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, ² “The Lord has been very angry with your fathers. ³ Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Return ^(E)to Me,” says the Lord of hosts, “and I will return to you,” says the Lord of hosts. ⁴ “Do not be like your fathers, ^(F)to whom the former prophets preached, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: ^(G)“Turn now from your evil ways and your evil deeds.” ’ But they did not hear nor heed Me,” says the Lord.

“So they returned and said:

Vision of the Horses

⁷ On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, which is the month Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet: ⁸ I saw by night, and behold, ^(J)a man riding on a red horse, and it stood among the myrtle trees in the hollow; and behind him were ^(K)horses: red, sorrel, and white. ⁹ Then I said, ^(L)“My lord, what are these?” So the angel who talked with me said to me, “I will show you what they are.”

¹⁰ And the man who stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, ^(M)“These are the ones whom the Lord has sent to walk to and fro throughout the earth.”

^11 (N)So they answered the Angel of the Lord, who stood among the myrtle trees, and said, “We have walked to and fro throughout the earth, and behold, all the earth is ^[a]resting quietly.”

The Lord Will Comfort Zion

¹² Then the Angel of the Lord answered and said, “O Lord of hosts, ^(O)how long will You not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which You were angry ^(P)these seventy years?”

¹³ And the Lord answered the angel who talked to me, with ^(Q)good and comforting words. ¹⁴ So the angel who spoke with me said to me, ^[b]“Proclaim, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts:

¹⁶ ‘Therefore thus says the Lord:

¹⁷ “Again proclaim, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts:

Vision of the Horns

¹⁸ Then I raised my eyes and looked, and there were four ^(Z)horns. ¹⁹ And I said to the angel who talked with me, “What are these?”

So he answered me, ^(AA)“These are the ^[f]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?”

So he said, “These are the ^(AB)horns that scattered Judah, so that no one could lift up his head; but ^[g]the craftsmen are coming to terrify them, to cast out the horns of the nations that ^(AC)lifted up their horn against the land of Judah to scatter it.”

Vision of the Measuring Line

2 Then I raised my eyes and looked, and behold, ^(A)a man with a measuring line in his hand. ² So I said, “Where are you going?”

And he said to me, ^(B)“To measure Jerusalem, to see what is its width and what is its length.”

³ And there was the angel who talked with me, going out; and another angel was coming out to meet him, ⁴ who said to him, “Run, speak to this young man, saying: ^(C)‘Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls, because of the multitude of men and livestock in it. ⁵ For I,’ says the Lord, ‘will be ^(D)a wall of fire all around her, ^(E)and I will be the glory in her midst.’ ”

Future Joy of Zion and Many Nations

⁶ “Up, up! Flee ^(F)from the land of the north,” says the Lord; “for I have ^(G)spread you abroad like the four winds of heaven,” says the Lord. ⁷ “Up, Zion! ^(H)Escape, you who dwell with the daughter of Babylon.”

⁸ For thus says the Lord of hosts: “He sent Me after glory, to the nations which plunder you; for he who ^(I)touches you touches the ^[a]apple of His eye. ⁹ For surely I will ^(J)shake My hand against them, and they shall become ^[b]spoil for their servants. Then ^(K)you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent Me.

^10 (L)“Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion! For behold, I am coming and I ^(M)will dwell in your midst,” says the Lord. ^11 (N)“Many nations shall be joined to the Lord ^(O)in that day, and they shall become ^(P)My people. And I will dwell in your midst. Then ^(Q)you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent Me to you. ¹² And the Lord will ^(R)take possession of Judah as His inheritance in the Holy Land, and will again choose Jerusalem. ^13 (S)Be silent, all flesh, before the Lord, for He is aroused ^(T)from His holy habitation!”

Vision of the High Priest

3 Then he showed me ^(A)Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the Lord, and ^(B)Satan^[a] standing at his right hand to oppose him. ² And the Lord said to Satan, ^(C)“The Lord rebuke you, Satan! The Lord who ^(D)has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! ^(E)Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?”

³ Now Joshua was clothed with ^(F)filthy garments, and was standing before the Angel.

⁴ Then He answered and spoke to those who stood before Him, saying, “Take away the filthy garments from him.” And to him He said, “See, I have removed your iniquity from you, ^(G)and I will clothe you with rich robes.”

⁵ And I said, “Let them put a clean ^(H)turban on his head.”

So they put a clean turban on his head, and they put the clothes on him. And the Angel of the Lord stood by.

The Coming Branch

⁶ Then the Angel of the Lord admonished Joshua, saying, ⁷ “Thus says the Lord of hosts:

Vision of the Lampstand and Olive Trees

4 Now ^(A)the angel who talked with me came back and wakened me, ^(B)as a man who is wakened out of his sleep. ² And he said to me, “What do you see?”

So I said, “I am looking, and there is ^(C)a lampstand of solid gold with a bowl on top of it, ^(D)and on the stand seven lamps with seven pipes to the seven lamps. ^3 (E)Two olive trees are by it, one at the right of the bowl and the other at its left.” ⁴ So I answered and spoke to the angel who talked with me, saying, “What are these, my lord?”

⁵ Then the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, “Do you not know what these are?”

And I said, “No, my lord.”

⁶ So he answered and said to me:

⁸ Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying:

¹¹ Then I answered and said to him, “What are these ^(Q)two olive trees—at the right of the lampstand and at its left?” ¹² And I further answered and said to him, “What are these two olive branches that drip ^[c]into the receptacles of the two gold pipes from which the golden oil drains?”

¹³ Then he answered me and said, “Do you not know what these are?”

And I said, “No, my lord.”

¹⁴ So he said, ^(R)“These are the two ^[d]anointed ones, ^(S)who stand beside the Lord of the whole earth.”

Greeting to Gaius

¹ The Elder,

To the beloved Gaius, ^(A)whom I love in truth:

² Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. ³ For I ^(B)rejoiced greatly when brethren came and testified of the truth that is in you, just as you walk in the truth. ⁴ I have no greater ^(C)joy than to hear that ^(D)my children walk in ^[a]truth.

Gaius Commended for Generosity

⁵ Beloved, you do faithfully whatever you do for the brethren ^[b]and for strangers, ⁶ who have borne witness of your love before the church. If you send them forward on their journey in a manner worthy of God, you will do well, ⁷ because they went forth for His name’s sake, ^(E)taking nothing from the Gentiles. ⁸ We therefore ought to ^(F)receive^[c] such, that we may become fellow workers for the truth.

Diotrephes and Demetrius

⁹ I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to have the preeminence among them, does not receive us. ¹⁰ Therefore, if I come, I will call to mind his deeds which he does, ^(G)prating^[d] against us with malicious words. And not content with that, he himself does not receive the brethren, and forbids those who wish to, putting them out of the church.

¹¹ Beloved, ^(H)do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. ^(I)He who does good is of God, ^[e]but he who does evil has not seen ^(J)God.

¹² Demetrius ^(K)has a good testimony from all, and from the truth itself. And we also ^[f]bear witness, ^(L)and you know that our testimony is true.

Farewell Greeting

^13 (M)I had many things to write, but I do not wish to write to you with pen and ink; ¹⁴ but I hope to see you shortly, and we shall speak face to face.

Peace to you. Our friends greet you. Greet the friends by name.