Zechariah 1–5

1ST CHAPTER

Turn from Your Evil Ways

¹In the eighth month of Darius’ second year as king, the Lord spoke his word to the prophet Zechariah, who was the son of Berechiah and the grandson of Iddo. He said, ²“The Lord was very angry with your ancestors. ³Tell the people, ‘This is what the Lord of Armies says: Return to me, declares the Lord of Armies, and I will return to you, says the Lord of Armies.’ ⁴Don’t be like your ancestors, who heard the earlier prophets preach to them, ‘This is what the Lord of Armies says: Turn from your evil ways and your evil deeds.’ But they didn’t listen or pay attention to me, declares the Lord. ⁵Your ancestors—where are they now? And the prophets—are they still alive? ⁶Didn’t my warnings and my laws, which I’ve commanded my servants the prophets ⸤to preach⸥, finally catch up with your ancestors? Then your ancestors turned away from their sins and said, ‘The Lord of Armies has done to us what he had planned to do. He has dealt with us as our ways and deeds deserve.’ ” 

The Lord Will Comfort Zion

⁷On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month (the month of Shebat) in Darius’ second year as king, the Lord spoke his word to the prophet Zechariah, who was the son of Berechiah and the grandson of Iddo. 

⁸During that night I saw a man riding on a red horse. He was standing among the myrtle trees in a ravine. Behind him were red, chestnut, and white horses. 

⁹“What do these horses mean, sir?” I asked. 

The angel who was speaking with me answered, “I will show you what they mean.” 

¹⁰The man standing among the myrtle trees explained, “They’re the horses the Lord has sent to patrol the earth.” ¹¹Then they reported to the Messenger of the Lord standing among the myrtle trees, “We have patrolled the earth. The whole world is at rest and in peace.” 

¹²Then the Messenger of the Lord said, “Lord of Armies, how much longer until you show compassion to Jerusalem and the cities of Judah? You’ve been angry with them for 70 years.” ¹³The Lord responded to the angel who was speaking with me, using kind and comforting words. 

¹⁴The angel who was speaking with me said, “Announce: This is what the Lord of Armies says: I’m very jealous about Jerusalem and Zion, ¹⁵and I’m very angry with the nations who think they are at ease. I was only a little angry, but they made things worse. ¹⁶This is what the Lord of Armies says: I have returned to Jerusalem with compassion. My house will be rebuilt in it, declares the Lord of Armies. A measuring line will be used to rebuild Jerusalem. 

¹⁷“Announce again: This is what the Lord of Armies says: My cities will overflow with prosperity once more. The Lord will again comfort Zion and will again choose Jerusalem.”^a

Punishment for the Nations That Scattered Judah

¹⁸I looked up and saw four animal horns. ¹⁹So I asked the angel who was speaking with me, “What do these horns mean?” 

He said to me, “These are the horns ⸤of the nations⸥ that scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.” 

²⁰Then the Lord showed me four craftsmen. ²¹I asked, “What are they going to do?” 

He answered, “Those horns scattered Judah so widely that no one could lift up his head. But the craftsmen have come to terrify them, to throw down the horns of the nations. The nations raised their horns to scatter the land of Judah.” 

2ND CHAPTER^a

The Lord Will Choose Jerusalem

¹I looked up and saw a man with a measuring line in his hand. ²I asked him, “Where are you going?” 

He answered, “I am going to measure Jerusalem to see how wide and how long it is.” 

³Then the angel who was speaking with me left. Another angel came out to meet him ⁴and said to him, “Run, and say to that young man, ‘Jerusalem will be inhabited like an unwalled village because it will have so many people and animals in it. ⁵I will be a wall of fire around it, declares the Lord. I will be the glory within it.’ 

⁶“Hurry, hurry! Flee from the land of the north, declares the Lord. I’ve scattered you to the four winds of heaven. ⁷Hurry, Zion! Escape, you inhabitants of Babylon! ⁸This is what the Lord of Armies says: Afterwards, the Glory sent me to the nations who looted you. Whoever touches you touches the apple of his eye. ⁹I’m going to shake my fist at the nations, and their own slaves will loot them. Then you will know that the Lord of Armies has sent me. ¹⁰Sing for joy and rejoice, people of Zion. I’m going to come and live among you, declares the Lord. ¹¹On that day many nations will join the Lord and become my people. I will live among you. Then you will know that the Lord of Armies has sent me to you. ¹²The Lord will claim Judah as his own in the holy land and will again choose Jerusalem. 

¹³“Everyone be silent in the presence of the Lord. He is waking up and setting out from his holy dwelling place.” 

