red, 19sorrel, and 20white horses behind him. 9Then I said, “What are these, my 21lord?” And the 22angel 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 responded and said, “These are the ones whom the Lord has sent to 2324patrol the earth.” 11So they responded to the angel of the Lord who was 25standing among the myrtle trees and said, “We have 26patrolled the earth, and behold, 27all the earth is 28still and quiet.”

12Then the angel of the Lord said, “Lord of armies, 29how long will You 30take no pity on Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, with which You have been 31indignant for these 32seventy years?” 13And the Lord responded to the 33angel who was speaking with me with 34gracious words, 35comforting words. 14So the angel who was speaking with me said to me, “36Proclaim, saying, ‘This is what the Lord of armies says: “I am 37exceedingly jealous for Jerusalem and Zion. 15But I am very 38angry with the nations who are 39carefree; for while I was only a little angry, they 4041furthered the disaster.” 16Therefore the Lord says this: “I will 42return to Jerusalem with compassion; My 43house will be built in it,” declares the Lord of armies, “and a measuring 44line will be stretched over Jerusalem.”’ 17Again, proclaim, saying, ‘This is what the Lord of armies says: “My 45cities will again overflow with prosperity, and the Lord will again 46comfort Zion and again 47choose Jerusalem.”’”

1848Then I raised 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 said to me, “These are the 49horns that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.” 20Then the Lord showed me four 50craftsmen. 21And I said, “What are these coming to do?” And he said, “These are the 51horns that have scattered Judah so that no one lifts up his head; but these craftsmen have come to frighten them, to 52throw down the horns of the nations who have lifted up their horns against the land of Judah in order to scatter it.”