Zechariah 1–2

Chapter 1

¹In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of Jehovah unto Zechariah the prophet, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, saying, ²Jehovah hath been very wroth with your fathers. ³And thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Return unto me, saith Jehovah of hosts, and I will return unto you, saith Jehovah of hosts. ⁴Be ye not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets cried, saying, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Turn ye now from your evil ways, and from your evil doings; but they did not hearken nor attend unto me, saith Jehovah. 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 overtake your fathers? And they turned and said, Like as Jehovah of hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways and according to our doings, so hath he dealt with us.

⁷Upon the four and twentieth day of the eleventh month, which is the month Shebat, in the second year of Darius, came the word of Jehovah unto Zechariah the prophet, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, saying, ⁸I saw by night, and behold, a man riding upon a red horse, and he stood among the myrtle-trees that were in the low valley; and behind him were red, bay, and white horses. ⁹And I said, My lord, what are these? And the angel that talked with me said unto me, I will shew thee what these are. ¹⁰And the man that stood among the myrtle-trees answered and said, These are they whom Jehovah hath sent to walk to and fro through the earth. ¹¹And they answered the angel of Jehovah 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. ¹²And the angel of Jehovah answered and said, Jehovah of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which thou hast had indignation these seventy years? ¹³And Jehovah answered the angel that talked with me good words, comforting words. ¹⁴And the angel that talked with me said unto me, Cry, saying, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy, ¹⁵and I am wroth exceedingly with the nations that are at ease; for I was but a little wroth, and they helped forward the affliction. ¹⁶Therefore thus saith Jehovah: I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies: my house shall be built in it, saith Jehovah of hosts, and the line shall be stretched forth upon Jerusalem. ¹⁷Cry further, saying, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: My cities shall yet overflow with prosperity, and Jehovah shall yet comfort Zion, and shall yet choose Jerusalem.

¹⁸And I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and behold four horns. ¹⁹And I said unto the angel that talked with me, What are these? And he said to me, These are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem. ²⁰And Jehovah shewed me four craftsmen. ²¹And I said, What come these to do? And he spoke, saying, Those are the horns which scattered Judah, so that no man lifted up his head; but these are come to affright them, to cast out the horns of the nations, which lifted up the horn against the land of Judah to scatter it.

Chapter 2

¹And I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and behold a man with a measuring line in his hand. ²And I said, Whither goest thou? And he said unto me, To measure Jerusalem, to see what is the breadth thereof, and what is the length thereof. ³And behold, the angel that talked with me went forth; and another angel went forth to meet him, ⁴and said unto him, Run, speak to this young man, saying, Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls for the multitude of men and cattle therein; ⁵and I, saith Jehovah, I will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her.

⁶Ho, ho! flee from the land of the north, saith Jehovah; for I have scattered you abroad as the four winds of the heavens, saith Jehovah. ⁷Ho! escape, Zion, that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon. ⁸For thus saith Jehovah of hosts: After the glory, hath he sent me unto the nations that made you a spoil; for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye. ⁹For behold, I will shake my hand upon them, and they shall become a spoil to those that served them: and ye shall know that Jehovah of hosts hath sent me.

¹⁰Sing aloud and rejoice, daughter of Zion; for behold, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith Jehovah. ¹¹And many nations shall join themselves to Jehovah in that day, and shall be unto me for a people; and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that Jehovah of hosts hath sent me unto thee. ¹²And Jehovah shall inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land, and shall yet choose Jerusalem. ¹³Let all flesh be silent before Jehovah; for he is risen up out of his holy habitation.