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¹ In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, the Word of Jehovah came to Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying,² With wrath Jehovah has been angry with your fathers.³ And you say to them, So says Jehovah of Hosts: Turn back to Me, says Jehovah of Hosts, and I will turn back to you, says Jehovah of Hosts.⁴ Do not be as your fathers, to whom the former prophets have proclaimed to them, saying, So says Jehovah of Hosts: Turn back now from your evil ways and your evil doings. But they did not hear or pay attention to Me, says Jehovah.⁵ Your fathers, where are they? And the prophets, do they live forever?⁶ But My Words and My statutes which I commanded My servants the prophets, did they not overtake your fathers? And they turned back and said, As Jehovah of Hosts purposes to do to us, according to our ways and according to our doings, so He has donewith us.

⁷ On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, it is the month Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the Word of Jehovah was to Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying,⁸ I saw at night. And, behold! A Man riding on a red horse. And He stood among the myrtle trees in the ravine. And behind Him were red, sorrel, and white horses.⁹ Then I said, My lord, what are these? And the angel who was speaking with me said to me, I will show you what these are .¹⁰ And the Man who stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, These are those whom Jehovah has sent to walk to and fro through the earth.¹¹ And they answered the Angel of Jehovah who stood among the myrtle trees, and said, We have walked to and fro through the earth, and, behold, all the earth sits still and is at rest.¹² And the Angel of Jehovah answered and said, O Jehovah of Hosts, until when will You not have pity on Jerusalem, and on the cities of Judah, against which You have abhorred these seventy years?¹³ And Jehovah answered the angel who was talking with me with good words, words of comfort.¹⁴ So the angel who was talking with me said to me, Cry out, saying, So says Jehovah of Hosts: I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion, with a great jealousy.¹⁵ And with great anger I am angered at the nations at ease; in that I was but a little angry, and they gave help for evil.¹⁶ So Jehovah says this: I have returned to Jerusalem with compassions; My house shall be built in it, says Jehovah of Hosts, and a line shall be stretched over Jerusalem.¹⁷ Cry out again, saying, So says Jehovah of Hosts: My cities shall again overflow with goodness, and Jehovah shall yet comfort Zion, and shall yet choose Jerusalem.

¹⁸ Then I lifted up my eyes and looked, and, behold, four horns!¹⁹ And I said to the angel who was talking with me, What are these? And he answered me, These are the horns that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.²⁰ And Jehovah made me see four craftsmen.²¹ And I said, What are these coming to do? And He spoke, saying, These are the horns which have scattered Judah, so that no man lifts up his head. But these have come to terrify them,to throw down the horns of the nations wholifted up their horn over the land of Judah, to scatter it.