Chronological

1 ¶ In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came unto the prophet Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, saying,

² The LORD has been sore displeased with your fathers.

³ Therefore thou shalt say unto them, Thus hath the LORD of the hosts said; Turn unto me, said the LORD of the hosts, and I will turn unto you, said the LORD of the hosts.

⁴ Do not be as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets have cried, saying, Thus hath the LORD of the hosts said; Turn now from your evil ways and from your evil doings: but they did not hear, nor hearken unto me, said the LORD.

⁵ Your fathers, where are they? and the prophets, do they live for ever?

⁶ But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my slaves the prophets, did they not take hold of your fathers? Therefore they returned from captivity and said, Like as the LORD of the hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways and according to our doings, so has he dealt with us.

⁷ ¶ Upon the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, which is the month Sebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came unto the prophet Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, saying,

⁸ I saw by night, and behold a man riding upon a red horse, and he stood among the myrtle trees that were in the bottom; and behind him there were red horses, speckled, and white.

⁹ Then said I, O my lord, what are these? And the angel that talked with me said unto me, I will show thee who these are.

¹⁰ And the man that stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, These are those whom the LORD has sent to walk to and fro through the earth.

¹¹ And they answered the angel of the LORD that stood among the myrtle trees and said, We have walked to and fro through the land, and, behold, all the earth sits still and is at rest.

¹² Then the angel of the LORD answered and said, O LORD of the hosts, when wilt thou have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which thou hast had indignation these seventy years?

¹³ And the LORD answered good words unto the angel that talked with me, words of consolation.

¹⁴ So the angel that communed with me said unto me, Cry thou, saying, Thus saith the LORD of the hosts; I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy.

¹⁵ And I am very sore displeased with the Gentiles that are at ease; for I was but a little displeased, and they helped forward the affliction.

¹⁶ Therefore thus hath the LORD said, I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies; my house shall be built in her, saith the LORD of the hosts, and a line shall be stretched forth upon Jerusalem.

¹⁷ Cry yet, saying, Thus saith the LORD of the hosts, My cities through abundance of good shall yet be widened; and the LORD shall yet comfort Zion and shall yet choose Jerusalem.

¹⁸ ¶ Then I lifted up my eyes and saw and behold four horns.

¹⁹ And I said unto the angel that talked with me, What are these? And he answered me, These are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.

²⁰ And the LORD showed me four carpenters.

²¹ Then I said, What do these come to do? And he spoke, saying, These are the horns which have scattered Judah, so that no one lifted up his head, but these are come to cause them to tremble, to cut down the horns of the Gentiles, which lifted up their horn over the land of Judah to scatter it.

2 ¶ I lifted up my eyes again and looked, and behold a man with a measuring line in his hand.

² Then I said, Where goest thou? And he said unto me, To measure Jerusalem, to see what is its breadth and what is its length.

³ And, behold, the angel that talked with me went forth, and another angel went out to meet him

⁴ and said unto him, Run, speak to this young man, saying, Jerusalem shall be inhabited without walls for the multitude of men and beasts in the midst of her:

⁵ For I, saith the LORD, will be unto her a wall of fire round about and will be the glory in the midst of her.

⁶ ¶ Ho, ho, come forth, and flee from the land of the north, saith the LORD, for I have spread you abroad by the four winds of the heavens, saith the LORD.

⁷ O Zion, that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon, thou must escape.

⁸ For thus hath the LORD of the hosts said; After the glory he shall send me unto the Gentiles which spoiled you, for he that touches you touches the apple of his eye.

⁹ For, behold, I raise my hand regarding them, and they shall be a spoil to their servants; and ye shall know that the LORD of the hosts has sent me.

¹⁰ ¶ Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for, behold, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, said the LORD.

¹¹ And many Gentiles shall join themselves unto the LORD in that day and shall be my people, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and then thou shalt know that the LORD of the hosts has sent me unto thee.

¹² And the LORD shall possess Judah his portion in the holy land and shall still choose Jerusalem.

¹³ Be silent, O all flesh, before the LORD, for he is raised up out of his holy habitation.

3 ¶ And he showed me Joshua the high priest, standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him.

² And the LORD said unto Satan, The LORD reprehend thee, O Satan; even the LORD that has chosen Jerusalem reprehend thee; is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?

³ Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments and stood before the angel.

⁴ And the angel answered and spoke unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I have caused thee to be clothed with new raiment.

⁵ And I said, Let them set a clean mitre upon his head. So they set a clean mitre upon his head and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the LORD stood by.

⁶ And the angel of the LORD protested unto Joshua, saying,

⁷ Thus saith the LORD of the hosts; If thou wilt walk in my ways, and if thou wilt keep my charge, then thou shalt also govern my house and shalt also keep my courts, and I will give thee a place among these that are here.

⁸ ¶ Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy fellows that sit before thee, for they are men of wonder. Behold, I bring forth my slave the BRANCH.

⁹ For behold the stone that I have laid before Joshua; upon one stone there are seven eyes; behold, I will engrave his labour, saith the LORD of the hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of the land in one day.

¹⁰ In that day, saith the LORD of the hosts, each one of you shall call his neighbour under his vine and under his fig tree.

4 ¶ And the angel that talked with me came again and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep,

² and said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have looked and behold a lampstand all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and its seven lamps upon the lampstand, and seven pipes for the lamps, which are upon the top thereof:

³ and two olive trees over it, one upon the right hand side of the bowl and the other upon the left hand side thereof.

⁴ So I answered and spoke to the angel that talked with me, saying, What is this, my lord?

⁵ Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Dost thou not know what this is? And I said, No, my lord.

