Zechariah 1

1 In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the Lord unto Zechariah, the son of Berechyah, the son of 'Iddo the prophet, saying,

2 The Lord hath been greatly angry with your fathers.

3 And [now] say thou unto them, Thus hath said the Lord of hosts, Return ye unto me, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will return unto you: so hath said the Lord of hosts.

4 Be ye not like your fathers, unto whom the former prophets proclaimed, saying, Thus hath said the Lord of hosts, Do return from your evil ways, and your evil doings; but they did not hear, nor listen unto me, saith the Lord.

5 Your fathers, —where are they! and the prophets, — could they live for ever!

6 But my words and my decrees, which I commanded my servants the prophets, behold, they did overtake your fathers: and [then] they returned and said, Just as the Lord of hosts had purposed to do unto us, in accordance with our ways, and in accordance with our doings, so hath he dealt with us.

7 On the four and twentieth day of the eleventh month, which is the month of Shebat, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the Lord unto Zechariah, the son of Berechyahu, the son of 'Iddo the prophet, saying,

8 I saw this night, and behold there was a man riding upon a red horse, and he was standing among the myrtle-trees that were in the deep valley; and behind him were red, pale, and white horses.

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

10 And the man that stood among the myrtle-trees answered and said, These are those whom the Lord hath sent to traverse the earth.

11 And they answered the angel of the Lord that stood among the myrtle-trees, and said, We have traversed the earth, and, behold, all the earth is inhabited quietly, and is at rest.

12 Then commenced the angel of the Lord, and said, O Lord of hosts, how long yet wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which thou hast been indignant these seventy years?

13 And the Lord answered the angel that spoke with me with good words and comforting words.

14 And the angel that spoke with me said unto me, Proclaim thou, saying, Thus hath said the Lord of hosts, I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy.

15 And with a great anger will I be angry with the nations that are at ease; for I was but a little angry [with Zion], and they helped forward the mischief.

16 Therefore thus hath said the Lord, I am returned to Jerusalem in mercy: my house shall be rebuilt in it, saith the Lord of hosts, and the measuring-line shall be stretched forth over Jerusalem.

17 Proclaim yet [farther], saying, Thus hath said the Lord of hosts, My cities shall again overflow with prosperity: and the Lord will again comfort Zion, and make choice again of Jerusalem.

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

19 And I said unto the angel who spoke with me, What are these? And he said unto me, These are the horns that have dispersed Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.

20 And the Lord showed me four carpenters.

21 Then said I, What are these coming to do? And he said as followeth, These are the horns that have dispersed Judah, to the extent that no man could lift up his head; but these are come to terrify them, to cast off the horns of the nations, that have been lifting up their horn over the land of Judah to disperse it.