Sacharja 1 | New International Reader’s Version

The Lord wants his people to return to him

1 A message from the LORD came to Zechariah the prophet. Zechariah was the son of Berekiah. Berekiah was the son of Iddo. It was the eighth month of the second year that Darius was king of Persia. Here is what Zechariah said. 2 The LORD who rules over all was very angry with your people of long ago. 3 And now he says to us, ‘Return to me. Then I will return to you,’ announces the LORD. 4 ‘Do not be like your people of long ago. The earlier prophets gave them my message. I said, “Stop doing what is evil. Turn away from your sinful practices.” But they would not listen to me. They would not pay any attention,’ announces the LORD. 5 ‘Where are those people now? And what about my prophets? Do they live for ever? 6 I commanded my servants the prophets what to say. I told them what I planned to do. But your people refused to obey me. So I had to punish them. ‘Then they had a change of heart. They said, “The LORD who rules over all has punished us because of how we have lived. He was fair and right to do that. He has done to us just what he decided to do.” ’

A vision of a horseman among some myrtle trees

7 A message from the LORD came to Zechariah the prophet. Zechariah was the son of Berekiah. Berekiah was the son of Iddo. The message came during the second year that Darius was king. It was the 24th day of the 11th month. That’s the month of Shebat. 8 I had a vision at night. I saw a man sitting on a red horse. He was standing among the myrtle trees in a valley. Behind him were red, brown and white horses. 9 An angel was talking with me. I asked him, ‘Sir, what are these?’ He answered, ‘I will show you what they are.’ 10 Then the man standing among the myrtle trees spoke. He said, ‘They are the messengers the LORD has sent out. He told them to go all through the earth.’ 11 They brought a report to the angel of the LORD. He was standing among the myrtle trees. They said to him, ‘We have gone all through the earth. We’ve found the whole world enjoying peace and rest.’ 12 Then the angel of the LORD spoke up. He said, ‘LORD, you rule over all. How long will you avoid showing your tender love to Jerusalem? How long will you keep it from the towns of Judah? You have been angry with them for 70 years.’ 13 So the LORD replied with kind and comforting words. He spoke them to the angel who talked with me. 14 Then the angel said, ‘Announce this message. Say, “The LORD who rules over all says, ‘I am very jealous for my people in Jerusalem and Zion. 15 And I am very angry with the nations that feel secure. I was only a little angry with my people. But the nations went too far and tried to wipe them out.’ 16 ‘ “So the LORD says, ‘I will return to Jerusalem. I will show its people my tender love. My temple will be rebuilt there. Workers will use a measuring line when they rebuild Jerusalem,’ announces the LORD. 17 ‘ “He says, ‘My towns will be filled with good things once more. I will comfort Zion. And I will choose Jerusalem again.’ ” ’

A vision of four horns and four skilled workers

18 Then I looked up and saw four animal horns. 19 I spoke to the angel who was talking with me. ‘What are these horns?’ I asked. He said, ‘They are the powerful nations that scattered Judah, Israel and Jerusalem.’ 20 Then the LORD showed me four skilled workers. 21 I asked, ‘What are they coming to do?’ He answered, ‘The horns are the powerful nations that scattered the people of Judah. That made Judah helpless. But these four skilled workers have come to terrify the horns. The workers will destroy the power of those nations. Those nations had used their power to scatter Judah’s people.’

English Standard Version

A Call to Return to the Lord

1 In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, son of Iddo, saying, 2 “The Lord was very angry with your fathers. 3 Therefore say to them, Thus declares the Lord of hosts: Return to me, says the Lord of hosts, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. 4 Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets cried out, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, Return from your evil ways and from your evil deeds.’ But they did not hear or pay attention to me, declares the Lord. 5 Your fathers, where are they? And the prophets, do they live forever? 6 But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not overtake your fathers? So they repented and said, ‘As the Lord of hosts purposed to deal with us for our ways and deeds, so has he dealt with us.’”

A Vision of a Horseman

7 On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, which is the month of Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, son of Iddo, saying, 8 “I saw in the night, and behold, a man riding on a red horse! He was standing among the myrtle trees in the glen, and behind him were red, sorrel, and white horses. 9 Then I said, ‘What are these, my lord?’ The angel who talked with me said to me, ‘I will show you what they are.’ 10 So the man who was standing among the myrtle trees answered, ‘These are they whom the Lord has sent to patrol the earth.’ 11 And they answered the angel of the Lord who was standing among the myrtle trees, and said, ‘We have patrolled the earth, and behold, all the earth remains at rest.’ 12 Then the angel of the Lord said, ‘O Lord of hosts, how long will you have no mercy on Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, against which you have been angry these seventy years?’ 13 And the Lord answered gracious and comforting words to the angel who talked with me. 14 So the angel who talked with me said to me, ‘Cry out, Thus says the Lord of hosts: I am exceedingly jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion. 15 And I am exceedingly angry with the nations that are at ease; for while I was angry but a little, they furthered the disaster. 16 Therefore, thus says the Lord, I have returned to Jerusalem with mercy; my house shall be built in it, declares the Lord of hosts, and the measuring line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem. 17 Cry out again, Thus says the Lord of hosts: My cities shall again overflow with prosperity, and the Lord will again comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem.’”

A Vision of Horns and Craftsmen

18 * And I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, four horns! 19 And I said to the angel who talked with me, “What are these?” And he said to me, “These are the horns that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.” 20 Then the Lord showed me four craftsmen. 21 And I said, “What are these coming to do?” He said, “These are the horns that scattered Judah, so that no one raised his head. And these have come to terrify them, to cast down the horns of the nations who lifted up their horns against the land of Judah to scatter it.”

Sacharja 1 | New International Reader’s Version English Standard Version