therefore shalt thou say unto them, Thus, saith Yahweh of hosts, Return ye unto me, urgeth Yahweh of hosts, - that I may return unto you, saith Yahweh of hosts.

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.'"

I saw by night, and behold, a man riding upon a red horse, and he stood among the myrtle-trees that were in the low valley; and behind him were red, bay, and white horses.

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

And the man that stood among the myrtle-trees answered and said, These are they whom Jehovah hath sent to walk to and fro through the earth.

And they answered the angel of Jehovah 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.

And the messenger of Jehovah answereth and saith, 'Jehovah of Hosts! till when dost Thou not pity Jerusalem, and the cities of Judah, that Thou hast abhorred these seventy years?'

And Jehovah answered the angel that talked with me good words, comforting words.

And the angel that talked with me said unto me, Cry, saying, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy,

And {I am extremely angry} with the nations that are at ease, for [while] I was a little angry, they {furthered disaster}."

Therefore thus sayeth the LORD: I will turn me again in mercy toward Jerusalem, so that my house shall be builded in it, sayeth the LORD of Hosts: yea and the plummet shall be laid abroad in Jerusalem, sayeth the LORD of Hosts.'

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."

Then said I, 'Whither goest thou?' And he said unto me, 'To measure Jerusalem, that I may see how long and how broad it is.'

Look! That angel who was talking to me left, and another angel came forward to meet him.

That other angel told him, "Run and tell that young man: "Jerusalem will be an inhabited city without walls due to the number of people and livestock within it.

Ho! escape, Zion, that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon.

For thus saith Jehovah of hosts: After the glory, hath he sent me unto the nations that made you a spoil; for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye.

And look, I will shake my fist over them, and they will become plunder for their former slaves. And you will know that the LORD of the Heavenly Armies sent me."'"

"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.

And Jehovah said unto Satan, Jehovah rebuke thee, O Satan! Yea, Jehovah that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee! Is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?

And he spoke and said unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from off him. And unto him he said, See, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I clothe thee with festival-robes.

"Thus says Yahweh of hosts: 'If you will walk in my ways, and if you will keep my requirements, then you will judge my house, and you will also guard my courtyards, and I will give to you passageways among these that are standing here.

""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.'"

And the angel that talked with me came again, and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep.

And he said to me, "What do you see?" And I said, "I see, and look, {a lampstand all of gold}, and a bowl [was] on its top, and its seven lamps on it, and seven lips on [each of] the lamps that [are] on its top.

And I answered and spoke to the angel that talked with me, saying, What are these, my lord?

And the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowest thou not what these are? And I said, No, my lord.

What art thou, thou great mountain, before Zerubbabel? Thou must be made even. And he shall bring up the first stone so that men shall cry unto him, 'Good luck, good luck!''

"Zerubbabel's hands have laid the foundation of this Temple, and his hands will finish it, so that you will know that the LORD of the Heavenly Armies has sent me to all of you.

For he that hath been despised a little season, shall rejoice, when he seeth the tin weight in Zerubbabel's hand. The seven eyes are the LORD's, which go through the whole world.'

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?"

And he said, These are the two sons of oil, that stand before the Lord of the whole earth.

He responded to me, "This is the curse that is going out over the surface of the whole earth, because, according to this side of the scroll, all thieves will be ejected, and according to the other side of the scroll, all liars will be ejected."

"I am bringing this about," declares the LORD of the Heavenly Armies. "The curse will enter the house of the thief and the house of the one who lies in my name. The curse will remain in his house until that house has been completely destroyed, right down to its timber and stones."

And the angel that talked with me went forth, and said unto me, Lift up now thine eyes, and see what is this that goeth forth.

And I said, What is it? And he said, This is the ephah that goeth forth. And he said, This is their resemblance in all the land.

And behold, there was lifted up a round plate of lead; and this is a woman that sitteth in the midst of the ephah.

And I said to the angel that talked with me, Whither do these carry the ephah?

“To build a shrine for it in the land of Shinar,” he told me. “When that is ready, the basket will be placed there on its pedestal.”

