Justice and Mercy, Not Fasting

7 In the fourth year of King Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah^(A) on the fourth day of the ninth month, the month of Kislev.^{(B) 2} The people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regem-Melek, together with their men, to entreat^(C) the Lord^{(D) 3} by asking the priests of the house of the Lord Almighty and the prophets, “Should I mourn^(E) and fast in the fifth^(F) month, as I have done for so many years?”

⁴ Then the word of the Lord Almighty came to me: ⁵ “Ask all the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you fasted^(G) and mourned in the fifth and seventh^(H) months for the past seventy years,^(I) was it really for me that you fasted? ⁶ And when you were eating and drinking, were you not just feasting for yourselves?^{(J) 7} Are these not the words the Lord proclaimed through the earlier prophets^(K) when Jerusalem and its surrounding towns were at rest^(L) and prosperous, and the Negev and the western foothills^(M) were settled?’”^(N)

⁸ And the word of the Lord came again to Zechariah: ⁹ “This is what the Lord Almighty said: ‘Administer true justice;^(O) show mercy and compassion to one another.^{(P) 10} Do not oppress the widow^(Q) or the fatherless, the foreigner^(R) or the poor.^(S) Do not plot evil against each other.’^(T)

¹¹ “But they refused to pay attention; stubbornly^(U) they turned their backs^(V) and covered their ears.^{(W) 12} They made their hearts as hard as flint^(X) and would not listen to the law or to the words that the Lord Almighty had sent by his Spirit through the earlier prophets.^(Y) So the Lord Almighty was very angry.^(Z)

¹³ “‘When I called, they did not listen;^(AA) so when they called, I would not listen,’^(AB) says the Lord Almighty.^{(AC) 14} ‘I scattered^(AD) them with a whirlwind^(AE) among all the nations, where they were strangers. The land they left behind them was so desolate that no one traveled through it.^(AF) This is how they made the pleasant land desolate.^(AG)’”

The Lord Promises to Bless Jerusalem

8 The word of the Lord Almighty came to me.

² This is what the Lord Almighty says: “I am very jealous^(AH) for Zion; I am burning with jealousy for her.”

³ This is what the Lord says: “I will return^(AI) to Zion^(AJ) and dwell in Jerusalem.^(AK) Then Jerusalem will be called the Faithful City,^(AL) and the mountain^(AM) of the Lord Almighty will be called the Holy Mountain.^(AN)”

⁴ This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Once again men and women of ripe old age will sit in the streets of Jerusalem,^(AO) each of them with cane in hand because of their age. ⁵ The city streets will be filled with boys and girls playing there.^(AP)”

⁶ This is what the Lord Almighty says: “It may seem marvelous to the remnant of this people at that time,^(AQ) but will it seem marvelous to me?^(AR)” declares the Lord Almighty.

⁷ This is what the Lord Almighty says: “I will save my people from the countries of the east and the west.^{(AS) 8} I will bring them back^(AT) to live^(AU) in Jerusalem; they will be my people,^(AV) and I will be faithful and righteous to them as their God.^(AW)”

The Heavenly Warrior Defeats the Beast

¹¹ I saw heaven standing open^(A) and there before me was a white horse, whose rider^(B) is called Faithful and True.^(C) With justice he judges and wages war.^{(D) 12} His eyes are like blazing fire,^(E) and on his head are many crowns.^(F) He has a name written on him^(G) that no one knows but he himself.^{(H) 13} He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood,^(I) and his name is the Word of God.^{(J) 14} The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen,^(K) white^(L) and clean. ¹⁵ Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword^(M) with which to strike down^(N) the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.”^[a](O) He treads the winepress^(P) of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. ¹⁶ On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:^(Q)

¹⁷ And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds^(S) flying in midair,^(T) “Come,^(U) gather together for the great supper of God,^{(V) 18} so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and the mighty, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people,^(W) free and slave,^(X) great and small.”^(Y)

¹⁹ Then I saw the beast^(Z) and the kings of the earth^(AA) and their armies gathered together to wage war against the rider on the horse^(AB) and his army. ²⁰ But the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet^(AC) who had performed the signs^(AD) on its behalf.^(AE) With these signs he had deluded^(AF) those who had received the mark of the beast^(AG) and worshiped its image.^(AH) The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake^(AI) of burning sulfur.^{(AJ) 21} The rest were killed with the sword^(AK) coming out of the mouth of the rider on the horse,^(AL) and all the birds^(AM) gorged themselves on their flesh.