Zechariah 1
1
The Lord Calls His People Back
1It was the eighth month of the second year Darius was king of Persia. The Lord spoke his word to the prophet Zechariah son of Berekiah. Berekiah was the son of Iddo. The Lord said:
2“The Lord was very angry with your ancestors. 3So tell the people: This is what the Lord of heaven’s armies says: ‘Return to me, and I will return to you.’ 4Don’t be like your ancestors. In the past the prophets spoke to them. They said: This is what the Lord of heaven’s armies says: ‘Stop your evil ways and evil actions.’ But they wouldn’t listen or pay attention to me, says the Lord. 5Your ancestors are dead. And those prophets didn’t live forever. 6I commanded my words and laws to my servants the prophets. They preached to your ancestors, who returned to me. They said, ‘The Lord of heaven’s armies did as he said he would. He punished us for the way we lived and for what we did.’”
The Vision of the Horses
7It was on the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, which is called Shebat. It was Darius’s second year as king. The Lord spoke his word to the prophet Zechariah son of Berekiah. Berekiah was the son of Iddo.
8During the night I had a vision. I saw a man riding a red horse. He was standing among some myrtle trees in the ravine. Behind him were red, brown and white horses.
9I asked, “What are these, sir?”
The angel who was talking with me answered. He said, “I’ll show you what they are.”
10Then the man standing among the myrtle trees explained. He said, “They are the ones the Lord sent through all the earth.”
11Then they spoke to the Lord’s angel. He was standing among the myrtle trees. They said, “We have gone through all the earth. Everything is calm and quiet.”
12Then the Lord’s angel asked, “Lord of heaven’s armies, how long before you show mercy to Jerusalem and the cities of Judah? You have been angry with them for 70 years now.” 13Then the Lord answered the angel who was talking with me. His words were comforting and good.
14Then the angel told me, “Announce this: This is what the Lord of heaven’s armies says: ‘I have a strong love for Jerusalem. 15And I am very angry with the nations that feel so safe. I was only a little angry, but they made things worse for my people.’
16“So this is what the Lord says: ‘I will return to Jerusalem with mercy. My Temple will be rebuilt,’ says the Lord of heaven’s armies. ‘And the measuring line will be used to rebuild Jerusalem.’
17“Also announce: This is what the Lord of heaven’s armies says: ‘My towns will be rich again. I will comfort Jerusalem again. I will still choose Jerusalem.’”
The Vision of the Horns
18Then I looked up and saw four animal horns. 19I asked the angel who was talking with me, “What are these?”
He said, “These are the strong nations that scattered the people of Judah, Israel and Jerusalem.”
20Then the Lord showed me four craftsmen. 21I asked, “What are they coming to do?”
He answered, “They have come to scare and throw down the horns. Those horns scattered the people of Judah. No one could even lift up his head. The horns stand for the strong nations that attacked the people of Judah and scattered them.”
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Zechariah 1: ICB
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Copyright © 2015 by Tommy Nelson™, a Division of Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Zechariah 1
1
A Call to Return to the Lord
1 #
Ezra 4.24—5.1; 6.14. In the eighth month, in the second year of Dari´us, came the word of the Lord unto Zechari´ah, the son of Berechi´ah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying, 2The Lord hath been sore displeased with your fathers. 3Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Turn ye unto me, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. 4Be ye not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets have cried, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Turn ye now from your evil ways, and from your evildoings: but they did not hear, nor hearken unto me, saith the Lord. 5Your fathers, where are they? and the prophets, do they live for ever? 6But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not take hold of your fathers? and they returned and said, Like as the Lord of hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways, and according to our doings, so hath he dealt with us.
The Vision of the Horses
7Upon the four and twentieth day of the eleventh month, which is the month Sebat in the second year of Dari´us, came the word of the Lord unto Zechari´ah, the son of Berechi´ah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying, 8#Rev 6.4; Rev 6.2. 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 were there red horses, speckled, and white. 9Then said I, O my lord, what are these? And the angel that talked with me said unto me, I will show thee what these be. 10And the man that stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, These are they whom the Lord hath sent to walk to and fro through the earth. 11And they answered the angel of the Lord that stood among the myrtle trees, and said, We have walked to and fro through the earth, and, behold, all the earth sitteth still, and is at rest. 12Then the angel of the Lord answered and said, O Lord of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which thou hast had indignation these threescore and ten years? 13And the Lord answered the angel that talked with me with good words and comfortable words. 14So the angel that communed with me said unto me, Cry thou, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy. 15And I am very sore displeased with the heathen that are at ease: for I was but a little displeased, and they helped forward the affliction. 16Therefore thus saith the Lord; I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies: my house shall be built in it, saith the Lord of hosts, and a line shall be stretched upon Jerusalem. 17Cry yet, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; My cities through prosperity shall yet be spread abroad; and the Lord shall yet comfort Zion, and shall yet choose Jerusalem.
The Vision of the Horns and Carpenters
18Then lifted I up mine eyes, and saw, and behold four horns. 19And I said unto the angel that talked with me, What be these? And he answered me, These are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem. 20And the Lord showed me four carpenters. 21Then said I, What come these to do? And he spake, saying, These are the horns which have scattered Judah, so that no man did lift up his head: but these are come to fray them, to cast out the horns of the Gentiles, which lifted up their horn over the land of Judah to scatter it.
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King James Version 1611, spelling, punctuation and text formatting modernized by ABS in 1962; typesetting © 2010 American Bible Society.