The Lord Calls His People to Turn from Sin

1 In the eighth month of the second year of Darius, the Word of the Lord came to Zechariah the man of God, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, saying, ² “The Lord was very angry with your fathers. ³ So tell them, ‘The Lord of All says, “Return to Me, that I may return to you. ⁴ Do not be like your fathers. The men who spoke for Me in the past told them, ‘The Lord of All says, “Return from your sinful ways and from your sinful works.”’ But they did not listen to Me,” says the Lord. ⁵ “Where are your fathers now? And the men who spoke for Me, do they live forever? ⁶ I gave My Words and My Laws to your fathers through My servants who spoke for Me. But they would not listen and so they were punished. Then they were sorry for their sins and said, ‘The Lord of All has punished us for our ways and our works, as He said He would.’”’”

Zechariah Sees Horses during the Night

⁷ On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, the month of Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the Word of the Lord came to Zechariah the man of God, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo. ⁸ During the night while I was sleeping I saw a man traveling on a red horse. He was standing among the myrtle trees in the narrow valley, with red, brown, and white horses behind him. ⁹ I asked, “My lord, what are these?” And the angel who was speaking with me said, “I will show you what these are.” ¹⁰ So the man who was standing among the myrtle trees said, “These are the ones whom the Lord has sent to travel all over the earth to keep watch.” ¹¹ And they said to the angel of the Lord who was standing among the myrtle trees, “We have looked over all the earth, and saw that the whole earth is at rest and in peace.”

The Lord Comforts Jerusalem

¹² Then the angel of the Lord said, “O Lord of All, how long will You have no loving-pity for Jerusalem and the cities of Judah? You have been angry with them for seventy years now.” ¹³ And the Lord spoke kind and comforting words to the angel who was speaking with me. ¹⁴ So the angel who was speaking with me said to me, “Make this known: ‘The Lord of All says, “I am very jealous for Jerusalem and Zion. ¹⁵ But I am very angry with the nations who take it easy. When I was only a little angry, they added to the trouble.” ¹⁶ So the Lord says, “I will return to Jerusalem with loving-pity. My house will be built in it and all Jerusalem will be built again,” says the Lord of All. ¹⁷ Also make this known: ‘The Lord of All says, “My cities will again be filled with riches. The Lord will again comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem.”’”

Zechariah Sees Horns

¹⁸ Then I looked up and saw four horns. ¹⁹ So I said to the angel who was speaking with me, “What are these?” And he said, “These are the horns which have divided the people of Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.” ²⁰ Then the Lord showed me four workmen. ²¹ I said, “What are these coming to do?” And he said, “These are the horns which have sent the people of Judah everywhere, so that no man raised his head. But these workmen have come to make them afraid and to throw down the horns of the nations who have lifted up their horns against the land of Judah so the people would be sent everywhere.”

Zechariah Sees a String

2 Then I looked up and saw a man holding a string used to find the length of things. ² So I said, “Where are you going?” And he said to me, “To see how long and how wide Jerusalem is.” ³ Then the angel who was speaking with me was going out, and another angel was coming out to meet him, ⁴ and said to him, “Run, say to that young man, ‘Jerusalem will be a city without walls because of the many men and cattle in it. ⁵ For I will be a wall of fire around her,’ says the Lord. ‘And I will be the shining-greatness of her.’”

Joy to Come for Jerusalem

⁶ “Come, come, run from the land of the north!” says the Lord. “For I have sent you to the four winds of the heavens,” says the Lord. ⁷ “O Zion! Run away, you who are living with the people of Babylon.” ⁸ For the Lord of All says, “The Lord of shining-greatness has sent Me against the nations which have robbed you in battle. For whoever touches you, touches what is of great worth to Him. ⁹ I will wave My hand over them, and they will be taken by those who were made to serve them. Then you will know that the Lord of All has sent Me. ¹⁰ Sing for joy and be glad, O people of Zion. For I am coming and I will live among you,” says the Lord. ¹¹ “Many nations will be joined to the Lord in that day and will become My people. I will live among you, and you will know that the Lord of All has sent Me to you. ¹² The Lord will receive Judah as His share in the holy land, and will again choose Jerusalem. ¹³ All of you be quiet before the Lord. For He is coming from His holy place.”

