Zechariah 1-7

English Standard Version

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.”

A Vision of a Man with a Measuring Line

2 ^[b] And I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, ^(BD)a man with a measuring line in his hand! ² Then I said, “Where are you going?” And he said to me, ^(BE)“To measure Jerusalem, to see what is its width and what is its length.” ³ And behold, ^(BF)the angel who talked with me came forward, and another angel came forward to meet him ⁴ and said to him, “Run, say to that young man, ^(BG)‘Jerusalem shall be inhabited ^(BH)as villages without walls, because of ^(BI)the multitude of people and livestock in it. ⁵ And I will be to her ^(BJ)a wall of fire all around, declares the Lord, and I will be the glory in her midst.’”

⁶ Up! Up! ^(BK)Flee from the land of the north, declares the Lord. For I have ^(BL)spread you abroad as the four winds of the heavens, declares the Lord. ^7 (BM)Up! Escape to Zion, you who dwell with the daughter of Babylon. ⁸ For thus said the Lord of hosts, after his glory sent me^[c] to the nations who plundered you, ^(BN)for he who touches you touches ^(BO)the apple of his eye: ⁹ “Behold, ^(BP)I will shake my hand over them, ^(BQ)and they shall become plunder for those who served them. Then ^(BR)you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me. ^10 (BS)Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for ^(BT)behold, I come ^(BU)and I will dwell in your midst, declares the Lord. ^11 (BV)And many nations shall join themselves to the Lord in that day, and shall be my people. ^(BW)And I will dwell in your midst, and ^(BX)you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. ^12 (BY)And the Lord will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land, and will again ^(BZ)choose Jerusalem.”

¹³ Be silent, all flesh, before the Lord, for he has roused himself from his holy dwelling.

A Vision of Joshua the High Priest

3 Then he showed me ^(CA)Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and ^(CB)Satan^[d] standing at his right hand to accuse him. ² And the Lord said to Satan, ^(CC)“The Lord rebuke you, O Satan! The Lord who has ^(CD)chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is not this ^(CE)a brand^[e] plucked from the fire?” ³ Now ^(CF)Joshua was standing before the angel, ^(CG)clothed with filthy garments. ⁴ And the angel said to ^(CH)those who were standing before him, ^(CI)“Remove the filthy garments from him.” And to him he said, “Behold, ^(CJ)I have taken your iniquity away from you, and ^(CK)I will clothe you with pure vestments.” ⁵ And I said, ^(CL)“Let them put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the Lord was standing by.

⁶ And the angel of the Lord solemnly assured ^(CM)Joshua, ⁷ “Thus says the Lord of hosts: If you will walk in my ways and ^(CN)keep my charge, then you shall ^(CO)rule my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you the right of access among ^(CP)those who are standing here. ⁸ Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, you and your friends who sit before you, for ^(CQ)they are men who are a sign: behold, I will bring ^(CR)my servant ^(CS)the Branch. ⁹ For behold, on ^(CT)the stone that I have set before Joshua, on a single stone with ^(CU)seven eyes,^[f] I will ^(CV)engrave its inscription, declares the Lord of hosts, and ^(CW)I will remove the iniquity of this land in a single day. ¹⁰ In that day, declares the Lord of hosts, every one of you will invite his neighbor to come ^(CX)under his vine and under his fig tree.”

A Vision of a Golden Lampstand

4 And ^(CY)the angel who talked with me came again ^(CZ)and woke me, like a man who is awakened out of his sleep. ² And he said to me, “What do you see?” I said, “I see, and behold, ^(DA)a lampstand all of gold, with a bowl on the top of it, and ^(DB)seven lamps on it, with seven lips on each of the lamps that are on the top of it. ³ And there are ^(DC)two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.” ⁴ And I said to ^(DD)the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?” ⁵ Then the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, ^(DE)“Do you not know what these are?” I said, “No, my lord.” ⁶ Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to ^(DF)Zerubbabel: ^(DG)Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts. ⁷ Who are you, ^(DH)O great mountain? Before ^(DI)Zerubbabel ^(DJ)you shall become a plain. And he shall bring forward ^(DK)the top stone amid shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’”

⁸ Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ^9 (DL)“The hands of ^(DM)Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also ^(DN)complete it. ^(DO)Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. ^10 (DP)For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice, and shall see ^(DQ)the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel.

^(DR)“These seven ^(DS)are the eyes of the Lord, ^(DT)which range through the whole earth.” ¹¹ Then I said to him, “What are these ^(DU)two olive trees on the right and the left of the lampstand?” ¹² And a second time I answered and said to him, “What are these ^(DV)two branches of the olive trees, which are beside the two golden pipes from which the golden oil^[g] is poured out?” ¹³ He said to me, ^(DW)“Do you not know what these are?” I said, “No, my lord.” ¹⁴ Then he said, ^(DX)“These are the two anointed ones^[h] who stand by ^(DY)the Lord of the whole earth.”

A Vision of a Flying Scroll

5 Again I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, a flying ^(DZ)scroll! ² And he said to me, “What do you see?” I answered, “I see a flying ^(EA)scroll. Its length is twenty cubits, and its width ten cubits.”^{[i] 3} Then he said to me, “This is ^(EB)the curse that goes out over the face of the whole land. For everyone who ^(EC)steals shall be cleaned out according to what is on one side, and everyone who ^(ED)swears falsely^[j] shall be cleaned out according to what is on the other side. ⁴ I will send it out, declares the Lord of hosts, and it shall enter the house of the thief, and the house of ^(EE)him who swears falsely by my name. And ^(EF)it shall remain in his house and ^(EG)consume it, both timber and stones.”

