Turn to the Lord
1 I am the prophet Zechariah, the son of Berechiah and the grandson of Iddo.
In the eighth month of the second year that Darius was king of Persia, the Lord told me to say:
2-3 Israel, I, the Lord All-Powerful, was very angry with your ancestors. But if you people will return to me, I will turn and help you. 4 Don't be stubborn like your ancestors. They were warned by the earlier prophets to give up their evil and turn back to me, but they paid no attention.
5 Where are your ancestors now? Not even prophets live forever. 6 But my warnings and my words spoken by the prophets caught up with your ancestors. So they turned back to me and said, “Lord All-Powerful, you have punished us for our sins, just as you had planned.”
First Vision: Horses and Riders
7-8 On the twenty-fourth day of Shebat, which was the eleventh month of that same year, the Lord spoke to me in a vision during the night: In a valley among myrtle trees, I saw someone on a red horse, with riders on red, brown, and white horses behind him. 9 An angel was there to explain things to me, and I asked, “Sir, who are these riders?”
“I'll tell you,” the angel answered.
10 At once, the man standing among the myrtle trees said, “These are the ones the Lord has sent to find out what's happening on earth.”
11 Then the riders spoke to the Lord's angel, who was standing among the myrtle trees, and they said, “We have gone everywhere and have discovered that the whole world is at peace.”
12 At this, the angel said, “Lord All-Powerful, for 70 years you have been angry with Jerusalem and the towns of Judah. When are you ever going to have mercy on them?”
13 The Lord's answer was kind and comforting. 14 So the angel told me to announce:
I, the Lord All-Powerful, am very protective of Jerusalem. 15 For a while I was angry at the nations, but now I am furious, because they have made things worse for Jerusalem and are not the least bit concerned. 16 And so, I will have pity on Jerusalem. The city will be completely rebuilt, and my temple will stand again. 17 I also promise that my towns will prosper—Jerusalem will once again be my chosen city, and I will comfort the people of Zion.
Second Vision: Animal Horns
18 Next, I saw four animal horns. 19-21 The angel who was sent to explain was there, and so I asked, “What do these mean?”
His answer was, “These horns are the nations that scattered the people of Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem, and took away their freedom.”
Then the Lord showed me four blacksmiths, and I asked, “What are they going to do?”
He replied, “They are going to terrify and crush those horns.”
1 In the eight moneth of the second yeere of Darius, came the worde of the Lord vnto Zechariah the sonne of Berechiah, the sonne of Iddo, the Prophet, saying, 2 The Lord hath bene sore displeased with your fathers. 3 Therefore say thou vnto them, Thus sayth the Lord of hostes, Turne ye vnto me, saith the Lord of hostes, and I will turne vnto you, saith the Lord of hostes. 4 Be ye not as your fathers, vnto whome the former prophets haue cried, saying, Thus sayth the Lord of hostes, Turne you nowe from your euill wayes, and from your wicked workes: but they would not heare, nor hearken vnto me, saith the Lord. 5 your fathers, where are they? and doe the Prophets liue for euer? 6 But did not my wordes and my statutes, which I commanded by my seruants ye Prophets, take holde of your fathers? and they returned, and sayd, As the Lord of hostes hath determined to doe vnto vs, according to our owne wayes, and according to our workes, so hath hee dealt with vs. 7 Vpon the foure and twentieth day of the eleuenth moneth, which is the moneth Shebat, in the second yeere of Darius, came the worde of the Lord vnto Zechariah the sonne of Berechiah, the sonne of Iddo the Prophet, saying, 8 I saw by night, and behold a man riding vpon a red horse, and hee stood among the mirre trees, that were in a bottome, and behinde him were there red horses speckeled and white. 9 Then sayd I, O my Lord, what are these? And the Angel that talked with me, sayde vnto me, I wil shew thee what these be. 10 And the man that stood among the mirre trees, answered, and sayd, These are they whome the Lord hath sent to go through the world. 11 And they answered the Angel of the Lord, that stood among the mirre trees, and sayd, We haue gone thorowe the world: and beholde, all the world sitteth still, and is at rest. 12 Then the Angel of the Lord answered and sayd, O Lord of hostes, howe long wilt thou be vnmercifull to Ierusalem, and to the cities of Iudah, with whom thou hast bene displeased now these threescore and ten yeeres? 13 And the Lord answered the Angel that talked with me, with good wordes and comfortable wordes. 14 So the Angel that communed with me, said vnto me, Crie thou, and speake, Thus saith the Lord of hostes, I am ielous ouer Ierusalem and Zion with a great zeale, 15 And am greatly angrie against the carelesse heathen: for I was angrie but a litle, and they helped forward the affliction. 16 Therefore thus saith the Lord, I wil returne vnto Ierusalem with tender mercie: mine house shall be builded in it, saith the Lord of hostes, and a line shall be stretched vpon Ierusalem. 17 Cry yet, and speake, Thus saith the Lord of hostes, My cities shall yet be broken with plentie: the Lord shall yet comfort Zion, and shall yet chuse Ierusalem. 18 Then lift I vp mine eyes and sawe, and beholde, foure hornes. 19 And I said vnto the Angel that talked with me, What be these? And hee answered me, These are the hornes which haue scattered Iudah, Israel, and Ierusalem. 20 And the Lord shewed me foure carpenters. 21 Then said I, What come these to doe? And he answered, and said, These are the hornes, which haue scattered Iudah, so that a man durst not lift vp his head: but these are come to fray them, and to cast out the hornes of the Gentiles, which lift vp their horne ouer the land of Iudah, to scatter it.