Zechariah 1-8

New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

Israel Urged to Repent

1 In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berechiah son of Iddo, saying:^{(A) 2} “The Lord was very angry with your ancestors. ³ Therefore say to them: Thus says the Lord of hosts: Return to me, says the Lord of hosts, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts.^{(B) 4} Do not be like your ancestors, to whom the former prophets proclaimed, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: Return from your evil ways and from your evil deeds.’ But they did not hear or heed me, says the Lord.^{(C) 5} Your ancestors, where are they? And the prophets, do they live forever? ⁶ But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not overtake your ancestors? So they repented and said, ‘The Lord of hosts has dealt with us according to our ways and deeds, just as he planned to do.’ ”^(D)

First Vision: The Horsemen

⁷ On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, the month of Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berechiah son of Iddo: ⁸ In the night I saw a man mounted on a red horse! He was standing among the myrtle trees in the shadows,^[a] and behind him were red, sorrel, and white horses.^{(E) 9} Then I said, “What are these, my lord?” The angel who spoke with me said to me, “I will show you what they are.”^{(F) 10} So the man who was standing among the myrtle trees answered, “They are those whom the Lord has sent to patrol the earth.”^{(G) 11} Then they spoke to the angel of the Lord who was standing among the myrtle trees, “We have patrolled the earth, and the whole earth remains at peace.”^{(H) 12} Then the angel of the Lord said, “O Lord of hosts, how long will you withhold mercy from Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, with which you have been angry these seventy years?”^{(I) 13} Then the Lord replied with gracious and comforting words to the angel who spoke with me.^{(J) 14} So the angel who spoke with me said to me, “Proclaim this message: Thus says the Lord of hosts: I am very zealous for Jerusalem and for Zion,^{(K) 15} and I am extremely angry with the nations that are at ease, for while I was only a little angry, they made the disaster worse.^{(L) 16} Therefore, thus says the Lord: I have returned to Jerusalem with compassion; my house shall be built in it, says the Lord of hosts, and a measuring line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem.^{(M) 17} Proclaim further: Thus says the Lord of hosts: My cities shall again overflow with prosperity; the Lord will again comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem.”^(N)

Second Vision: The Horns and the Smiths

^18 [b]And I looked up and saw four horns. ¹⁹ I asked the angel who spoke with me, “What are those?” And he answered me, “Those are the horns that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.” ²⁰ Then the Lord showed me four blacksmiths. ²¹ And I asked, “What are they coming to do?” He answered, “Those are the horns that scattered Judah, so that no head could be raised, but these have come to terrify them, to strike down the horns of the nations that lifted up their horns against the land of Judah to scatter its people.”^[c](O)

Third Vision: The Man with a Measuring Line

2 ^[d]I looked up and saw a man with a measuring line in his hand.^{(P) 2} Then I asked, “Where are you going?” He answered me, “To measure Jerusalem, to see how wide and how long it is.”^{(Q) 3} Then the angel who spoke with me came forward, and another angel came forward to meet him ⁴ and said to him, “Run, say to that young man: Jerusalem shall be inhabited like unwalled villages because of the multitude of people and animals in it.^{(R) 5} For I will be a wall of fire all around it, says the Lord, and I will be the glory within it.”^(S)

Interlude: An Appeal to the Exiles

⁶ Up, up! Flee from the land of the north, says the Lord, for I have spread you abroad like the four winds of heaven, says the Lord.^{(T) 7} Up! Escape to Zion, you who live with daughter Babylon. ⁸ For thus said the Lord of hosts after his glory sent me to the nations who plundered you: Truly, one who touches you touches the apple of my eye.^{[e](U) 9} For I am going to raise^[f] my hand against them, and they shall become plunder for their own slaves. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me.^{(V) 10} Sing and rejoice, O daughter Zion! For I will come and dwell in your midst, says the Lord.^{(W) 11} Many nations shall join themselves to the Lord on that day and shall be my people, and I will dwell in your midst. And you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. ¹² The Lord will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land and will again choose Jerusalem.^(X)

¹³ Be silent, all flesh, before the Lord, for he has roused himself from his holy dwelling.^(Y)

Fourth Vision: Joshua and Satan

3 Then he showed me the high priest Joshua standing before the angel of the Lord and the accuser^[g] standing at his right hand to accuse him.^{(Z) 2} And the Lord said to the accuser,^[h] “The Lord rebuke you, O accuser!^[i] The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is not this man a brand plucked from the fire?”^{(AA) 3} Now Joshua was wearing filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. ⁴ The angel^[j] said to those who were standing before him, “Take off his filthy clothes.” And to him he said, “See, I have taken your guilt away from you, and I will clothe you with festal apparel.”^{(AB) 5} And he said,^[k] “Let them put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with apparel, and the angel of the Lord was standing by.^(AC)