A Vision of a Woman in a Basket

^5 (EH)Then the angel who talked with me came forward and said to me, ^(EI)“Lift your eyes and see what this is that is going out.” ⁶ And I said, “What is it?” He said, “This is ^(EJ)the basket^[k] that is going out.” And he said, “This is their iniquity^[l] in all the land.” ⁷ And behold, the leaden cover was lifted, and there was a woman sitting in the basket! ⁸ And he said, “This is Wickedness.” And he thrust her back into the basket, and thrust down ^(EK)the leaden weight on its opening.

⁹ Then I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, two women coming forward! ^(EL)The wind was in their wings. They had wings like the wings of a stork, and they lifted up the basket between earth and heaven. ¹⁰ Then I said to the angel who talked with me, “Where are they taking the basket?” ¹¹ He said to me, “To the ^(EM)land of Shinar, to build a house for it. And when this is prepared, they will set the basket down there on its base.”

A Vision of Four Chariots

6 Again I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, four chariots came out from between two mountains. And the mountains were mountains of ^(EN)bronze. ² The first chariot had ^(EO)red horses, the second ^(EP)black horses, ³ the third ^(EQ)white horses, and the fourth chariot dappled horses—all of them strong.^{[m] 4} Then I answered and said to ^(ER)the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?” ⁵ And the angel answered and said to me, ^(ES)“These are going out to the four winds of heaven, after ^(ET)presenting themselves before ^(EU)the Lord of all the earth. ⁶ The chariot with the black horses goes toward ^(EV)the north country, the white ones go after them, and the dappled ones go toward ^(EW)the south country.” ⁷ When the strong horses came out, they were impatient to go and ^(EX)patrol the earth. And he said, “Go, ^(EY)patrol the earth.” ^(EZ)So they patrolled the earth. ⁸ Then he cried to me, “Behold, those who go toward ^(FA)the north country have set my Spirit at rest in ^(FB)the north country.”

The Crown and the Temple

⁹ And the word of the Lord came to me: ¹⁰ “Take from the exiles ^(FC)Heldai, Tobijah, and ^(FD)Jedaiah, who have arrived from Babylon, and go the same day to the house of Josiah, the son of ^(FE)Zephaniah. ¹¹ Take from them silver and gold, and make a crown, ^(FF)and set it on the head of ^(FG)Joshua, the son of Jehozadak, the high priest. ¹² And say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, “Behold, the man whose name is ^(FH)the Branch: for he shall branch out from his place, and ^(FI)he shall build the temple of the Lord. ^13 (FJ)It is he who shall build the temple of the Lord ^(FK)and shall bear royal honor, and shall sit and rule on his throne. And there^[n] shall be a ^(FL)priest on his throne, ^(FM)and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.”’ ¹⁴ And the crown shall be in the temple of the Lord as ^(FN)a reminder to ^(FO)Helem,^{[o] (FP)}Tobijah, ^(FQ)Jedaiah, and Hen ^(FR)the son of Zephaniah.

^15 (FS)“And those who are far off shall come and ^(FT)help to build the temple of the Lord. ^(FU)And you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. ^(FV)And this shall come to pass, if you will diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God.”

A Call for Justice and Mercy

7 ^(FW)In the fourth year of King Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, which is ^(FX)Chislev. ² Now the people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regem-melech and their men ^(FY)to entreat the favor of the Lord, ^3 (FZ)saying to the priests of the house of the Lord of hosts and ^(GA)the prophets, “Should I weep and ^(GB)abstain in ^(GC)the fifth month, as I have done for so many years?”

⁴ Then the word of the Lord of hosts came to me: ⁵ “Say to all the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in ^(GD)the fifth month and in ^(GE)the seventh, for these ^(GF)seventy years, ^(GG)was it ^(GH)for me that you fasted? ^6 (GI)And when you eat and when you drink, do you not eat for yourselves and drink for yourselves? ^7 (GJ)Were not these the words that the Lord proclaimed ^(GK)by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and prosperous, ^(GL)with her cities around her, and the ^(GM)South and the ^(GN)lowland were inhabited?’”

⁸ And the word of the Lord came to Zechariah, saying, ⁹ “Thus says the Lord of hosts, ^(GO)Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another, ^10 (GP)do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, ^(GQ)or the poor, and ^(GR)let none of you devise evil against another in your heart.” ¹¹ But ^(GS)they refused to pay attention ^(GT)and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears that they might not hear.^{[p] 12 (GU)}They made their hearts diamond-hard ^(GV)lest they should hear the law and the words that the Lord of hosts had sent ^(GW)by his Spirit through ^(GX)the former prophets. ^(GY)Therefore great anger came from the Lord of hosts. ^13 (GZ)“As I^[q] called, and they would not hear, ^(HA)so they called, and I would not hear,” says the Lord of hosts, ^14 (HB)“and I scattered them with a whirlwind among all ^(HC)the nations that they had not known. ^(HD)Thus the land they left was desolate, ^(HE)so that no one went to and fro, ^(HF)and the pleasant land was made desolate.”