1 In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of theLordunto Zechariah the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, the prophet, saying,
2 TheLordhath been sore displeased with your fathers.
3 Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith theLordof hosts: Return unto me, saith theLordof hosts, and I will return unto you, saith theLordof hosts.
4 Be ye not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets cried, saying, Thus saith theLordof hosts, Return ye now from your evil ways, and from your evil doings: but they did not hear, nor hearken unto me, saith theLord.
5 Your fathers, where are they? and the prophets, do they live for ever?
6 But 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 theLordof hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways, and according to our doings, so hath he dealt with us.
7 Upon the four and twentieth day of the eleventh month, which is the month Shebat, in the second year of Darius, came the word of theLordunto Zechariah the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, the prophet, saying,
8 I saw in the 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 there were horses, red, sorrel, and white.
9 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.
10 And the man that stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, These are they whom theLordhath sent to walk to and fro through the earth.
11 And they answered the angel of theLordthat 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.
12 Then the angel of theLordanswered and said, OLordof 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?
13 And theLordanswered the angel that talked with me with good words,evencomfortable words.
14 So the angel that talked with me said unto me, Cry thou, saying, Thus saith theLordof hosts: I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy.
15 And I am very sore displeased with the nations that are at ease: for I was but a little displeased, and they helped forward the affliction.
16 Therefore thus saith theLord: I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies; my house shall be built in it, saith theLordof hosts, and a line shall be stretched forth over Jerusalem.
17 Cry yet again, saying, Thus saith theLordof hosts: My cities through prosperity shall yet be spread abroad; and theLordshall yet comfort Zion, and shall yet choose Jerusalem.
18 And I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and behold four horns.
19 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.
20 And theLordshewed me four smiths.
21 Then said I, What come these to do? And he spake, saying, These are the horns which scattered Judah, so that no man did lift up his head: but these are come to fray them, to cast down the horns of the nations, which lifted up their horn against the land of Judah to scatter it.