⁶ Then the angel of the Lord warned Joshua, saying ⁷ “Thus says the Lord of hosts: If you will walk in my ways and keep my requirements, then you shall rule my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you the right of access among those who are standing here.^{(AD) 8} Now listen, Joshua, high priest, you and your colleagues who sit before you! For they are an omen of things to come: I am going to bring my servant the Branch.^{(AE) 9} For on the stone that I have set before Joshua, on a single stone with seven facets, I will engrave its inscription, says the Lord of hosts, and I will remove the guilt of this land in a single day.^{(AF) 10} On that day, says the Lord of hosts, you shall invite each other to come under your vine and fig tree.”^(AG)

Fifth Vision: The Lampstand and Olive Trees

4 The angel who spoke with me came again and wakened me, as one is wakened from sleep.^{(AH) 2} He said to me, “What do you see?” And I said, “I see a lampstand all of gold, with a bowl on the top of it; there are seven lamps on it, with seven lips on each of the lamps that are on the top of it.^{(AI) 3} And by it there are two olive trees, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.”^{(AJ) 4} I said to the angel who spoke with me, “What are these, my lord?” ⁵ Then the angel who spoke with me answered me, “Do you not know what these are?” I said, “No, my lord.” ⁶ He said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, says the Lord of hosts.^{(AK) 7} What are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain, and he shall bring out the top stone amid shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’ ”^(AL)

⁸ Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ⁹ “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also complete it. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you.^{(AM) 10} For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel.

“These seven are the eyes of the Lord that range through the whole earth.”^{(AN) 11} Then I said to him, “What are these two olive trees on the right and the left of the lampstand?” ¹² And a second time I said to him, “What are these two branches of the olive trees that pour out the oil^[l] through the two golden pipes?” ¹³ He said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” I said, “No, my lord.” ¹⁴ Then he said, “These are the two anointed ones who stand by the Lord of the whole earth.”^(AO)

Sixth Vision: The Flying Scroll

5 Again I looked up and saw a flying scroll.^{(AP) 2} And he said to me, “What do you see?” I answered, “I see a flying scroll; its length is twenty cubits and its width ten cubits.” ³ Then he said to me, “This is the curse that goes out over the face of the whole land, for everyone who has stolen, as is forbidden on one side, has gone unpunished, and everyone who has sworn falsely,^[m] as is forbidden on the other side, has gone unpunished.^{(AQ) 4} I have sent it out, says the Lord of hosts, and it shall enter the house of the thief and the house of anyone who swears falsely by my name, and it shall abide in that house and consume it, both timber and stones.”^(AR)

Seventh Vision: The Woman in a Basket

⁵ Then the angel who spoke with me came forward and said to me, “Look up and see what this is that is coming out.” ⁶ I said, “What is it?” He said, “This is a basket^[n] coming out.” And he said, “This is their iniquity^[o] in the whole land.” ⁷ Then a leaden cover was lifted, and there was a woman sitting in the basket!^{[p] 8} And he said, “This is Wickedness.” So he thrust her back into the basket^[q] and pressed the leaden weight down on its mouth.^{(AS) 9} Then I looked up and saw two women coming forward. The wind was in their wings; they had wings like the wings of a stork, and they lifted up the basket^[r] between earth and sky. ¹⁰ Then I said to the angel who spoke with me, “Where are they taking the basket?”^{[s] 11} He said to me, “To the land of Shinar, to build a house for it, and when this is prepared, they will set it down there on its base.”^(AT)

Eighth Vision: Four Chariots

6 And again I looked up and saw four chariots coming out from between two mountains—mountains of bronze. ² The first chariot had red horses, the second chariot black horses,^{(AU) 3} the third chariot white horses, and the fourth chariot dappled gray^[t] horses.^{(AV) 4} Then I said to the angel who spoke with me, “What are these, my lord?” ⁵ The angel answered me, “These are the four winds^[u] of heaven going out, after presenting themselves before the Lord of the whole earth.^{(AW) 6} The chariot with the black horses goes toward the north country, the white ones go toward the west country,^[v] and the dappled ones go toward the south country.”^{(AX) 7} When the steeds came out, they were impatient to get off and patrol the earth. And he said, “Go, patrol the earth.” So they patrolled the earth. ⁸ Then he cried out to me, “See, those who go toward the north country have set my spirit at rest in the north country.”^(AY)

The Coronation of the Branch

⁹ The word of the Lord came to me: ¹⁰ “Collect silver and gold^[w] from the exiles—from Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah—who have arrived from Babylon, and go the same day to the house of Josiah son of Zephaniah.^{(AZ) 11} Take the silver and gold and make a crown^[x] and set it on the head of the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak;^{(BA) 12} say to him: Thus says the Lord of hosts: Here is a man whose name is Branch, for he shall branch out in his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord.^{(BB) 13} It is he who shall build the temple of the Lord; he shall bear royal honor and shall sit upon his throne and rule. There shall be a priest by his throne, with peaceful understanding between the two of them.^{(BC) 14} And the crown^[y] shall be in the care of Heldai,^[z] Tobijah, Jedaiah, and Josiah^[aa] son of Zephaniah, as a memorial in the temple of the Lord.