3RD CHAPTER

The Lord Will Send His Servant, the Branch

¹Then he showed me Joshua, the chief priest, standing in front of the Messenger of the Lord. Satan the Accuser was standing at Joshua’s right side to accuse him. ²The Lord said to Satan, “I, the Lord, silence you, Satan! I, the Lord, who has chosen Jerusalem, silence you! Isn’t this man like a burning log snatched from a fire?” 

³Joshua was wearing filthy clothes and was standing in front of the Messenger. ⁴The Messenger said to those who were standing in front of him, “Remove Joshua’s filthy clothes.” Then he said to Joshua, “See, I have taken your sin away from you, and I will dress you in fine clothing.” 

⁵So I said, “Put a clean turban on his head.” They put a clean turban on his head and dressed him while the Messenger of the Lord was standing there. 

⁶The Messenger of the Lord advised Joshua, ⁷“This is what the Lord of Armies says: If you live according to my ways and follow my requirements, you will govern my temple and watch over my courtyards. Then I will give you free access to walk among those standing here. 

⁸“Listen, Chief Priest Joshua and your friends sitting with you. These men are a sign of things to come: I’m going to bring my servant, the Branch. 

⁹“Look at the stone I have set in front of Joshua. That one stone has seven eyes.^aI am engraving an inscription on it,” declares the Lord of Armies. “I will remove this land’s sin in a single day. ¹⁰On that day,” declares the Lord of Armies, “each of you will invite your neighbor to sit under your vine and fig tree.” 

4TH CHAPTER

The Lord’s House Will Be Rebuilt

¹The angel who was speaking with me returned and woke me up as one might wake up someone who is sleeping. ²He asked me, “What do you see?” 

I answered, “I see a solid gold lamp stand with a bowl on top and seven lamps on it. There are seven spouts for each lamp that is on top of it. ³There are also two olive trees beside it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.” 

⁴I asked the angel who was speaking with me, “What do these things mean, sir?” 

⁵Then the angel asked me, “Don’t you know what they mean?” 

“No, sir,” I answered. 

⁶Then he replied, “This is the word the Lord spoke to Zerubbabel: You won’t ⸤succeed⸥ by might or by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of Armies. ⁷What a high mountain you are! In front of Zerubbabel you will become a plain. He will bring out the topmost stone with shouts of ‘Blessings, blessings on it!’ ” 

⁸Then the Lord spoke his word to me. He said, ⁹“Zerubbabel’s hands have laid the foundation of this house, and his hands will finish it. Then you will know that the Lord of Armies has sent me to you. ¹⁰Who despised the day when little things began to happen? They will be delighted when they see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand. (These seven eyes of the Lord roam over all the earth.)” 

¹¹I asked the angel, “What do these two olive trees at the right and the left of the lamp stand mean?” ¹²Again I asked him, “What is the meaning of the two branches from the olive trees next to the two golden pipes that are pouring out gold?” 

¹³He asked me, “Don’t you know what these things mean?” 

“No, sir,” I answered. 

¹⁴So he said, “These are the two anointed ones who are standing beside the Lord of the whole earth.” 

5TH CHAPTER

Sinners Will Be Separated from the Lord’s People

¹I looked up again and saw a flying scroll. 

²The angel asked me, “What do you see?” 

“I see a flying scroll,” I answered. “It’s 30 feet long and 15 feet wide.” 

³Then he said to me, “This is a curse that will go out all over the earth. The one side of the scroll says that every thief will be forced away. The other side of the scroll says that everyone who takes an oath will be forced away. ⁴I will send out a curse, declares the Lord of Armies, and it will enter the houses of thieves and the houses of those who take oaths in my name. It will stay in their houses and destroy the timber and stone.” 

Wickedness Will Be Removed from the Land

⁵The angel who was speaking with me came forward. He said, “Look up, and see what’s coming.” 

⁶“What is it?” I asked. 

“A basket is coming,” he said. Then he added, “This is what the people’s sins look like all over the earth.”^a7A lead cover ⸤on the basket⸥ was raised, and a woman was sitting in the basket. ⁸The angel said, “This is wickedness,” and he pushed her back into the basket and forced the lead cover down on top of it. 

⁹I looked up and saw two women coming forward with wind in their wings. They had wings like those of a stork. They carried the basket into the sky. 

¹⁰I asked the angel who was speaking with me, “Where are they taking the basket?” 

¹¹He answered me, “They are going to build a house for it in Shinar ^[Babylonia^[. When the house is ready, they will set the basket there on a stand.”