Beginning

1 In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of Yahweh came^[a] to the prophet Zechariah son of Berekiah, son of Iddo, saying, ² “Yahweh was very angry with your ancestors.^{[b] 3} You must say to them: ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts: “Return to me,” declares^[c] Yahweh of hosts, “and I will return to you,” says Yahweh of hosts. ⁴ “Do not be like your ancestors,^[d] to whom the former prophets proclaimed, saying, ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts: “Return from your evil ways and your evil deeds!”’ But they did not hear^[e] and they did not pay attention^[f] to me,” declares^[g] Yahweh. ⁵ “Your ancestors,^[h] where are they? And the prophets, do they live forever? ⁶ However, did not my words and my regulations which I commanded my servants the prophets overtake your ancestors?^[i] And they repented and said, ‘Yahweh of hosts planned to do with us according to our ways, and according to our deeds so he has dealt with us.’”’”

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,^[j] 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^[k] the earth.” ¹¹ And they answered the angel of Yahweh who was standing between the myrtle shrubs, and they said, “We have patrolled^[l] the earth, and look, all the earth is dwelling in peace.”^{[m] 12} The angel of Yahweh answered and said, “O Yahweh of hosts, how long^[n] will you have no compassion on Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, with which you showed fury these seventy years?”^{[o] 13} With gracious^[p] 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^[q] for Jerusalem and for Zion! ¹⁵ And I am extremely angry^[r] with the nations that are at ease, for while I was a little angry, they furthered disaster.”^{[s] 16} Therefore, thus says Yahweh: “I have returned to Jerusalem with compassion. My temple^[t] will be built in it,” declares^[u] 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.”’”

Zechariah’s Second Vision

^18 [v] And I looked up^[w] and I saw, and look, there were four horns! ¹⁹ And I said to the angel who was talking with me, “What are these?” And he said to me, “These are the horns that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.” ²⁰ Then Yahweh showed me four skilled craftsmen, ²¹ and I asked, “What are these coming to do?” And he answered, saying, “These are the horns that scattered Judah, so that no man^[x] lifted up his head; but these have come to frighten them, to strike down the horns of the nations that lifted a horn against the land of Judah to scatter it.”

Zechariah’s Third Vision

2 And I looked up^[y] and I saw, and look, a man, and in his hand was a measuring rope! ² And I asked, “Where are you going?” And he answered me, “To measure Jerusalem to see what is its width and what is its length.” ³ And look, the angel who was talking to me was coming forward, and another angel was coming forward to meet him. ⁴ And he said to him, “Run, say to that young man, ‘Jerusalem shall be inhabited like villages without walls^[z] because of the multitude of people and animals in its midst. ⁵ And I will be for it a wall of fire all around,’ declares^[aa] Yahweh, ‘and I will be the glory in its midst.’”

⁶ “Woe! Woe! Flee from the land of the north,” declares^[ab] Yahweh, “for I have scattered you like the four winds of the heavens,” declares^[ac] Yahweh. ⁷ “Woe, Zion! Escape, you inhabitants of the daughter of Babylon!” ⁸ For thus said Yahweh of hosts, after glory^[ad] he sent me against the nations plundering you: Truly, the one touching you is touching the apple^[ae] of his eye. ⁹ “Yes, look! I am going to wave my hand against them, and they will become plunder for their servants, and you will know that Yahweh of hosts has sent me. ¹⁰ Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for look, I am coming and I will dwell in your midst,” declares^[af] Yahweh. ¹¹ “Many nations will join themselves to Yahweh on that day, and they will be my people, and I will dwell in your midst. And you will know that Yahweh of hosts has sent me to you. ¹² And Yahweh will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land,^[ag] and he will again choose Jerusalem. ¹³ Be silent, all people,^[ah] before Yahweh, for he is roused from his holy dwelling.”^[ai]

Zechariah’s Fourth Vision

3 And he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before^[aj] the angel of Yahweh; and Satan^[ak] was standing on his right to accuse him. ² But Yahweh said to Satan,^[al] “Yahweh rebukes you, O Satan!^[am] Yahweh who has chosen Jerusalem rebukes you! Is this not a stick snatched from the fire?” ³ And Joshua was clothed in filthy garments and was standing before^[an] the angel. ⁴ And he answered and said to the ones standing before^[ao] him, saying, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” And he said to him, “See, I have taken away your guilt^[ap] from you, and will clothe you with rich garments.” ⁵ And I said, “Let them put a clean headband^[aq] on his head.” And they put a clean headband on his head, and they clothed him with garments. And the angel of Yahweh was standing by.

