Zechariah 1
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.”
Footnotes
- Zechariah 1:18 Ch 2:1 in Hebrew
Zechariah 1
Common English Bible
The people change
1 In the eighth month in the second year of Darius, the Lord’s word came to Zechariah the prophet, Berechiah’s son and Iddo’s grandson:
2 The Lord was terribly angry with your ancestors.
3 But you must say to the people,
The Lord of heavenly forces proclaims: Return to me,
says the Lord of heavenly forces,
and I will return to you, says the Lord of heavenly forces.
4 Don’t be like your ancestors to whom the former prophets preached:
The Lord of heavenly forces proclaims: Turn from your evil ways and your evil deeds.
But they didn’t listen;
they didn’t draw near to me.
5 So where are your ancestors?
Do the prophets live forever?
6 In fact, didn’t my words and laws,
which I gave to my servants, the prophets,
pursue your ancestors?
And then the people changed their hearts, and they said,
The Lord of heavenly forces has treated us according to
what we have done,[a]
exactly as he planned.
First night vision
7 On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month (the month of Shebat[b]) in the second year of Darius, the Lord’s word came to Zechariah the prophet, Berechiah’s son and Iddo’s grandson:
8 Tonight I looked and saw a man riding on a red horse,
which was standing among the myrtle trees in the valley;
and behind him were red, sorrel, and white horses.
9 I said, “What are these, sir?”
The messenger speaking with me said,
“I will show you what they are.”
10 The man standing among the myrtles responded,
“These are the ones the Lord sent to patrol the earth.”
11 Then they responded to the Lord’s messenger,
who was standing among the myrtles,
“We have patrolled the earth. The whole earth is peaceful and quiet.”
12 Then the Lord’s messenger, who was speaking with me, said:
“Lord of heavenly forces,
how long will you withhold compassion from Jerusalem and the cities of Judah,
with whom you have been angry these seventy years?”
13 The Lord responded to the messenger who was speaking with me
with kind and compassionate words.
14 The messenger speaking with me called out,
“This is what the Lord of heavenly forces says:
I care passionately about Jerusalem and Zion.
15 And I am exceedingly angry with those carefree nations.
Though I was somewhat angry, they added to the violence.”
16 Therefore, this is what the Lord says:
I have returned to Jerusalem with compassion.
My house will be built in it, says the Lord of heavenly forces.
Let a measuring line be stretched over Jerusalem.
17 “Call out again,
The Lord of heavenly forces proclaims:
My cities will again overflow with prosperity.
The Lord will again show compassion to Zion
and will again choose Jerusalem.”
Second night vision
18 [c] Then I looked up and saw four horns.
19 I said to the messenger speaking with me,
“What are these?”
He said to me,
“These are the horns that scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.”
20 Then the Lord showed me four metalworkers.
21 I said,
“What are they coming to do?”
And he said,
“These are the horns that scattered Judah so that no one could raise his head.
The metalworkers have come to terrify them and to destroy the horns of the nations, those who were attacking the land of Judah with[d] their horns to scatter it.”
Footnotes
- Zechariah 1:6 Or our ways and our actions
- Zechariah 1:7 January–February
- Zechariah 1:18 2:1 in Heb
- Zechariah 1:21 Or those lifting their horns toward Judah
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible