Zechariah 6-8

New King James Version

Vision of the Four Chariots

6 Then I turned and raised my eyes and looked, and behold, four chariots were coming from between two mountains, and the mountains were mountains of bronze. ²With the first chariot were ^(A)red horses, with the second chariot ^(B)black horses, ³with the third chariot white horses, and with the fourth chariot dappled horses—strong steeds. ⁴Then I answered ^(C)and said to the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?”

⁵And the angel answered and said to me, ^(D)“These are four spirits of heaven, who go out from their ^(E)station before the Lord of all the earth. ⁶^[a]The one with the black horses is going to ^(F)the north country, the white are going after them, and the dappled are going toward the south country.” ⁷Then the strong steeds went out, eager to go, that they might ^(G)walk to and fro throughout the earth. And He said, “Go, walk to and fro throughout the earth.” So they walked to and fro throughout the earth. ⁸And He called to me, and spoke to me, saying, “See, those who go toward the north country have given rest to My ^(H)Spirit in the north country.”

The Command to Crown Joshua

⁹Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: ¹⁰“Receive the gift from the captives—from Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah, who have come from Babylon—and go the same day and enter the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah. ¹¹Take the silver and gold, make ^(I)an^[b] elaborate crown, and set it on the head of ^(J)Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest. ¹²Then speak to him, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, saying:

“Behold, ^(K)the Man whose name is the ^(L)BRANCH!
From His place He shall ^[c]branch out,
^(M)And He shall build the temple of the Lord;
¹³Yes, He shall build the temple of the Lord.
He ^(N)shall bear the glory,
And shall sit and rule on His throne;
So ^(O)He shall be a priest on His throne,
And the counsel of peace shall be between ^[d]them both.” ’

¹⁴“Now the ^[e]elaborate crown shall be ^(P)for a memorial in the temple of the Lord ^[f]for Helem, Tobijah, Jedaiah, and Hen the son of Zephaniah. ¹⁵Even ^(Q)those from afar shall come and build the temple of the Lord. Then you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent Me to you. And this shall come to pass if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God.”

Obedience Better than Fasting

7 Now in the fourth year of King Darius it came to pass that the word of the Lord came to Zechariah, on the fourth day of the ninth month, Chislev, ²when ^[g]the people sent ^[h]Sherezer, with Regem-Melech and his men, to ^[i]the house of God, ^[j]to pray before the Lord, ³and to ^(R)ask the priests who were in the house of the Lord of hosts, and the prophets, saying, “Should I weep in ^(S)the fifth month and ^[k]fast as I have done for so many years?”

⁴Then the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying, ⁵“Say to all the people of the land, and to the priests: ‘When you ^(T)fasted and mourned in the fifth ^(U)and seventh months ^(V)during those seventy years, did you really fast ^(W)for Me—for Me? ⁶^(X)When you eat and when you drink, do you not eat and drink for yourselves? ⁷Should you not have obeyed the words which the Lord proclaimed through the ^(Y)former prophets when Jerusalem and the cities around it were inhabited and prosperous, and ^(Z)the ^[l]South and the Lowland were inhabited?’ ”

Disobedience Resulted in Captivity

⁸Then the word of the Lord came to Zechariah, saying, ⁹“Thus says the Lord of hosts:

^(AA)‘Execute true justice,
Show ^[m]mercy and compassion
Everyone to his brother.
¹⁰^(AB)Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless,
The alien or the poor.
^(AC)Let none of you plan evil in his heart
Against his brother.’

¹¹“But they refused to heed, ^(AD)shrugged^[n] their shoulders, and ^(AE)stopped^[o] their ears so that they could not hear. ¹²Yes, they made their ^(AF)hearts like flint, ^(AG)refusing to hear the law and the words which the Lord of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets. ^(AH)Thus great wrath came from the Lord of hosts. ¹³Therefore it happened, that just as He proclaimed and they would not hear, so ^(AI)they called out and I would not listen,” says the Lord of hosts. ¹⁴“But ^(AJ)I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations which they had not known. Thus the land became desolate after them, so that no one passed through or returned; for they made the pleasant land desolate.”

Jerusalem, Holy City of the Future

8 Again the word of the Lord of hosts came, saying, ²“Thus says the Lord of hosts:

^(AK)‘I am ^[p]zealous for Zion with great ^[q]zeal;
With great ^[r]fervor I am zealous for her.’

³“Thus says the Lord:

^(AL)‘I will return to Zion,
And ^(AM)dwell in the midst of Jerusalem.
Jerusalem ^(AN)shall be called the City of Truth,
^(AO)The Mountain of the Lord of hosts,
^(AP)The Holy Mountain.’

⁴“Thus says the Lord of hosts:

^(AQ)‘Old men and old women shall again sit
In the streets of Jerusalem,
Each one with his staff in his hand
Because of ^[s]great age.
⁵The streets of the city
Shall be ^(AR)full of boys and girls
Playing in its streets.’

⁶“Thus says the Lord of hosts:

‘If it is ^[t]marvelous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these days,
^(AS)Will it also be marvelous in My eyes?’
Says the Lord of hosts.

⁷“Thus says the Lord of hosts:

‘Behold, ^(AT)I will save My people from the land of the ^[u]east
And from the land of the ^[v]west;
⁸I will ^(AU)bring them back,
And they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem.
^(AV)They shall be My people
And I will be their God,
^(AW)In truth and righteousness.’

⁹“Thus says the Lord of hosts:

^(AX)‘Let your hands be strong,
You who have been hearing in these days
These words by the mouth of ^(AY)the prophets,
Who spoke in ^(AZ)the day the foundation was laid
For the house of the Lord of hosts,
That the temple might be built.
¹⁰For before these days
There were no ^(BA)wages for man nor any hire for beast;
There was no peace from the enemy for whoever went out or came in;
For I set all men, everyone, against his neighbor.

¹¹^(BB)But now I will not treat the remnant of this people as in the former days,’ says the Lord of hosts.

¹²‘For^(BC) the ^[w]seed shall be prosperous,
The vine shall give its fruit,
^(BD)The ground shall give her increase,
And ^(BE)the heavens shall give their dew—
I will cause the remnant of this people
To possess all these.
¹³And it shall come to pass
That just as you were ^(BF)a curse among the nations,
O house of Judah and house of Israel,
So I will save you, and ^(BG)you shall be a blessing.
Do not fear,
Let your hands be strong.’

¹⁴“For thus says the Lord of hosts:

^(BH)‘Just as I determined to ^[x]punish you
When your fathers provoked Me to wrath,’
Says the Lord of hosts,
^(BI)‘And I would not relent,
¹⁵So again in these days
I am determined to do good
To Jerusalem and to the house of Judah.
Do not fear.
¹⁶These are the things you shall ^(BJ)do:
^(BK)Speak each man the truth to his neighbor;
Give judgment in your gates for truth, justice, and peace;
¹⁷^(BL)Let none of you think evil in ^[y]your heart against your neighbor;
And do not love a false oath.
For all these are things that I hate,’
Says the Lord.”

¹⁸Then the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying, ¹⁹“Thus says the Lord of hosts:

^(BM)‘The fast of the fourth month,
^(BN)The fast of the fifth,
^(BO)The fast of the seventh,
^(BP)And the fast of the tenth,
Shall be ^(BQ)joy and gladness and cheerful feasts
For the house of Judah.
^(BR)Therefore love truth and peace.’

²⁰“Thus says the Lord of hosts:

‘Peoples shall yet come,
Inhabitants of many cities;
²¹The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying,
^(BS)“Let us continue to go and pray before the Lord,
And seek the Lord of hosts.
I myself will go also.”
²²Yes, ^(BT)many peoples and strong nations
Shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem,
And to pray before the Lord.’

²³“Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘In those days ten men ^(BU)from every language of the nations shall ^(BV)grasp the ^[z]sleeve of a Jewish man, saying, “Let us go with you, for we have heard ^(BW)that God is with you.” ’ ”

Footnotes

Zechariah 6:6 The chariot
Zechariah 6:11 Lit. crowns
Zechariah 6:12 Lit. sprout up
Zechariah 6:13 Both offices
Zechariah 6:14 Lit. crowns
Zechariah 6:14 So with MT, Tg., Vg.; Syr. for Heldai (cf. v. 10); LXX for the patient ones
Zechariah 7:2 Lit. they, cf. v. 5
Zechariah 7:2 Or Sar-Ezer
Zechariah 7:2 Heb. Bethel
Zechariah 7:2 Or to entreat the favor of
Zechariah 7:3 Lit. consecrate myself
Zechariah 7:7 Heb. Negev
Zechariah 7:9 Or lovingkindness
Zechariah 7:11 Lit. gave a stubborn or rebellious shoulder
Zechariah 7:11 Lit. made their ears heavy
Zechariah 8:2 Or jealous
Zechariah 8:2 Or jealousy
Zechariah 8:2 Lit. heat or rage
Zechariah 8:4 Lit. many days
Zechariah 8:6 Or wonderful
Zechariah 8:7 Lit. rising sun
Zechariah 8:7 Lit. setting sun
Zechariah 8:12 Lit. seed of peace
Zechariah 8:14 Lit. bring calamity to you
Zechariah 8:17 Lit. his
Zechariah 8:23 Lit. wing, corner of a garment

1 John 1-2

New King James Version

What Was Heard, Seen, and Touched^(A)

1 That ^(B)which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have ^(C)seen with our eyes, ^(D)which we have looked upon, and ^(E)our hands have handled, concerning the ^(F)Word of life— ²^(G)the life ^(H)was manifested, and we have seen, ^(I)and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was ^(J)with the Father and was manifested to us— ³that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is ^(K)with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. ⁴And these things we write to you ^(L)that ^[a]your joy may be full.

Fellowship with Him and One Another

⁵^(M)This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that ^(N)God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. ⁶^(O)If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. ⁷But if we ^(P)walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and ^(Q)the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

⁸If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. ⁹If we ^(R)confess our sins, He is ^(S)faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to ^(T)cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰If we say that we have not sinned, we ^(U)make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

The Test of Knowing Christ

2 My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, ^(V)we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. ²And ^(W)He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but ^(X)also for the whole world.

The Test of Knowing Him

³Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. ⁴He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a ^(Y)liar, and the truth is not in him. ⁵But ^(Z)whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God ^[b]is perfected ^(AA)in him. By this we know that we are in Him. ⁶^(AB)He who says he abides in Him ^(AC)ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

⁷^[c]Brethren, I write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had ^(AD)from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you heard ^[d]from the beginning. ⁸Again, ^(AE)a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, ^(AF)because the darkness is passing away, and ^(AG)the true light is already shining.

⁹^(AH)He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. ¹⁰^(AI)He who loves his brother abides in the light, and ^(AJ)there is no cause for stumbling in him. ¹¹But he who ^(AK)hates his brother is in darkness and ^(AL)walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

Their Spiritual State

¹²I write to you, little children,
Because ^(AM)your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake.
¹³I write to you, fathers,
Because you have known Him who is ^(AN)from the beginning.
I write to you, young men,
Because you have overcome the wicked one.
I write to you, little children,
Because you have ^(AO)known the Father.
¹⁴I have written to you, fathers,
Because you have known Him who is from the beginning.
I have written to you, young men,
Because ^(AP)you are strong, and the word of God abides in you,
And you have overcome the wicked one.

Do Not Love the World

¹⁵^(AQ)Do not love the world or the things in the world. ^(AR)If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. ¹⁶For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, ^(AS)the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. ¹⁷And ^(AT)the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

Deceptions of the Last Hour

¹⁸^(AU)Little children, ^(AV)it is the last hour; and as you have heard that ^(AW)the^[e] Antichrist is coming, ^(AX)even now many antichrists have come, by which we know ^(AY)that it is the last hour. ¹⁹^(AZ)They went out from us, but they were not of us; for ^(BA)if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out ^(BB)that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.

²⁰But ^(BC)you have an anointing ^(BD)from the Holy One, and ^(BE)you^[f] know all things. ²¹I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth.

²²^(BF)Who is a liar but he who denies that ^(BG)Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. ²³^(BH)Whoever denies the Son does not have the ^(BI)Father either; ^(BJ)he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.

Let Truth Abide in You

²⁴Therefore let that abide in you ^(BK)which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, ^(BL)you also will abide in the Son and in the Father. ²⁵^(BM)And this is the promise that He has promised us—eternal life.

²⁶These things I have written to you concerning those who try to ^[g]deceive you. ²⁷But the ^(BN)anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and ^(BO)you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing ^(BP)teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you ^[h]will abide in Him.

The Children of God

²⁸And now, little children, abide in Him, that ^[i]when He appears, we may have ^(BQ)confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming. ²⁹^(BR)If you know that He is righteous, you know that ^(BS)everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him.