⁶ And the angel of Yahweh assured Joshua, saying, ⁷ “Thus says Yahweh of hosts: ‘If you will walk in my ways, and if you will keep my requirements, then you will judge^[ar] my house, and you will also guard my courtyards, and I will give to you passageways^[as] among these that are standing here. ⁸ Listen, please, O Joshua the high priest, you and your companions^[at] that are sitting before^[au] you. For the men are a sign that,^[av] look, I am going to bring my servant the Branch.^{[aw] 9} For consider, the stone that I set before^[ax] Joshua, on one stone are seven eyes.^[ay] Look, I am going to engrave an inscription on it,’^[az] declares^[ba] Yahweh of hosts, ‘and I will remove the guilt of that land in a single day. ¹⁰ On that day,’ declares^[bb] Yahweh of hosts, ‘you will invite one another^[bc] under the vine and under the fig tree.’”

Zechariah’s Fifth Vision

4 And the angel who was talking with me returned, and he wakened me as one who is wakened from his sleep. ² And he said to me, “What do you see?” And I said, “I see, and look, a lampstand all of gold,^[bd] and a bowl was on its top, and its seven lamps on it, and seven lips on each of the lamps that are on its top. ³ And there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.” ⁴ And I answered and said to the angel who was talking to me, “What are these, my lord?” ⁵ And the angel who was talking with me answered and said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” And I said, “No, my lord.” ⁶ And he answered and said to me, “This is the word of Yahweh to Zerubbabel, saying, ‘Not by strength and not by power, but only by my Spirit,’ says Yahweh of hosts. ⁷ ‘Who are you O great mountain? Before^[be] Zerubbabel you will become level ground, and he will bring out the top stone amid the shouts of “Grace, grace to it!”’” ⁸ And the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ⁹ “The hands of Zerubbabel have founded this house, and his hands will finish it. And you will know that Yahweh of hosts has sent me to you. ¹⁰ For whoever has despised the day of small things will rejoice and will see the plumb line^[bf] in the hand of Zerubbabel.”

These seven are the eyes of Yahweh which are ranging throughout the whole earth.^{[bg] 11} And I answered and said to him, “What are these two olive trees on the right of the lampstand and on its left?” ¹² And I replied a second time and asked him, “What are these two twigs of olive trees^[bh] on the right of the lampstand and on its left?” ¹³ And he replied to me, “Do you not know what these are?” And I said, “No, my lord.” ¹⁴ And he said, “These are the two anointed ones^[bi] standing by the Lord of the whole earth.”

Zechariah’s Sixth Vision

5 I looked up again,^[bj] and I saw, and look!—a flying scroll! ² And he asked me, “What are you seeing?” And I said, “I am seeing a flying scroll twenty cubits long and ten cubits wide.”^{[bk] 3} And he said to me, “This is the curse going out over the surface of the whole earth. For everyone who steals has gone unpunished^[bl] according to it, and likewise everyone who swears falsely has gone unpunished according to it. ⁴ ‘I have sent it out,’ declares^[bm] Yahweh of hosts, ‘and it will go into the house of the thief and into the house of the one swearing falsely by my name,^[bn] and it will spend the night in that^[bo] house and will destroy it, with its timber and its stone.’”

Zechariah’s Seventh Vision

⁵ And the angel who was speaking to me went out, and he said to me, “Please look up!^[bp] See what this is going out.” ⁶ And I asked, “What is it?” And he said, “This is a basket^[bq] going out. And he said, “This is their iniquity^[br] throughout all the earth. ⁷ And look, the lead cover was lifted and a woman was sitting inside the basket.^{[bs] 8} And he said, “This is Wickedness!” And he thrust her back down into the basket,^[bt] and threw the lead cover on top of it.^{[bu] 9} And I looked up^[bv] and saw, and look!—two women coming forward, and the wind was in their wings, and they had wings like those of a stork, and they lifted up the basket^[bw] between the earth and the sky.^{[bx] 10} And I asked the angel who was talking to me, “Where are they taking the basket?”^{[by] 11} And he said to me, “To build for it a house^[bz] in the land of Shinar,^[ca] and when it is put in place, it will be placed there on its site.”

