Patrol of the Earth

⁷ On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month (Feb 15, 519 b.c.), which is the month of Shebat, in the second year of [the reign of] Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah the prophet, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, as follows: ⁸ In the night I saw [a vision] and behold, a ^[a]Man was riding on a red horse, and it stood among the myrtle trees that were in the ravine; and behind Him were horses: red, sorrel (reddish-brown), and white. ⁹ Then I said, “O my lord, what are these?” And the ^[b]angel who was speaking with me said, “I will show you what these are.” ¹⁰ And the Man who stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, “These are the ones whom the Lord has sent to go throughout the earth and patrol it.” ¹¹ And the men on the horses answered the ^[c]Angel of the Lord who stood among the myrtle trees and said, “We have gone throughout the earth [patrolling it] and behold, all the earth sits at rest [in peace and free from war].”

¹² Then the Angel of the Lord said, “O Lord of hosts, how long will You withhold mercy and compassion from Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, against which You have had indignation and anger these seventy years [of the Babylonian captivity]?” ¹³ And the Lord answered the angel who was speaking with me with gracious and comforting words. ¹⁴ So the angel who was speaking with me said to me, “Proclaim, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, “I am jealous [with a burning, fiery passion] for Jerusalem and for Zion [demanding what is rightfully and uniquely mine] with a great jealousy. ¹⁵ But I am very angry with the ^[d]nations who are at ease and feel secure; for while I was only a little angry, they ^[e]furthered the disaster [against the people of Israel].” ¹⁶ Therefore, thus says the Lord, “I have returned to Jerusalem with mercy and compassion. My house shall be built in it,” says the Lord of hosts, “and a ^[f]measuring line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem.”’ ¹⁷ Proclaim again, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, “My cities shall again overflow with prosperity, and the Lord shall again comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem.”’”