And I answered and said to the angel [that was] talking to me, "What [are] these, my lord?"

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.

That in which are the black horses goeth forth into the north country; and the white go forth after them; and the grisled go forth towards the south country;

and the strong go forth, and seek to go that they may walk to and fro through the earth. And he said, Go, walk to and fro through the earth. And they walked to and fro through the earth.

And he cried unto me, and spoke unto me, saying, See, these that go forth towards the north country have quieted my spirit in the north country.

"Collect from the exiles--from Heldai, Tobijah, and from Jedaiah, [all of] whom came from Babylon--and go on that day, go [to the] house of Josiah son of Zephaniah.

And speak unto him, 'Thus sayeth the LORD of Hosts: Behold the man whose name is the branch: and he that shall spring up after him, shall build up the temple of the LORD.

And those who are far off will come and build the temple of Yahweh, and you will know that Yahweh of hosts has sent me to you. And it will happen if you will listen diligently to the voice of Yahweh your God."

And it came to pass in the fourth year of king Darius, that the word of Jehovah came unto Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, even in Chislev,

What time as Sharezer and Regemmelech and the men that were with them, sent unto Bethel for to pray before the LORD:

and to speak unto the priests that were in the house of Jehovah of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done now so many years?

“Speak to all the people of the land and to the priests, saying, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months these seventy years [that you were in exile], was it actually for Me that you fasted?

And when ye ate, and when ye drank, was it not you that were eating and drinking?

[Are] not [these] the words that Yahweh proclaimed {through} the former prophets, when Jerusalem and {its surrounding towns} were inhabited and at ease, and the Negev and the Shephelah were inhabited?'"

But they refused to hearken, and turned a rebellious shoulder, and made their ears heavy, that they should not hear.

{They made their hearts adamant} in order not to hear the law and the words that Yahweh of hosts had sent by his spirit through the former prophets; [therefore] great wrath came from Yahweh of hosts.

Therefore came it to pass that - just as he cried out and they hearkened not, so, used they to cry out, and I used not to hearken, saith Yahweh of hosts;

'And I scattered them with a wind among all the nations that they had not known; the land was made desolate behind them-- no one crossing through [it] or returning--and they made the desirable land a desolation.'"

"This is what the LORD of the Heavenly Armies says: "I'm greatly jealous about Zion, and that makes me furious about her.'

and will bring them that they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God in truth and righteousness.

Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Let your hands be strong, ye that hear in these days these words by the mouth of the prophets, that were in the day that the foundation of the house of Jehovah of hosts was laid, that the temple might be built.

For before those days there was no hire for man, nor any hire for beast; and there was no peace for him that went out or that came in, because of the distress: for I let loose all men, every one against his neighbour.

And it shall come to pass that - Just as ye had become a curse among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, So, will I save you, and ye shall become a blessing, - Do not fear, let your hands, be strong.

These [are] the things that you must do: speak truth, each [of you], with his neighbor; practice trustworthy judgment and peace in your gates.

and let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbour; and love no false oath: for all these are things that I hate, saith Jehovah.

Thus, saith Yahweh of hosts - The fast of the fourth, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the eleventh, shall become to the house of Judah a gladness and a rejoicing, and pleasant appointed meetings, - But, truth and peace, see that ye love.

Thus says Yahweh of hosts: '[It will happen] again that nations and the inhabitants of many cities will come.

And they that dwell in one city, shall go to another, saying, 'Up, let us go, and pray before the LORD; let us seek the LORD of Hosts, I will go with you.'

Thus says Yahweh of hosts: 'In those days ten men from {all the nations of every language} will take hold of the hem of a Judean man, saying, "Let us go with you, for we have heard [that] God [is] with you!" '"

and I will take away his blood out of his mouth, and his abominations from between his teeth; but he that remaineth, he also shall belong to our God, and shall be as a leader in Judah, and Ekron as a Jebusite.

And I will encamp about my house because of the army, because of those that pass by and that return; and the exactor shall not pass through them any more: for now have I seen it with mine eyes.

