^35 (A)that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, ^(B)from the blood of righteous Abel to ^(C)the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.

A Call to Repentance^(A)

1 In the eighth month ^(B)of the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came ^(C)to Zechariah the son of Berechiah, the son of ^(D)Iddo the prophet, saying,

Faith at the Dawn of History^(A)

⁴ By faith ^(B)Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still ^(C)speaks.

²⁴ And ^(A)in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who ^(B)were slain on the earth.”

⁸ Now Cain ^[a]talked with Abel his ^[b]brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and ^(A)killed him.

¹⁵ But know for certain that if you put me to death, you will surely bring innocent blood on yourselves, on this city, and on its inhabitants; for truly the Lord has sent me to you to speak all these words in your hearing.”

²⁰ Then the Spirit of God ^[a]came upon ^(A)Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, who stood above the people, and said to them, “Thus says God: ^(B)‘Why do you transgress the commandments of the Lord, so that you cannot prosper? ^(C)Because you have forsaken the Lord, He also has forsaken you.’ ” ²¹ So they conspired against him, and at the command of the king they ^(D)stoned him with stones in the court of the house of the Lord. ²² Thus Joash the king did not remember the kindness which Jehoiada his ^[b]father had done to him, but killed his son; and as he died, he said, “The Lord look on it, and ^(E)repay!”

^4 (A)and also because of the innocent blood that he had shed; for he had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, which the Lord would not pardon.