1In the eighth month of the second year of the reign of Darius, the word of the Lord came to Berekiah's son Zechariah, the grandson of Iddo the prophet:H8066H2320H8147H8141H1867H1697H3068H2148H1121H1296H1121H5714H5030H5592"The Lord was very angry with your ancestors.H3068H7110H7107H13So tell them, 'This is what the Lord of the Heavenly Armies says: "Return to me," declares the Lord of the Heavenly Armies, "and I will return to you."H559H559H3068H6635H7725H5002H3068H6635H7725H559H3068H66354"Don't be like your ancestors, to whom the former prophets proclaimed: 'This is what the Lord of the Heavenly Armies says: "It's time to turn from your evil lifestyles and from your evil actions,"' but they would neither listen nor pay attention to me," declares the Lord.'H1H7223H5030H7121H559H559H3068H6635H7725H7451H1870H7451H4611H8085H7181H5002H30685"Your ancestors - where are they?And the prophets - do they live forever -H1H5030H2421H57696But my words and my statutes that I gave as commands to my servants the prophets - did they not overwhelm your ancestors?And they returned to me: 'The Lord of the Heavenly Armies acted toward us just as he planned to do - in keeping with our lifestyles and in keeping with our actions.'"H1697H2706H6680H5650H5030H5381H1H7725H559H3068H6635H2161H6213H1870H4611H6213
The Vision of Horses
7On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month (the month Shebat) in the second year of the reign of Darius, the word of the Lord came to Berekiah's son Zechariah, the grandson of Iddo the prophet,H702H6242H3117H6249H6240H2320H2320H7627H8147H8141H1867H1697H3068H2148H1121H1296H1121H5714H5030H5598"I stared into the night, and there was a man mounted on a red horse! The horse was standing among the myrtle trees in a ravine. Behind him there were red, brown, and white horses.H7200H3915H376H7392H122H5483H5975H1918H4699H310H122H5483H8320H38369Then I asked, "Who are these, sir? The messenger who was talking to me answered, "I will tell you who these are."H559H113H4397H1696H559H720010The man who stood among the myrtle trees answered, "These are the ones whom the Lord sent out to wander throughout the earth."H376H5975H1918H6030H559H3068H7971H1980H77611Then they reported to the angel of the Lord who stood among the myrtle trees, "We have wandered throughout the earth - and look! - the entire earth is at rest. Everything is quiet and peaceful."H6030H4397H3068H5975H1918H559H1980H776H776H3427H825212And the angel of the Lord replied, "Lord of the Heavenly Armies, how long will it be until you show mercy to Jerusalem and to the cities of Judah, with whom you have been angry for these past seventy years?H4397H3068H6030H559H3068H6635H7355H3389H5892H3063H2194H7657H814113So the Lord answered the angel who was speaking to me with kind and comforting words.H3068H6030H4397H1696H2896H1697H5150H1697
The Lord’s Concern for Zion
14Then the angel who was speaking to me said to me, "Announce this: "'This is what the Lord of the Heavenly Armies says: "I have a deep concern for Jerusalem, a great concern for Zion.H4397H1696H559H7121H559H559H3068H6635H7065H3389H6726H1419H706815I am deeply angry with the nations who are complacent, with whom I was only a little displeased - but they made things worse!"H1419H7110H7107H1471H7600H4592H7107H5826H745116"'Therefore this is what the Lord says: "I have returned to Jerusalem with compassionate intentions. My temple will be rebuilt there," declares the Lord of the Heavenly Armies, "and the measuring line will be stretched out over Jerusalem."H559H3068H7725H3389H7356H1004H1129H5002H3068H6635H6957H6961H5186H3389
The Future Prosperity of Zion
17"Also announce the following: "'This is what the Lord of the Heavenly Armies says: "My cities will again overflow with prosperity. The Lord will comfort Zion once more and will choose Jerusalem again."'"H7121H559H559H3068H6635H5892H2896H6327H3068H5162H6726H977H3389
The Vision of Four Horns
18Then I looked up and saw four horns.H5375H5869H7200H702H716119I asked the angel who was talking to me, "What are those? So he answered me, "Those are the forces that have dispersed Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem."H559H4397H1696H559H7161H2219H3063H3478H3389
The Vision of Four Artisans
20Then the Lord showed me four artisans.1H3068H7200H702H279621Then I asked, "What have they come to do? He answered, "Those horns that dispersed Judah - so that no one could lift up his head - those artisans are coming to disrupt the power of nations, tearing them down now that they've come to power and dispersed the land of Judah.H559H935H6213H559H559H7161H2219H3063H6310H376H5375H7218H935H2729H3034H7161H1471H5375H7161H776H3063H2219