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In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of Yahweh came[a] to the prophet Zechariah son of Berekiah, son of Iddo, saying, “Yahweh was very angry with your ancestors.[b] You must say to them: ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts: “Return to me,” declares[c] Yahweh of hosts, “and I will return to you,” says Yahweh of hosts. “Do not be like your ancestors,[d] to whom the former prophets proclaimed, saying, ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts: “Return from your evil ways and your evil deeds!”’ But they did not hear[e] and they did not pay attention[f] to me,” declares[g] Yahweh. “Your ancestors,[h] where are they? And the prophets, do they live forever? However, did not my words and my regulations which I commanded my servants the prophets overtake your ancestors?[i] And they repented and said, ‘Yahweh of hosts planned to do with us according to our ways, and according to our deeds so he has dealt with us.’”’”

Zechariah’s First Vision

On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, the month of Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of Yahweh came to Zechariah the prophet, son of Berekiah, son of Iddo, saying, I had a vision in the night,[j] and look, a man riding on a red horse. And he was standing between the myrtle shrubs that were in the ravine, and behind him were red, reddish-brown, and white horses. And I asked, “What are these, my lord?” And the angel who was talking with me said, “I will show you what these are.” 10 And the man standing between the myrtle shrubs answered and said, “These are those whom Yahweh has sent to patrol[k] the earth.” 11 And they answered the angel of Yahweh who was standing between the myrtle shrubs, and they said, “We have patrolled[l] the earth, and look, all the earth is dwelling in peace.”[m] 12 The angel of Yahweh answered and said, “O Yahweh of hosts, how long[n] will you have no compassion on Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, with which you showed fury these seventy years?”[o] 13 With gracious[p] and comforting words Yahweh answered the angel who was talking with me. 14 And the angel who was talking with me said to me, “Proclaim, saying, ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts: “I am very jealous[q] for Jerusalem and for Zion! 15 And I am extremely angry[r] with the nations that are at ease, for while I was a little angry, they furthered disaster.”[s] 16 Therefore, thus says Yahweh: “I have returned to Jerusalem with compassion. My temple[t] will be built in it,” declares[u] Yahweh of hosts, “and a measuring line will be stretched out over Jerusalem.”’ 17 Proclaim again, saying, ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts: “My cities shall again overflow from prosperity, and Yahweh will comfort Zion again, and he will choose Jerusalem again.”’”

Zechariah’s Second Vision

18 [v] And I looked up[w] and I saw, and look, there were four horns! 19 And I said to the angel who was talking with me, “What are these?” And he said to me, “These are the horns that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.” 20 Then Yahweh showed me four skilled craftsmen, 21 and I asked, “What are these coming to do?” And he answered, saying, “These are the horns that scattered Judah, so that no man[x] lifted up his head; but these have come to frighten them, to strike down the horns of the nations that lifted a horn against the land of Judah to scatter it.”

Footnotes

  1. Zechariah 1:1 Literally “was”
  2. Zechariah 1:2 Literally “was angry against your ancestors with anger”
  3. Zechariah 1:3 Literally “declaration of”
  4. Zechariah 1:4 Or “fathers”
  5. Zechariah 1:4 Or “listen”
  6. Zechariah 1:4 Or “give heed”
  7. Zechariah 1:4 Literally “declaration of”
  8. Zechariah 1:5 Or “fathers”
  9. Zechariah 1:6 Or “fathers”
  10. Zechariah 1:8 Literally “I saw the night,” which means “I had a vision”
  11. Zechariah 1:10 Or “to go about,” or “to walk through”
  12. Zechariah 1:11 Or “have gone about,” or “have walked through”
  13. Zechariah 1:11 Literally “is dwelling and is at rest”
  14. Zechariah 1:12 Literally “until when”
  15. Zechariah 1:12 Hebrew “year”
  16. Zechariah 1:13 Or “kind”; literally “good”
  17. Zechariah 1:14 Literally “I am jealous with a great jealousy”
  18. Zechariah 1:15 Literally “With a great anger I am angry”
  19. Zechariah 1:15 Literally “helped disaster”
  20. Zechariah 1:16 Or “house”
  21. Zechariah 1:16 Literally “a declaration of”
  22. Zechariah 1:18 Zechariah 1:18–2:17 in the English Bible is 2:1–13 in the Hebrew Bible
  23. Zechariah 1:18 Literally “lifted up my eyes”
  24. Zechariah 1:21 Literally “according to the mouth of a man”