Zechariah Sees a Religious Leader

3 Then he showed me Joshua the head religious leader standing before the angel of the Lord. And Satan was standing at his right side to blame him. ² The Lord said to Satan, “May the Lord’s Word be sharp against you, Satan! May the Lord who has chosen Jerusalem speak sharp words against you! Is not this a burning stick saved from the fire?” ³ Now Joshua was dressed in dirty clothes and standing in front of the angel. ⁴ The angel said to those who were standing in front of him, “Take off his dirty clothes.” And he said to him, “See, I have taken your sin away from you, and will dress you in beautiful clothes.” ⁵ Then I said, “Let them put a clean covering on his head.” So they put a clean covering on his head and dressed him in clothes, while the angel of the Lord was standing by.

⁶ The angel of the Lord told Joshua in strong words, ⁷ “The Lord of All says, ‘If you will walk in My ways and do My work, then you will rule My house and everything around it. And I will give you a place among these who are standing here. ⁸ Now listen, Joshua the head religious leader, and your friends who are sitting in front of you are men who show a part of the good things to come in the future. See, I am going to bring My Servant the Branch. ⁹ See the stone that I have set in front of Joshua. There are seven eyes on that one stone, and I will cut writings on it,’ says the Lord of All. ‘And I will take away the sin of that land in one day. ¹⁰ In that day,’ says the Lord of All, ‘every one of you will ask his neighbor to come sit under his vine and under his fig tree.’”

Zechariah Sees a Lamp-Stand

4 Then the angel who was speaking with me returned and woke me up like a man would be made to wake up from his sleep. ² He said to me, “What do you see?” And I said, “I see a gold lamp-stand with a cup at the top and seven lamps on it. And there are seven places to hold oil, one on the top of each of the lamps. ³ There are two olive trees by it, one on the right side of the cup and the other on its left side.” ⁴ Then I said to the angel who was speaking with me, “What are these, my lord?” ⁵ So the angel who was speaking with me said, “Do you not know what these are?” And I said, “No, my lord.”

God’s Promise to Zechariah

⁶ Then he said to me, “This is the Word of the Lord to Zerubbabel saying, ‘Not by strength nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of All. ⁷ ‘What are you, O great mountain? In front of Zerubbabel you will become a plain. Then he will bring out the top stone and call out, “May God give it loving-favor!”’” ⁸ Also the Word of the Lord came to me saying, ⁹ “Zerubbabel’s hands have laid the first stones of this house, and his hands will finish it. Then you will know that the Lord of All has sent me to you. ¹⁰ Who has hated the day of small things? Men will be glad when they see Zerubbabel building the walls of the Lord’s house. These seven are the eyes of the Lord which travel over all the earth.”

¹¹ Then I said to him, “What are these two olive trees on the right and left sides of the lamp-stand?” ¹² A second time I said to him, “What are the two olive branches beside the two gold places that hold the oil to be poured out?” ¹³ He answered me saying, “Do you not know what these are?” And I said, “No, my lord.” ¹⁴ Then he said, “These are the two who are set apart to serve the Lord of All the earth.”

Zechariah Sees a Flying Book

5 I looked up again and saw a flying book. ² And the angel said to me, “What do you see?” I said, “I see a flying book, as long as ten long steps and as wide as five long steps.” ³ Then he said to me, “This is the curse that is going out over all the land. Everyone who steals will be cut off by what is written on one side. And everyone who swears will be cut off by what is written on the other side. ⁴ I will send it out,” says the Lord of All, “and it will go into the house of the robber and the house of the one who makes false promises using My name. It will spend the night in that house and destroy it, both its wood and stones.”

