Zechariah 1
1
The Lord Wants His People to Return to Him
1A message from the Lord came to Zechariah the prophet. Zechariah was the son of Berekiah. Berekiah was the son of Iddo. It was the eighth month of the second year that Darius was king of Persia. Here is what Zechariah said.
2The Lord who rules over all was very angry with your people of long ago. 3And now he says to us, “Return to me. Then I will return to you,” announces the Lord. 4“Do not be like your people of long ago. The earlier prophets gave them my message. I said, ‘Stop doing what is evil. Turn away from your sinful practices.’ But they would not listen to me. They would not pay any attention,” announces the Lord. 5“Where are those people now? And what about my prophets? Do they live forever? 6I commanded my servants the prophets what to say. I told them what I planned to do. But your people refused to obey me. So I had to punish them.
“Then they had a change of heart. They said, ‘The Lord who rules over all has punished us because of how we have lived. He was fair and right to do that. He has done to us just what he decided to do.’ ”
A Vision of a Horseman Among Some Myrtle Trees
7A message from the Lord came to Zechariah the prophet. Zechariah was the son of Berekiah. Berekiah was the son of Iddo. The message came during the second year that Darius was king. It was the 24th day of the 11th month. That’s the month of Shebat.
8I had a vision at night. I saw a man sitting on a red horse. He was standing among the myrtle trees in a valley. Behind him were red, brown and white horses.
9An angel was talking with me. I asked him, “Sir, what are these?”
He answered, “I will show you what they are.”
10Then the man standing among the myrtle trees spoke. He said, “They are the messengers the Lord has sent out. He told them to go all through the earth.”
11They brought a report to the angel of the Lord. He was standing among the myrtle trees. They said to him, “We have gone all through the earth. We’ve found the whole world enjoying peace and rest.”
12Then the angel of the Lord spoke up. He said, “Lord, you rule over all. How long will you keep from showing your tender love to Jerusalem? How long will you keep it from the towns of Judah? You have been angry with them for 70 years.” 13So the Lord replied with kind and comforting words. He spoke them to the angel who talked with me.
14Then the angel said, “Announce this message. Say, ‘The Lord who rules over all says, “I am very jealous for my people in Jerusalem and Zion. 15And I am very angry with the nations that feel secure. I was only a little angry with my people. But the nations went too far and tried to wipe them out.”
16“ ‘So the Lord says, “I will return to Jerusalem. I will show its people my tender love. My temple will be rebuilt there. Workers will use a measuring line when they rebuild Jerusalem,” announces the Lord.
17“ ‘He says, “My towns will be filled with good things once more. I will comfort Zion. And I will choose Jerusalem again.” ’ ”
A Vision of Four Horns and Four Skilled Workers
18Then I looked up and saw four animal horns. 19I spoke to the angel who was talking with me. “What are these horns?” I asked.
He said, “They are the powerful nations that scattered Judah, Israel and Jerusalem.”
20Then the Lord showed me four skilled workers. 21I asked, “What are they coming to do?”
He answered, “The horns are the powerful nations that scattered the people of Judah. That made Judah helpless. But these four skilled workers have come to terrify the horns. The workers will destroy the power of those nations. Those nations had used their power to scatter Judah’s people.”
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Zechariah 1: NIrV
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Zechariah 1
1
1 In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of Yahweh came#Literally “was” to the prophet Zechariah son of Berekiah, son of Iddo, saying, 2“Yahweh was very angry with your ancestors.#Literally “was angry against your ancestors with anger” 3You must say to them: ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts: “Return to me,” declares#Literally “declaration of” Yahweh of hosts, “and I will return to you,” says Yahweh of hosts. 4“Do not be like your ancestors,#Or “fathers” 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#Or “listen” and they did not pay attention#Or “give heed” to me,” declares#Literally “declaration of” Yahweh. 5“Your ancestors,#Or “fathers” where are they? And the prophets, do they live forever? 6However, did not my words and my regulations which I commanded my servants the prophets overtake your ancestors?#Or “fathers” 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
7On 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, 8I had a vision in the night,#Literally “I saw the night,” which means “I had a vision” 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. 9And I asked, “What are these, my lord?” And the angel who was talking with me said, “I will show you what these are.” 10And the man standing between the myrtle shrubs answered and said, “These are those whom Yahweh has sent to patrol#Or “to go about,” or “to walk through” the earth.” 11And they answered the angel of Yahweh who was standing between the myrtle shrubs, and they said, “We have patrolled#Or “have gone about,” or “have walked through” the earth, and look, all the earth is dwelling in peace.”#Literally “is dwelling and is at rest” 12The angel of Yahweh answered and said, “O Yahweh of hosts, how long#Literally “until when” will you have no compassion on Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, with which you showed fury these seventy years?”#Hebrew “year” 13With gracious#Or “kind”; literally “good” and comforting words Yahweh answered the angel who was talking with me. 14And the angel who was talking with me said to me, “Proclaim, saying, ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts: “I am very jealous#Literally “I am jealous with a great jealousy” for Jerusalem and for Zion! 15And I am extremely angry#Literally “With a great anger I am angry” with the nations that are at ease, for while I was a little angry, they furthered disaster.”#Literally “helped disaster” 16Therefore, thus says Yahweh: “I have returned to Jerusalem with compassion. My temple#Or “house” will be built in it,” declares#Literally “a declaration of” Yahweh of hosts, “and a measuring line will be stretched out over Jerusalem.” ’ 17Proclaim 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#Zechariah 1:18–2:17 in the English Bible is 2:1–13 in the Hebrew Bible And I looked up#Literally “lifted up my eyes” and I saw, and look, there were four horns! 19And 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.” 20Then Yahweh showed me four skilled craftsmen, 21and I asked, “What are these coming to do?” And he answered, saying, “These are the horns that scattered Judah, so that no man#Literally “according to the mouth of a man” 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.”
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