In the eighth month of the second year of the reign of Darius, this message from the LORD came to Berechiah's son Zechariah, the grandson of Iddo the prophet:

"The LORD was very angry with your ancestors.

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.'

"Your ancestors where are they? And the prophets do they live forever?

But 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.'"

On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month (the month Shebat) in the second year of the reign of Darius, this message from the LORD came to Berechiah's son Zechariah, the grandson of Iddo the prophet:

"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."

Then I asked, "Who are these, sir?" The messenger who was talking to me answered, "I will tell you who these are."

The man who stood among the myrtle trees answered, "These are the ones whom the LORD sent out to wander throughout the earth."

I am deeply angry with the nations who are complacent, with whom I was only a little displeased but they made things worse!"

I 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."

Then 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."

I asked, "Where are you going?" He responded, "To measure Jerusalem in order to determine its width and length."

""Come now, Zion! Escape, you who are living with the residents of Babylon.

"Sing and rejoice, daughter of Zion! Take note! I am coming to live in your midst," declares the LORD.

"Many nations will cling to the LORD at that time and will become my people. I will live in your midst, and you will know that the LORD of the Heavenly Armies has sent me to you.

So the angel continued to tell those who were standing in his presence, "Remove his filthy clothes." And he told Joshua, "Look how I've removed your iniquity. Now I'm clothing you with fine garments."

""Listen, High Priest Joshua, you and those companions of yours who sit with you, for these men are a sign that I am presenting my servant, the Branch.

Look, the stone that I put in place in Joshua's presence on that one stone are seven eyes. And look, I will do the engraving myself,' declares the LORD of the Heavenly Armies, "and I will remove the perversity of that land in a single day.

At that time,' declares the LORD of the Heavenly Armies, "you will invite each of your neighbors to join you under the vine and fig tree.'"

So I said, "I have been watching and look! there is a menorah made completely of gold with a bowl on top of it. And there are seven lights on it, along with seven feeder channels to the lamps, which are also on top of it. Two olive trees are near it, one on the right side of the bowl and one on the left."

Then I asked the angel who had been speaking with me, "Sir, what are these?"

"Who are you, great mountain? You will become a plain in Zerubbabel's presence, and he will position the capstone, exulting over it, "How beautiful! How beautiful!"'"

For who has despised the time of insignificant things? They will rejoice to see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. These seven lights represent the eyes of the LORD, which are looking throughout all of the earth."

Then I asked the angel, "What are these two olive trees, one on the right of the menorah and one on the left?"

I also asked him a second question: "What are these two olive branches on either side of the two golden feeder channels that carry the golden oil to the seven lights?"

The angel replied, "You don't know what these are, do you?" I responded to him, "No, sir."

He said, "These are the two anointed ones, who stand continuously beside the Lord of the whole earth."

So I asked the angel who was talking to me, "Where are they taking the basket?"

He answered me, "To the land of Shinar, so they can build a temple to the woman in the basket. Then when its preparations are complete, the basket will be set there in its place."

Then I looked up and saw four chariots coming out from between two mountains! And the mountains were made of brass!

Attached to the first chariot were red horses. Attached to the second chariot were black horses.

Attached to the third chariot were white horses. Attached to the fourth chariot were speckled horses and gray horses.

In response, I asked the angel who had been talking with me, "Sir, what are these?"

The angel told me, "These are four heavenly spirits that are going out on patrol after having presented themselves to the Lord of the whole earth.

The black horses are headed into the north country, and the white ones are headed out after them. The speckled horses are headed toward the south country."

Then the gray horses went out. They were eager to go out on patrol throughout the earth, so the angel said, "Go patrol the earth." So they went out on patrol throughout the earth.

Then tell him, "This is what the LORD of the Heavenly Armies says: "Here is the man whose name is The Branch. He will branch out from where he is and will rebuild the Temple of the LORD.

Those who are now far away will come and do reconstruction work in the Temple of the LORD. Then you will know that the LORD of the Heavenly Armies has sent me to you. This will come about if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God."'"

During the fourth year of the reign of King Darius, a message from the LORD came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month Kislev.

The people of Bethel were sending Sharezer, Regem-melech, and their men to pray in the LORD's presence

"Talk to everyone in the land, as well as to the priests. Ask them, "When you were fasting and mourning during the fifth and seventh months for the past seventy years, were you really fasting for me?

And when you eat and drink, you're eating and drinking for your own benefit, aren't you?

