Zechariah 1

In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of God came to Zechariah, son of Berechiah, son of Iddo, the prophet, saying,

“God was angry {with} anger toward your fathers.

And you shall say to them, ‘Thus says God of Armies, “Return to me”—the declaration of God of Armies—“and I will return to you”, says God of Armies. \*

“Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets called out, saying, ‘Thus says God of Armies, “Turn now from your evil ways and your evil deeds.”’ But they did not hear, and they did not pay attention to me”—the declaration of God.

“Your fathers, where {are} they? And the prophets, do they live forever?

But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not overtake your fathers? And they returned and said, ‘Just as God of Armies planned to do to us, according to our ways and according to our deeds, thus he has done with us.’”’” \*

On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, which {is} the month of Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of God came to Zechariah, son of Berechiah, son of Iddo, the prophet, saying:

I saw in the night, and behold, a man riding on a red horse, and he was standing among the myrtle trees that {are} in the deep valley, and behind him {were} red, reddish-brown, and white horses.

And I said, “What {are} these, my lord?” And the angel who was speaking with me said to me, “I will show you what these {are}.” \*

And the man who was standing among the myrtle trees answered and said, “These {are} the ones whom God has sent to walk about in the earth.”

And they answered the angel of God who was standing among the myrtle trees, and they said, “We have walked about in the earth, and behold, all of the earth is sitting and is at rest.” \*

And the angel of God answered and said, “God of Armies, until when will you not have compassion on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, with which you have been indignant these 70 years?”

And God answered the angel who was speaking with me {with} good words, words of comfort. \*

And the angel who was speaking with me said to me, “Call out, saying, ‘Thus says God of Armies, “I have been jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion {with} a great jealousy.

And {with} a great anger I, I am angry with the nations that {are} at ease, for I, I was angry {only} a little, but they helped toward the evil.” \*

Therefore, thus says God, “I have returned to Jerusalem with compassions. My house will be built in her”—the declaration of God of Armies—“and a measuring line will be stretched out over Jerusalem.”’

Again, call out, saying, ‘Thus says God of Armies, “My cities will again overflow from goodness, and God will again comfort Zion, and he will again choose Jerusalem.”’” \*

And I lifted up my eyes and I saw, and behold, four horns.

And I said to the angel who was speaking with me, “What {are} these?” And he said to me, “These {are} the horns that scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.” \*

And God showed me four craftsmen.

And I said, “What {are} these coming to do?” And he said, “These {are} the horns that scattered Judah, according to the mouth of a man {who} has not lifted up his head. And these have come to terrify them, to cast down the horns of the nations, the ones lifting up a horn against the land of Judah to scatter her.” \*