Zechariah’s Eighth Vision

6 I looked up again,^[cb] and I saw, and look!—four chariots coming out from between two mountains, and the mountains were mountains of bronze. ² With the first chariot there were red horses, and with the second chariot there were black horses. ³ And with the third chariot there were white horses, and with the fourth chariot there were strong^[cc] dappled horses. ⁴ And I answered and said to the angel that was talking to me, “What are these, my lord?” ⁵ And the angel answered and said to me, “These are the four winds^[cd] of the heavens going out after presenting themselves before the Lord of all the earth. ⁶ The one with^[ce] the black horses is going out to the north country, and the white horses go after them,^[cf] while the dappled ones go to the south country.” ⁷ When the strong horses went out, they were anxious to go to patrol the earth. And he^[cg] said, “Go, patrol the earth.” And they patrolled the earth. ⁸ And he cried out to me and said to me, “See those going out to the north country have set my spirit at rest in the north country.”

The Branch is Crowned

⁹ And the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ¹⁰ “Collect^[ch] from the exiles—from Heldai, Tobijah, and from Jedaiah, all of whom came from Babylon—and go on that day, go to the house of Josiah son of Zephaniah. ¹¹ Take the silver and gold and make a crown, and set it on the head of Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest. ¹² And say to him, ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts: “Look, here is a man whose name is Branch,^[ci] and from his place he will sprout, and he will build the temple of Yahweh. ¹³ And he will build the temple of Yahweh, and he will bear majesty and will sit and rule on his throne. And he shall be a priest on his throne, and the counsel of peace will be between the two of them.”’^{[cj] 14} And the crown will be for Helem,^[ck] for Tobijah, for Jedaiah, and for Hen^[cl] son of Zephaniah, as a memorial in the temple of Yahweh. ¹⁵ And those who are far off will come and build the temple of Yahweh, and you will know that Yahweh of hosts has sent me to you. And it will happen if you will listen diligently to the voice of Yahweh your God.”

7 And then,^[cm] in the fourth year of King Darius, the word of Yahweh came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, which is Kislev. ² And the people of Bethel sent Sharezer and Regem-Melech, and their^[cn] men, to entreat the favor^[co] of Yahweh, ³ saying to the priests of the house of Yahweh of hosts^[cp] and to the prophets, “Should I mourn in the fifth month and keep myself separate^[cq] as I have done for these many years?” ⁴ And the word of Yahweh of hosts came to me, saying, ⁵ “Say to all the people of the land and to the priests: ‘When you fasted and lamented in the fifth and seventh months for these seventy years, did you really fast for me? ⁶ And when you eat and drink, are you not eating and drinking for yourselves? ⁷ Are not these the words that Yahweh proclaimed through^[cr] the former prophets, when Jerusalem and its surrounding towns^[cs] were inhabited and at ease, and the Negev^[ct] and the Shephelah^[cu] were inhabited?’”

⁸ And the word of Yahweh came to Zechariah, saying, ⁹ “Thus says Yahweh of hosts: ‘Judge with trustworthy justice, and show^[cv] steadfast love and compassion to one another.^{[cw] 10} You must not oppress the widow, the orphan, the foreigner, and the needy. You must not devise evil in your heart against one another.’^{[cx] 11} But they refused to listen, and turned^[cy] a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears from listening.^{[cz] 12} They made their hearts adamant^[da] in order not to hear the law^[db] and the words that Yahweh of hosts had sent by his spirit through^[dc] the former prophets; therefore great wrath came from Yahweh of hosts. ¹³ ‘Thus, just as I^[dd] called and they would not hear, so they will call and I will not hear,’ says Yahweh of hosts. ¹⁴ ‘And I scattered them with a wind among all the nations that they had not known; the land was made desolate behind them— no one crossing through it or returning—and they made the desirable land^[de] a desolation.’”