Zechariah’s First Vision

⁷ 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, ⁸ I had a vision in the night,^[a] 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. ⁹ 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^[b] the earth.” ¹¹ And they answered the angel of Yahweh who was standing between the myrtle shrubs, and they said, “We have patrolled^[c] the earth, and look, all the earth is dwelling in peace.”^{[d] 12} The angel of Yahweh answered and said, “O Yahweh of hosts, how long^[e] will you have no compassion on Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, with which you showed fury these seventy years?”^{[f] 13} With gracious^[g] 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^[h] for Jerusalem and for Zion! ¹⁵ And I am extremely angry^[i] with the nations that are at ease, for while I was a little angry, they furthered disaster.”^{[j] 16} Therefore, thus says Yahweh: “I have returned to Jerusalem with compassion. My temple^[k] will be built in it,” declares^[l] 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.”’”