⁶ Then he answered and spoke unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, said the LORD of the hosts.

⁷ Who art thou, O great mountain before Zerubbabel? Thou shalt be reduced to a plain; and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it.

⁸ And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

⁹ The hands of Zerubbabel shall lay the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know that the LORD of the hosts has sent me unto you.

¹⁰ For who has despised the day of small beginnings? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel. Those seven are the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth.

¹¹ ¶ Then I spoke and said unto him, What are these two olive trees upon the right hand side of the lampstand and upon the left hand side thereof?

¹² And I spoke the second time and said unto him, What are these two olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves?

¹³ And he answered me and said, Dost thou not know what these are? And I said, No, my lord.

¹⁴ Then he said, These two sons of oil are those that stand by the Lord of the whole earth.

5 ¶ Then I turned and lifted up my eyes and looked, and behold a flying roll.

² And he said unto me, What seest thou? And I answered, I see a flying roll; the length thereof is twenty cubits, and the breadth thereof ten cubits.

³ Then said he unto me, This is the curse that goes forth over the face of the whole earth; for every one that steals (as it is written on one side of the roll) shall be destroyed; and every one that swears (as it is written on the other side of the roll) shall be destroyed.

⁴ I brought it forth, said the LORD of the hosts, and it shall enter into the house of the thief and into the house of him that swears falsely by my name; and it shall remain in the midst of his house and shall consume it with the timber thereof and the stones thereof.

⁵ ¶ Then the angel that talked with me went forth and said unto me, Lift up now thine eyes and see what is this that goes forth.

⁶ And I said, What is it? And he said, This is an ephah to measure wheat that goes forth. He said moreover, This is their resemblance in all the earth.

⁷ And, behold, they lifted up a talent of lead, and a woman was sitting in the midst of that ephah.

⁸ And he said, This is wickedness. And he cast her into the midst of the ephah; and he cast the weight of lead upon the mouth thereof.

⁹ Then I lifted up my eyes and looked, and, behold, there came out two women, and the wind was in their wings for they had wings like the wings of a stork, and they lifted up the ephah between the earth and the heavens.

¹⁰ Then I said to the angel that talked with me, Where do these bear the ephah?

¹¹ And he said unto me, To build it a house in the land of Shinar: and it shall be established, and set there upon her own base.

6 ¶ And I turned and lifted up my eyes and looked, and, behold, there came four chariots out from between two mountains, and those mountains were of brass.

² In the first chariot were red horses and in the second chariot black horses;

³ in the third chariot white horses and in the fourth chariot grisled and bay horses.

⁴ Then I answered and said unto the angel that talked with me, What is this, my lord?

⁵ And the angel answered and said unto me, These are the four spirits of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth.

⁶ The one with the black horses went forth towards the north country, and the white went forth after them, and the grisled went forth toward the south country.

⁷ And the bay went forth and sought to go that they might walk to and fro through the earth, and he said, Go from here; walk to and fro through the earth. So they walked to and fro through the earth.

⁸ Then he called me and spoke unto me, saying, Behold, those that went toward the north country have quieted my spirit in the north country.

⁹ ¶ And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

¹⁰ Take of those of that returned from the captivity, of the lineage of Heldai, of Tobijah, and of Jedaiah, and come thou the same day and go into the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah, whom are come from Babylon.

¹¹ Thou shalt take silver and gold and make crowns and set them upon the head of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest,

¹² and speak unto him, saying, Thus spoke the LORD of the hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD.

¹³ He shall build the temple of the LORD, and he shall bear the glory and shall sit and rule upon his throne, and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.

¹⁴ And Helem and Tobijah and Jedaiah and Hen the son of Zephaniah shall have crowns for a memorial in the temple of the LORD.

¹⁵ And those that are far off shall come and build in the temple of the LORD, and ye shall know that the LORD of the hosts has sent me unto you. And this shall come to pass if ye will obediently hear the voice of the LORD our God.

7 ¶ And it came to pass in the fourth year of King Darius that the word of the LORD came unto Zechariah in the fourth day of the ninth month, even in Chisleu;

² when they had sent unto the house of God Sherezer and Regemmelech and their men, to pray before the LORD

³ and to speak unto the priests which were in the house of the LORD of the hosts and to the prophets, saying, Should we weep in the fifth month? Should we do abstinence as we have done these so many years?

⁴ Then the word of the LORD of the hosts came unto me, saying,

⁵ Speak unto all the people of the land and to the priests, saying, When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh month, even those seventy years, did ye at all fast unto me, even to me?

⁶ And when ye ate, and when ye drank, did ye not eat for yourselves, and drink for yourselves?

⁷ Are these not the words which the LORD has published by the former prophets when Jerusalem was inhabited and quiet and the cities thereof round about her and when the south and the plain were inhabited?

⁸ ¶ And the word of the LORD came unto Zechariah, saying,

⁹ Thus hath the LORD of the hosts spoken, saying, Execute true judgment, and show mercy and compassion each one to his brother;

¹⁰ and do not oppress the widow nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart.

¹¹ But they refused to hearken and pulled away the shoulder and stopped their ears that they should not hear.

¹² Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone lest they should hear the law and the words which the LORD of the hosts has sent by his Spirit by the hand of the former prophets; therefore came great wrath from the LORD of the hosts.

¹³ Therefore it is come to pass that as he cried and they would not hear, so they cried, and I would not hear, saith the LORD of the hosts:

¹⁴ but I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the Gentiles whom they did not know. Thus the land was desolate after them that no man passed through nor returned; for they laid the desirable land desolate.