Zechariah Sees a Woman in a Basket

⁵ Then the angel who was speaking with me came out and said to me, “Look up and see what this is that is going out.” ⁶ And I said, “What is it?” He said, “This is the large basket going out.” And he said, “This is the sin of all the people in all the land.” ⁷ Then the lead cover was lifted up, and there was a woman sitting in the large basket. ⁸ The angel said, “This is Sin!” And he threw her back into the basket and threw the lead weight on its opening. ⁹ Then I looked up and saw two women coming out with the wind in their wings. They had wings like the wings of a stork. And they lifted up the large basket between earth and heaven. ¹⁰ I said to the angel who was speaking with me, “Where are they taking the basket?” ¹¹ He said to me, “To build a house for it in the land of Shinar. When it is ready, it will be put in its place.”

Zechariah Sees Four War-Wagons

6 I looked up again and saw four war-wagons coming out from between the two mountains. The mountains were made of brass. ² The first war-wagon had red horses. The second war-wagon had black horses. ³ The third war-wagon had white horses, and the fourth war-wagon had strong horses with spots. ⁴ Then I said to the angel who was speaking with me, “What are these, my lord?” ⁵ The angel said to me, “These are the four spirits of heaven, going away from standing before the Lord of All the earth. ⁶ The war-wagon with the black horses is going toward the north country. The white ones follow them. And the horses with spots go toward the south country. ⁷ When the strong horses went out, they were in a hurry to look over all the earth.” And he said, “Go, look over all the earth.” So they went over the whole earth. ⁸ Then he called to me, “See, those who are going to the land of the north have given My Spirit rest in the north country.”

The Crown on Joshua

⁹ The Word of the Lord came to me saying, ¹⁰ “Take the gifts from Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah, who have returned from Babylon. And go the same day to the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah. ¹¹ Take the silver and gold and make a crown, and set it on the head of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the head religious leader. ¹² Then tell him, ‘The Lord of All says, “See, the man whose name is the Branch, for He will branch out from where He is. And He will build the house of the Lord. ¹³ Yes, He is the One Who will build the house of the Lord. He will be honored as King, and sit and rule on His throne. And He will be a religious leader on His throne, and there will be peace between the two.”’ ¹⁴ The crown will be in the Lord’s house, that people may remember Helem, Tobijah, Jedaiah, and Hen the son of Zephaniah. ¹⁵ Those who are far away will come to build the house of the Lord. Then you will know that the Lord of All has sent me to you. This will happen if you are careful to obey the Lord your God.”

It Is Better to Obey Than Go without Food

7 In the fourth year of King Darius, the Word of the Lord came to Zechariah. This was on the fourth day of the ninth month, the month of Chislev. ² Now the people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regemmelech and their men to ask for the Lord’s favor. ³ They asked the religious leaders of the house of the Lord of All, and the men who speak for God, “Should I cry and go without food in the fifth month, as I have done these many years?” ⁴ Then the Word of the Lord of All came to me saying, ⁵ “Say to all the people of the land and to the religious leaders, ‘When you went without food and cried in sorrow in the fifth and seventh months these 70 years, was it to honor Me? ⁶ When you eat and drink, do you not eat and drink for yourselves? ⁷ Are not these the words the Lord made known through the men who spoke for Him in the past? They spoke these words when Jerusalem was full of people and riches, together with the cities around it, and when the Negev and the lower hills were full of people.’”

People Taken Away Because Of Not Obeying

⁸ Then the Word of the Lord came to Zechariah saying, ⁹ “The Lord of All said, ‘Do what is right and be kind and show loving-pity to one another. ¹⁰ Do not make it hard for the woman whose husband has died, or the child who has no parents, or the stranger, or the poor. Do not make sinful plans in your hearts against one another.’ ¹¹ But they would not listen. They turned away and stopped their ears from hearing. ¹² They made their hearts like hard stone, so that they could not hear the Law and the words which the Lord of All had sent by His Spirit through the men who spoke for Him in the past. So the Lord of All became very angry. ¹³ When I called, they would not listen. So when they called, I would not listen,” says the Lord of All. ¹⁴ “With the wind of a storm I sent them everywhere among all the nations that they had not known. The land was laid waste behind them, so that no one could come or go. They turned the good land into an empty waste.”