Zechariah 1:3-15

English Standard Version

³Therefore say to them, Thus declares the Lord of hosts: ^(A)Return to me, says the Lord of hosts, and ^(B)I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. ⁴^(C)Do not be like your fathers, ^(D)to whom the former prophets cried out, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, ^(E)Return from your evil ways and from your evil deeds.’ But ^(F)they did not hear or pay attention to me, declares the Lord. ⁵Your fathers, where are they? And ^(G)the prophets, do they live forever? ⁶^(H)But my words and my statutes, which I commanded ^(I)my servants the prophets, did they not ^(J)overtake your fathers? So they repented and said, ^(K)‘As the Lord of hosts purposed to deal with us for ^(L)our ways and ^(M)deeds, so has he dealt with us.’”

A Vision of a Horseman

⁷On 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 ^(N)Zechariah, the son of ^(O)Berechiah, son of ^(P)Iddo, saying, ⁸“I saw in the night, and behold, ^(Q)a man riding on a red horse! He was standing among the myrtle trees in the glen, and behind him were ^(R)red, sorrel, and white horses. ⁹Then I said, ‘What are these, my lord?’ ^(S)The angel who talked with me said to me, ‘I will show you what they are.’ ¹⁰So ^(T)the man who was standing among the myrtle trees answered, ^(U)‘These are they whom the Lord has sent to ^(V)patrol the earth.’ ¹¹And they answered ^(W)the angel of the Lord who was standing among the myrtle trees, and said, ^(X)‘We have patrolled the earth, and behold, all the earth ^(Y)remains at rest.’ ¹²Then ^(Z)the angel of the Lord said, ^(AA)‘O Lord of hosts, ^(AB)how long will you ^(AC)have no mercy on Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, against which you have been angry these ^(AD)seventy years?’ ¹³And the Lord answered ^(AE)gracious and comforting words to ^(AF)the angel who talked with me. ¹⁴So ^(AG)the angel who talked with me said to me, ‘Cry out, Thus says the Lord of hosts: ^(AH)I am exceedingly jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion. ¹⁵^(AI)And I am exceedingly angry with the nations that are ^(AJ)at ease; ^(AK)for while I was angry but a little, ^(AL)they furthered the disaster.