Zechariah 1

In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the LORD unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying,

In the second year of King Darius' reign, during the eighth month, God spoke to Zechariah, the prophet Iddo's grandson, and Berechiah's son, with a message.

The LORD hath been sore displeased with your fathers.

The Lord was deeply upset with your ancestors.

Therefore 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.

So tell them this, says the Lord Almighty: Come back to me, says the Lord Almighty, and I will come back to you.

Be 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 evil doings: but they did not hear, nor hearken unto me, saith the LORD.

Don't follow the mistakes of your ancestors who ignored the prophets' warnings. God pleaded with them to abandon their wicked ways, but they didn't listen.

Your fathers, where are they? and the prophets, do they live for ever?

Where are your ancestors now? And the prophets, do they live eternally?

But 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.

But didn't my words and my laws, which I gave through my servants the prophets, catch up with your ancestors? Then they turned back and admitted that the Lord Almighty had dealt with them just as he planned, as their ways and their actions deserved.

Upon the four and twentieth day of the eleventh month, which is the month Sebat, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the LORD unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying,

On the 24th day of the 11th month, in Darius' second year, God's message came to Zechariah, Berechiah's son and Iddo's grandson, who was a prophet.

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.

In the quiet of the night, I saw a man, strong and mysterious, astride a fiery red horse. He stood amidst the fragrant myrtle trees in the valley, a vision of power and majesty. Behind him, a sea of horses - red, dappled, and pure white - echoed his silent command.

Then said I, O my lord, what are these? And the angel that talked with me said unto me, I will shew thee what these be.

I asked, "My Lord, what are these?" The angel speaking to me replied, "I will explain what these are."

And 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.

The man standing amidst the myrtle trees responded, "These are the ones God has dispatched to journey across the earth."

And 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.

They responded to the Lord's angel standing among the myrtle trees, saying, "We've journeyed across the world, and see, the entire earth is calm and peaceful."

Then 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?

The angel of the LORD pleaded, "O LORD, when will your mercy return to Jerusalem and the cities of Judah? How much longer will your anger last, after seventy long years?"

And the LORD answered the angel that talked with me with good words and comfortable words.

The Lord responded to the angel speaking to me, with words of kindness and comfort.

So 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.

The angel speaking to me urged, "Express this message from the Lord Almighty: He feels a deep, passionate longing for Jerusalem and Zion."

And 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.

I am fiercely angry with the nations that live comfortably and at ease: I was only a little angry with my people, but they went further and made their suffering worse.

Therefore 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 forth upon Jerusalem.

The Lord declares, "I have returned to Jerusalem with compassion. My home will be rebuilt here," says the Lord Almighty, "and Jerusalem will be marked out for growth."

Cry 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.

Proclaim this too, for the Lord Almighty declares: My cities will again flourish and overflow with prosperity. The Lord will again bring comfort to Zion and choose Jerusalem.

Then lifted I up mine eyes, and saw, and behold four horns.

I raised my gaze, and to my surprise, I saw four horns standing before me.

And 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.

I asked the angel speaking to me, "What are these?" He replied, "These are the forces that have torn apart Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem."

And the LORD shewed me four carpenters.

The Lord revealed to me four craftsmen, brimming with purpose.

Then 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.

I asked, "What are these coming to do?" The answer came, "Those horns are the forces that have torn Judah apart, leaving no one standing tall. But these craftsmen have come to terrify them and throw down the horns of the nations that used their power against Judah to scatter it."