A Call to Repentance

In the eighth month of the second year of (A)Darius, the word of the Lord came to (B)Zechariah the prophet, the son of Berechiah, the son of (C)Iddo saying, “The Lord was very (D)angry with your fathers. Therefore say to them, ‘This is what the Lord of armies says: “(E)Return to Me,” declares the Lord of armies, “[a]that I may return to you,” says the Lord of armies. “Do not be (F)like your fathers, to whom the (G)former prophets proclaimed, saying, ‘This is what the Lord of armies says: “(H)Return now from your evil ways and from your evil deeds.”’ But they did (I)not listen or pay attention to Me,” declares the Lord. “Your (J)fathers, where are they? And the (K)prophets, do they live forever? But did My words and My statutes, which I commanded My servants the prophets, not [b](L)overtake your fathers? Then they repented and said, ‘(M)Just as the Lord of armies planned to do to us in accordance with our ways and our deeds, so He has dealt with us.’”’”

Patrol of the Earth

On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, that is, the month Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah the prophet, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, [c]as follows: I saw at night, and behold, a man was riding on a (N)red horse, and he was standing among the (O)myrtle trees which were in the ravine, with red, [d]sorrel, and (P)white horses behind him. Then I said, “What are these, my (Q)lord?” And the (R)angel who was speaking with me said to me, “I will show you what these are.” 10 And the man who was standing among the myrtle trees responded and said, “These are the ones whom the Lord has sent to [e](S)patrol the earth.” 11 So they responded to the angel of the Lord who was (T)standing among the myrtle trees and said, “We have [f]patrolled the earth, and behold, (U)all the earth is [g]still and quiet.”

12 Then the angel of the Lord said, “Lord of armies, (V)how long will You (W)take no pity on Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, with which You have been (X)indignant for these (Y)seventy years?” 13 And the Lord responded to the (Z)angel who was speaking with me with [h]gracious words, (AA)comforting words. 14 So the angel who was speaking with me said to me, “(AB)Proclaim, saying, ‘This is what the Lord of armies says: “I am (AC)exceedingly jealous for Jerusalem and Zion. 15 But I am very (AD)angry with the nations who are (AE)carefree; for while I was only a little angry, they [i](AF)furthered the disaster.” 16 Therefore the Lord says this: “I will (AG)return to Jerusalem with compassion; My (AH)house will be built in it,” declares the Lord of armies, “and a measuring (AI)line will be stretched over Jerusalem.”’ 17 Again, proclaim, saying, ‘This is what the Lord of armies says: “My (AJ)cities will again overflow with prosperity, and the Lord will again (AK)comfort Zion and again (AL)choose Jerusalem.”’”

18 [j]Then I raised my eyes and looked, and behold, there were four horns. 19 So I said to the angel who was speaking with me, “What are these?” And he said to me, “These are the (AM)horns that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.” 20 Then the Lord showed me four (AN)craftsmen. 21 And I said, “What are these coming to do?” And he said, “These are the (AO)horns that have scattered Judah so that no one lifts up his head; but these craftsmen have come to frighten them, to (AP)throw down the horns of the nations who have lifted up their horns against the land of Judah in order to scatter it.”

Footnotes

  1. Zechariah 1:3 Or and I will
  2. Zechariah 1:6 Or reach
  3. Zechariah 1:7 Lit saying
  4. Zechariah 1:8 I.e., light reddish-brown
  5. Zechariah 1:10 Lit walk about through
  6. Zechariah 1:11 Lit walked about through
  7. Zechariah 1:11 Lit sitting
  8. Zechariah 1:13 Lit good
  9. Zechariah 1:15 Lit helped for evil
  10. Zechariah 1:18 Ch 2:1 in Heb