Return to [the] fortress, O prisoners of hope; today [I am] declaring [that] I will repay you double.

For I will bend Judah as My bow;
I will fill that bow with Ephraim.
I will rouse your sons, Zion,
against your sons, Greece.
I will make you like a warrior’s sword.

The Lord of hosts shall defend and protect them;
And they will devour [the enemy] and trample down the slingstones [that have missed their mark],
And they will drink [of victory] and be boisterous as with wine;
And they shall be filled like sacrificial bowls [used to catch the blood],
Drenched like the corners of the [sacrificial] altar.

And Yahweh their God will save them on that day, as the flock of his people; for [they are like] the stones of a diadem, glittering on his land.

O how prosperous and goodly a thing shall that be: The corn shall make the young men cheerful, and the new wine the maidens.

Ask ye of Jehovah rain in the time of the latter rain, even of Jehovah that maketh lightnings; and he will give them showers of rain, to every one grass in the field.

For vain is the answer of Idols. The soothsayers see lies, and tell but vain dreams. The comfort that they give, is nothing worth. Therefore go they astray like a flock of sheep, and are troubled, because they have no shepherd.

From him, the commander, from him, the supporter, from him, the war-bow, - from him, shall proceed every one that driveth on, together;

They shall be as the giants, which in the battle tread down the mire upon the streets. They shall fight, for the LORD shall be with them, so that the horsemen shall be confounded.

I will sow them among the people, that they may think upon me in far countries: they shall live with their children, and turn again.

They will pass through the sea of affliction, and they will strike the waves in that sea. All of the depths of the Nile will evaporate, Assyria's arrogance will be brought down low, and the ruling power of Egypt will disappear.

I will comfort them in the LORD, that they may walk in his name," sayeth the LORD.

Open your doors, Lebanon, so that fire will devour your cedars!

whose possessors slay them without being held guilty; and they that sell them say, Blessed be Jehovah! for I am become rich; and their own shepherds pity them not.

Therefore will I no more spare those that dwell in the land, sayeth the LORD. But lo, I will deliver the people, every man, into his neighbour's hand and into the hand of his king: that they may smite the land. And out of their hands will I not deliver them."

And I said, I will not feed you: that which dieth, let it die; and that which perisheth let it perish; and let them which are left eat every one the flesh of another.

And I took my staff Kindness and broke it, to break my covenant that I {had made} with all the peoples.

And it was broken on that day. Then the afflicted of the flock, the [ones who were] watching me, knew that it [was] the word of Yahweh.

And I said unto them, "If ye think it good, bring hither my price: if no, then leave." So they weighed down thirty silver pens, the value that I was prized at.

And Jehovah said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prized at by them. And I took the thirty silver-pieces, and cast them to the potter in the house of Jehovah.

Then cut I in two my second staff, even Union, - that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.

For look, I [am] raising up a shepherd in the land who will not attend to the [ones that are] perishing; he will not seek the young man, he will not heal the [ones that are] crushed and he will not sustain the healthy [ones]; he will devour the flesh of the {fattened ones} and tear apart [even] their hoofs.

Woe to the worthless shepherd that leaveth the flock! The sword shall be upon his arm, and upon his right eye; his arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye utterly darkened.

"I am about to make Jerusalem a cup that brings dizziness to all the surrounding nations; indeed, Judah will also be included when Jerusalem is besieged.

{And then} on that day I will make Jerusalem a stone weight for all the peoples. All those lifting it up will grievously hurt themselves, and all the nations of the earth will assemble against it.

On that day,' {declares} Yahweh, 'I will strike every horse with confusion, and the one riding it with madness; but over the house of Judah {I will keep my eyes open}, and I will strike every horse of the peoples with blindness.

" 'On that day I will make the clans of Judah like a pan of fire among [sticks of] wood, and like a torch of fire among stalks of grain, and they will devour to [the] right and to [the] left all the surrounding peoples, and Jerusalem will be inhabited again [in] its place, in Jerusalem.