¹⁵ “Those who are far off shall come and help to build the temple of the Lord, and you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. This will happen if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God.”^(BD)

Hypocritical Fasting Condemned

7 In the fourth year of King Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, which is Chislev.^{(BE) 2} Now the people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regem-melech and their men to entreat the favor of the Lord^{(BF) 3} and to ask the priests of the house of the Lord of hosts and the prophets, “Should I mourn and practice abstinence in the fifth month, as I have done for so many years?”^{(BG) 4} Then the word of the Lord of hosts came to me: ⁵ “Say to all the people of the land and the priests: When you fasted and lamented in the fifth month and in the seventh for these seventy years, was it for me that you fasted?^{(BH) 6} And when you eat and when you drink, do you not eat and drink only for yourselves? ⁷ Were not these the words that the Lord proclaimed by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and in prosperity, along with the towns around it, and when the Negeb and the Shephelah were inhabited?”

Punishment for Rejecting God’s Demands

⁸ The word of the Lord came to Zechariah, saying: ⁹ “Thus says the Lord of hosts: Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another;^{(BI) 10} do not oppress the widow, the orphan, the alien, or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another.^{(BJ) 11} But they refused to listen and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears in order not to hear.^{(BK) 12} They made their hearts adamant in order not to hear the law and the words that the Lord of hosts had sent by his spirit through the former prophets. Therefore great wrath came from the Lord of hosts.^{(BL) 13} Just as, when I^[ab] called, they would not hear, so, when they called, I would not hear, says the Lord of hosts,^{(BM) 14} and I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations that they had not known. Thus the land they left was desolate, so that no one went to and fro, and a pleasant land was made desolate.”^(BN)

God’s Promises to Zion

8 The word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying: ² “Thus says the Lord of hosts: I am zealous for Zion with great zeal, and I am zealous for her with great wrath.^{(BO) 3} Thus says the Lord: I will return to Zion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem; Jerusalem shall be called the faithful city, and the mountain of the Lord of hosts shall be called the holy mountain.^{(BP) 4} Thus says the Lord of hosts: Old men and old women shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with staff in hand because of their great age.^{(BQ) 5} And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets.^{(BR) 6} Thus says the Lord of hosts: Even though it seems impossible to the remnant of this people in these days, should it also seem impossible to me, says the Lord of hosts?^{(BS) 7} Thus says the Lord of hosts: I will save my people from the east country and from the west country,^{(BT) 8} and I will bring them to live in Jerusalem. They shall be my people and I will be their God, in faithfulness and in righteousness.”^(BU)

⁹ “Thus says the Lord of hosts: Let your hands be strong—you who have recently been hearing these words from the mouths of the prophets who were present when the foundation was laid for the rebuilding of the temple, the house of the Lord of hosts.^{(BV) 10} For before those days there were no wages for people or for animals, nor was there any safety from the foe for those who went out or came in, and I set them all against one another.^{(BW) 11} But now I will not deal with the remnant of this people as in the former days, says the Lord of hosts. ¹² For there shall be a sowing of peace; the vine shall yield its fruit, the ground shall give its produce, and the skies shall give their dew, and I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things.^{(BX) 13} Just as you have been a cursing among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so I will save you, and you shall be a blessing. Do not be afraid, but let your hands be strong.”^(BY)

¹⁴ “For thus says the Lord of hosts: Just as I purposed to bring disaster upon you when your ancestors provoked me to wrath, and I did not relent, says the Lord of hosts,^{(BZ) 15} so again I have purposed in these days to do good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah; do not be afraid. ¹⁶ These are the things that you shall do: speak the truth to one another, render in your gates judgments that are true and make for peace,^{(CA) 17} do not devise evil in your hearts against one another, and love no false oath, for all these are things that I hate, says the Lord.”^(CB)

Joyful Fasting

¹⁸ The word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying: ¹⁹ “Thus says the Lord of hosts: The fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth shall be seasons of joy and gladness and cheerful festivals for the house of Judah; therefore love truth and peace.”^(CC)

Many Peoples Drawn to Jerusalem

²⁰ “Thus says the Lord of hosts: Peoples shall yet come, the inhabitants of many cities; ²¹ the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, ‘Come, let us go to entreat the favor of the Lord and to seek the Lord of hosts; I myself am going.’^{(CD) 22} Many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the favor of the Lord.^{(CE) 23} Thus says the Lord of hosts: In those days ten men from nations of every language shall take hold of a Jew, grasping his garment and saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.’ ”^(CF)