Zechariah 1
Expanded Bible
The Lord Calls His People Back
1 In the eighth month [C October/November on our calendar; the Hebrew month of Cheshvan] of the second year Darius was king [C 520 bc; Darius was king of Persia 522–486 bc], the ·Lord spoke his word [L word of the Lord came] to the prophet Zechariah son of Berekiah, who was the son of Iddo [C a priestly family; Neh. 12:4, 16]. The Lord said, 2 “The Lord was very angry with your ·ancestors [fathers]. 3 So tell the people: This is what the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] says: ‘Return to me, and I will return to you,’ says the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts]. 4 Don’t be like your ·ancestors [fathers]. ·In the past the [The former/earlier] prophets said to them: This is what the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] says: ‘·Stop [Turn from] your evil ways and evil actions.’ But they wouldn’t listen or pay attention to me, says the Lord. 5 Your ·ancestors [fathers] ·are dead [L where are they…?], and those prophets ·didn’t [L do they…?] live forever. 6 I commanded my words and ·laws [statutes] to my servants the prophets, and ·they preached to [or they came true to; L did they not overtake…?] your ·ancestors [fathers], who returned to me. They said, ‘The Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] did as he ·said he would [determined to do]. He punished us for ·the way we lived and for what we did [L our ways and deeds].’”
The Vision of the Horses
7 It was on the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month [C February 15, 519 bc], which is the month of Shebat, in Darius’s second year as king [v. 1]. The ·Lord spoke his word [L word of the Lord came] to the prophet Zechariah son of Berekiah, who was the son of Iddo.
8 During the night I had a vision. I saw a man ·riding [or sitting on] a red horse. He was standing among some myrtle trees in a ravine, with red, brown, and white horses behind him [Rev. 6].
9 I asked, “What are these, ·sir [or my lord]?”
The ·angel [messenger] who was talking with me answered, “I’ll show you what they are.”
10 Then the man standing among the myrtle trees explained, “They are the ones the Lord ·sent [L sent to walk/patrol] through all the earth.”
11 Then they spoke to the ·Lord’s angel [or angel of the Lord; C an OT figure closely identified with the Lord himself; Gen. 16:11; 22:11–12], who was standing among the myrtle trees. They said, “We have ·gone [walked; patrolled] through all the earth, and [L look; T behold] everything is calm and quiet.”
12 Then the ·Lord’s angel [angel of the Lord; v. 11] asked, “Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts], how long will ·it be before you show [L you withhold] mercy to Jerusalem and the cities of Judah? You have been angry with them for seventy years now.” 13 So the Lord answered the ·angel [messenger] who was talking with me, and his words were comforting and good.
14 Then the ·angel [messenger] who was talking to me said to me, “Announce this: This is what the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] says: ‘I ·have a strong love [am very jealous/zealous; Nah. 1:2] for Jerusalem. 15 And I am very angry with the nations that feel so ·safe [secure; at ease]. I was only a little angry at them, but they ·made things worse [added to/increased the calamity/disaster].’
16 “So this is what the Lord says: ‘I will return to Jerusalem with mercy. My ·Temple [L house] will be rebuilt,’ says the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts], ‘and the measuring line will be ·used to rebuild [L stretched out over] Jerusalem.’
17 “Also announce: This is what the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] says: ‘My towns will ·be rich again [L overflow with prosperity]. The Lord will comfort Jerusalem again, and I will again choose Jerusalem.’”
The Vision of the Horns
18 Then I looked up and saw four ·animal horns [L horns; C animal horns symbolized strength]. 19 I asked the ·angel [messenger] who was talking with me, “What are these?”
He said, “These are the horns that scattered the people of Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.”
20 Then the Lord showed me four craftsmen. 21 I asked, “What are they coming to do?”
He answered, “They have come to ·scare [terrify] and throw down the horns. These horns scattered the people of Judah so that no one could even lift up his head. These horns stand for the nations that ·attacked [L lifted up their horns against] the people of Judah and scattered them.”
Zechariah 1
New King James Version
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.
5 “Your fathers, where are they?
And the prophets, do they live forever?
6 Yet surely (H)My words and My statutes,
Which I commanded My servants the prophets,
Did they not overtake your fathers?
“So they returned and said:
(I)‘Just as the Lord of hosts determined to do to us,
According to our ways and according to our deeds,
So He has dealt with us.’ ” ’ ”
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:
“I am (R)zealous[c] for Jerusalem
And for Zion with great [d]zeal.
15 I am exceedingly angry with the nations at ease;
For (S)I was a little angry,
And they helped—but with evil intent.”
16 ‘Therefore thus says the Lord:
(T)“I am returning to Jerusalem with mercy;
My (U)house (V)shall be built in it,” says the Lord of hosts,
“And (W)a surveyor’s line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem.” ’
17 “Again proclaim, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts:
“My cities shall again [e]spread out through prosperity;
(X)The Lord will again comfort Zion,
And (Y)will again choose Jerusalem.” ’ ”
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.”
Footnotes
- Zechariah 1:11 Lit. sitting and quiet
- Zechariah 1:14 Lit. Cry out
- Zechariah 1:14 Or jealous
- Zechariah 1:14 Or jealousy
- Zechariah 1:17 Or overflow with good
- Zechariah 1:19 Kingdoms or powers
- Zechariah 1:21 Lit. these
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
