3:1 Next I saw Joshua the high priest 1 standing before the angel of the Lord, with Satan 2 standing at his right hand to accuse him.
9:1 An oracle of the word of the Lord concerning the land of Hadrach, 3 with its focus on Damascus: 4
The eyes of all humanity, 5 especially of the tribes of Israel, are toward the Lord, 9:2 as are those of Hamath also, which adjoins Damascus, and Tyre 6 and Sidon, 7 though they consider themselves to be very wise. 9:3 Tyre built herself a fortification and piled up silver like dust and gold like the mud of the streets! 9:4 Nevertheless the Lord will evict her and shove her fortifications 8 into the sea – she will be consumed by fire. 9:5 Ashkelon will see and be afraid; Gaza will be in great anguish, as will Ekron, for her hope will have been dried up. 9 Gaza will lose her king, and Ashkelon will no longer be inhabited. 9:6 A mongrel people will live in Ashdod, for I will greatly humiliate the Philistines. 9:7 I will take away their abominable religious practices; 10 then those who survive will become a community of believers in our God, 11 like a clan in Judah, and Ekron will be like the Jebusites. 9:8 Then I will surround my temple 12 to protect it like a guard 13 from anyone crossing back and forth; so no one will cross over against them anymore as an oppressor, for now I myself have seen it.
9:9 Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion!
Shout, daughter of Jerusalem!
Look! Your king is coming to you:
he is legitimate 14 and victorious, 15
humble and riding on a donkey 16 –
on a young donkey, the foal of a female donkey.
9:10 I will remove 17 the chariot from Ephraim
and the warhorse from Jerusalem,
and the battle bow will be removed.
Then he will announce peace to the nations.
His dominion will be from sea to sea
and from the Euphrates River 18 to the ends of the earth.
9:11 Moreover, as for you, because of our covenant relationship secured with blood, I will release your prisoners from the waterless pit. 9:12 Return to the stronghold, you prisoners, with hope; today I declare that I will return double what was taken from you. 9:13 I will bend Judah as my bow; I will load the bow with Ephraim, my arrow! 19 I will stir up your sons, Zion, against yours, Greece, and I will make you, Zion, 20 like a warrior’s sword.
9:14 Then the Lord will appear above them, and his arrow will shoot forth like lightning; the Lord God will blow the trumpet and will sally forth on the southern storm winds. 9:15 The Lord who rules over all will guard them, and they will prevail and overcome with sling stones. Then they will drink, and will become noisy like drunkards, 21 full like the sacrificial basin or like the corners of the altar. 22 9:16 On that day the Lord their God will deliver them as the flock of his people, for they are the precious stones of a crown sparkling over his land. 9:17 How precious and fair! 23 Grain will make the young men flourish and new wine the young women.
1:16 “‘Therefore,’ says the Lord, ‘I have become compassionate 30 toward Jerusalem 31 and will rebuild my temple 32 in it,’ says the Lord who rules over all. ‘Once more a surveyor’s measuring line will be stretched out over Jerusalem.’ 1:17 Speak up again with the message of the Lord who rules over all: ‘My cities will once more overflow with prosperity, and once more the Lord will comfort Zion and validate his choice of Jerusalem.’”
1:18 (2:1) 33 Once again I looked and this time I saw four horns. 1:19 So I asked the angelic messenger 34 who spoke with me, “What are these?” He replied, “These are the horns 35 that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.” 36 1:20 Next the Lord showed me four blacksmiths. 37 1:21 I asked, “What are these going to do?” He answered, “These horns are the ones that have scattered Judah so that there is no one to be seen. 38 But the blacksmiths have come to terrify Judah’s enemies 39 and cut off the horns of the nations that have thrust themselves against the land of Judah in order to scatter its people.” 40
1:1 In the eighth month of Darius’ 41 second year, 42 the word of the Lord came to the prophet Zechariah, 43 son of Berechiah son of Iddo, as follows:
1:1 In the eighth month of Darius’ 44 second year, 45 the word of the Lord came to the prophet Zechariah, 46 son of Berechiah son of Iddo, as follows:
1:2 The Lord was very angry with your ancestors. 47 1:3 Therefore say to the people: 48 The Lord who rules over all 49 says, “Turn 50 to me,” says the Lord who rules over all, “and I will turn to you,” says the Lord who rules over all. 1:4 “Do not be like your ancestors, to whom the former prophets called out, saying, ‘The Lord who rules over all says, “Turn now from your evil wickedness,”’ but they would by no means obey me,” says the Lord. 1:5 “As for your ancestors, where are they? And did the prophets live forever? 1:6 But have my words and statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, not outlived your fathers? 51 Then they paid attention 52 and confessed, ‘The Lord who rules over all has indeed done what he said he would do to us, because of our sinful ways.’”