Isn't this what the LORD proclaimed through the former prophets, when a prosperous Jerusalem was inhabited, as were its surrounding cities, the Negev, and the Shephelah?'"

You are not to wrong the widow, orphans, the foreigner, or the poor, and you are not to plan evil against each other.

"I will scatter them to all of the nations, which they have not known.'" Now the earth was left desolate after them. As a result, no one came or went because they had turned a pleasant land into a desert.

"This is what the LORD of the Heavenly Armies says: "Be strong so the Temple can be built, you who are now listening to this message spoken by the prophets when the foundation was laid to the Temple of the LORD of the Heavenly Armies.

Before then, everyone was unemployed even the draft animals and no one was safe coming or going because of the enemy, because I caused everyone to oppose each other.

"This is what the LORD of the Heavenly Armies says: "Just as I intended to bring harm to you when your ancestors angered me,' says the LORD of the Heavenly Armies, "and I did not relent,

Here's what you must do: tell the truth to your neighbors, administer true and peaceful justice in your courtrooms,

don't plot evil in your heart against a neighbor, and don't tolerate false testimonies, because I hate all these things,' declares the LORD."

Also Hamath, which borders on it along with Tyre and Sidon indeed they are very wise.

I will remove the blood from its mouth, along with its abominations from between its teeth. Its survivors will be dedicated to our God; It will be like a clan of Judah, and Ekron will be as a Jebusite.

"Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion; cry out, daughter of Jerusalem! Look! Your king is coming to you. He is righteous, and he is able to save. He is humble, and is riding on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

I will banish chariots from Ephraim and horses from Jerusalem. War weapons will be banished, and your king will speak peace to the nations. His dominion will extend from sea to sea, and from the River to the farthest portion of the earth.

Now concerning you and my blood covenant with you, I have liberated your prisoners from a waterless pit.

Return to your fortress, you prisoners who have hope. Even today I am telling you: In return I will repay you double.

For I have bent Judah as if it were my bow, loading it with Ephraim. I raised up your sons, Zion, against your sons, Greece, wielding you like a mighty warrior's sword."

The LORD will appear over them his arrow will shoot like lightning. The Lord GOD will blow the trumpet, and go out with the southern windstorm.

The LORD of the Heavenly Armies will defend them; they will devour and conquer those who sling stones. They will drink and be boisterous like those who are drunk. They will be filled to the brim with blood, like the corners of the altar.

The LORD their God will save them at that time as his very own flock of people, because they are his crown jewels, exalted throughout his land.

"Against the shepherds my anger rises I am punishing the leaders also, because the LORD of the Heavenly Armies has visited his flock, the house of Judah, appointing them as his royal war horse for battle.

I will whistle for them, gathering them together, because I have redeemed them, and they will multiply as they were before.

Open your doors, Lebanon, and fire will consume your cedars.

Wail, cypress tree, for the cedar has fallen while the stately trees are destroyed. Wail, oak trees of Bashan, for the old growth forest has been cut down.

So I said, "I will no longer be your shepherd. Let those who are about to die perish, and let what is about to be destroyed be destroyed. As for the survivors, let them devour each other."

It was broken at that time so the oppressed of the flock who were observing me would know that it had been a message from the LORD.

The leaders of Judah will say to themselves, "Those who live in Jerusalem are my strength through the LORD of the Heavenly Armies, their God."

"At that time, I will make the leaders of Judah like a brazier filled with blazing wood, or like a torch setting fire to harvested grain. They will devour all the invading armies, both on the right hand and on the left. As a result, Jerusalem will again be inhabited in its rightful place as the real Jerusalem.'"

It will also come about that if any man would dare to prophesy, then his father and his mother who bore him will respond to him, "You will not live, because you are speaking lies in the name of the LORD.' Then his father and mother who bore him will stab him for prophesying.

Furthermore, it will come about at that time that every prophet will become ashamed of his vision as he prophesies. They will wear no rough garments intended to deceive others."

"Someone will say to him, "What are these injuries to your hands?' "He will reply, ""what I received at my friend's house.'

"Look! A day is coming for the LORD, when your plunder will be divided among you.

Then the LORD will go out to battle against those nations, waging war as in a day of battle.

The entire land will become like the Arabah plain from Geba to Rimmon, south of Jerusalem. It will be raised up and inhabited where it is, from the Gate of Benjamin to the First Gate, then to the Corner Gate, to the Hananel Tower, and to the king's winepresses.

"It will come about that all of the survivors of the nations who came against Jerusalem will come there from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of the Heavenly Armies, and to observe the Festival of Tents.