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A Call to Return to the Lord

¹ In the eighth month, ^(a)in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet ^(b)Zechariah, the son of ^(c)Berechiah, son of ^(d)Iddo, saying, ^2 (e)"The Lord was very angry with your fathers. ³ Therefore say to them, Thus declares the Lord of hosts: ^(f)Return to me, says the Lord of hosts, and ^(g)I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. ^4 (h)Do not be like your fathers, ⁽ⁱ⁾to whom the former prophets cried out, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, ^(j)Return from your evil ways and from your evil deeds.' But ^(k)they did not hear or pay attention to me, declares the Lord. ⁵ Your fathers, where are they? And ^(l)the prophets, do they live forever? ^6 (m)But my words and my statutes, which I commanded ⁽ⁿ⁾my servants the prophets, did they not ^(o)overtake your fathers? So they repented and said, ^(p)‘As the Lord of hosts purposed to deal with us for ^(q)our ways and ^(r)deeds, so has he dealt with us.'"

A Vision of a Horseman

⁷ On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, which is the month of Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet ^(s)Zechariah, the son of ^(t)Berechiah, son of ^(u)Iddo, saying, ⁸ "I saw in the night, and behold, ^(v)a man riding on a red horse! He was standing among the myrtle trees in the glen, and behind him were ^(w)red, sorrel, and white horses. ⁹ Then I said, ‘What are these, my lord?' ^(x)The angel who talked with me said to me, ‘I will show you what they are.' ¹⁰ So ^(y)the man who was standing among the myrtle trees answered, ^(z)‘These are they whom the Lord has sent to ^(aa)patrol the earth.' ¹¹ And they answered ^(ab)the angel of the Lord who was standing among the myrtle trees, and said, ^(ac)‘We have patrolled the earth, and behold, all the earth ^(ad)remains at rest.' ¹² Then ^(ae)the angel of the Lord said, ^(af)‘O Lord of hosts, ^(ag)how long will you ^(ah)have no mercy on Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, against which you have been angry these ^(ai)seventy years?' ¹³ And the Lord answered ^(aj)gracious and comforting words to ^(ak)the angel who talked with me. ¹⁴ So ^(al)the angel who talked with me said to me, ‘Cry out, Thus says the Lord of hosts: ^(am)I am exceedingly jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion. ^15 (an)And I am exceedingly angry with the nations that are ^(ao)at ease; ^(ap)for while I was angry but a little, ^(aq)they furthered the disaster. ¹⁶ Therefore, thus says the Lord, ^(ar)I have returned to Jerusalem with mercy; ^(as)my house shall be built in it, declares the Lord of hosts, and ^(at)the measuring line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem. ¹⁷ Cry out again, Thus says the Lord of hosts: ^(au)My cities shall again overflow with prosperity, ^(av)and the Lord will again comfort Zion and again ^(aw)choose Jerusalem.'"

A Vision of Horns and Craftsmen

^18 [a] And I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, ^(ax)four horns! ¹⁹ And I said to ^(ay)the angel who talked with me, "What are these?" And he said to me, ^(az)"These are the horns that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem." ²⁰ Then the Lord showed me four craftsmen. ²¹ And I said, "What are these coming to do?" He said, ^(ba)"These are the horns that scattered Judah, so that no one raised his head. And these have come ^(bb)to terrify them, to cast down the horns of the nations ^(bc)who lifted up their horns against the land of Judah to scatter it."