1:7 On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, the month Shebat, in Darius’ second year, 53 the word of the Lord came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berechiah son of Iddo, as follows:
1:8 I was attentive that night and saw a man seated 54 on a red horse that stood among some myrtle trees 55 in the ravine. Behind him were red, sorrel, 56 and white horses.
1:9 Then I asked one nearby, “What are these, sir?” The angelic messenger 57 who replied to me said, “I will show you what these are.” 1:10 Then the man standing among the myrtle trees spoke up and said, “These are the ones whom the Lord has sent to walk about 58 on the earth.” 1:11 The riders then agreed with the angel of the Lord, 59 who was standing among the myrtle trees, “We have been walking about on the earth, and now everything is at rest and quiet.” 1:12 The angel of the Lord then asked, “Lord who rules over all, 60 how long before you have compassion on Jerusalem 61 and the other cities of Judah which you have been so angry with for these seventy years?” 62 1:13 The Lord then addressed good, comforting words to the angelic messenger who was speaking to me. 1:14 Turning to me, the messenger then said, “Cry out that the Lord who rules over all says, ‘I am very much moved 63 for Jerusalem and for Zion. 1:15 But I am greatly displeased with the nations that take my grace for granted. 64 I was a little displeased with them, but they have only made things worse for themselves.
1:16 “‘Therefore,’ says the Lord, ‘I have become compassionate 65 toward Jerusalem 66 and will rebuild my temple 67 in it,’ says the Lord who rules over all. ‘Once more a surveyor’s measuring line will be stretched out over Jerusalem.’ 1:17 Speak up again with the message of the Lord who rules over all: ‘My cities will once more overflow with prosperity, and once more the Lord will comfort Zion and validate his choice of Jerusalem.’”
1:18 (2:1) 68 Once again I looked and this time I saw four horns. 1:19 So I asked the angelic messenger 69 who spoke with me, “What are these?” He replied, “These are the horns 70 that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.” 71 1:20 Next the Lord showed me four blacksmiths. 72 1:21 I asked, “What are these going to do?” He answered, “These horns are the ones that have scattered Judah so that there is no one to be seen. 73 But the blacksmiths have come to terrify Judah’s enemies 74 and cut off the horns of the nations that have thrust themselves against the land of Judah in order to scatter its people.” 75
6:1 Once more I looked, and this time I saw four chariots emerging from between two mountains of bronze. 76 6:2 Harnessed to the first chariot were red horses, to the second black horses, 6:3 to the third white horses, and to the fourth spotted horses, all of them strong. 77 6:4 Then I asked the angelic messenger 78 who was speaking with me, “What are these, sir?” 6:5 The messenger replied, “These are the four spirits 79 of heaven that have been presenting themselves before the Lord of all the earth. 6:6 The chariot with the black horses is going to the north country and the white ones are going after them, but the spotted ones are going to the south country. 6:7 All these strong ones 80 are scattering; they have sought permission to go and walk about over the earth.” The Lord had said, “Go! Walk about over the earth!” So they are doing so. 6:8 Then he cried out to me, “Look! The ones going to the northland have brought me 81 peace about the northland.” 82
6:9 The word of the Lord came to me as follows: 6:10 “Choose some people 83 from among the exiles, namely, Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah, all of whom have come from Babylon, and when you have done so go to the house of Josiah son of Zephaniah. 84 6:11 Then take some silver and gold to make a crown 85 and set it on the head of Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest. 6:12 Then say to him, ‘The Lord who rules over all says, “Look – here is the man whose name is Branch, 86 who will sprout up from his place and build the temple of the Lord. 6:13 Indeed, he will build the temple of the Lord, and he will be clothed in splendor, sitting as king on his throne. Moreover, there will be a priest 87 with him on his throne and they will see eye to eye on everything. 6:14 The crown will then be turned over to Helem, 88 Tobijah, Jedaiah, and Hen 89 son of Zephaniah as a memorial in the temple of the Lord. 6:15 Then those who are far away 90 will come and build the temple of the Lord so that you may know that the Lord who rules over all has sent me to you. This will all come to pass if you completely obey the voice of the Lord your God.”’”