¶ In the eighth¹ month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the LORD unto Zechariah², the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo³ the prophet, saying,

The LORD⁴ hath been sore displeased⁵ with your fathers.

Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn⁶ ye unto me, saith the LORD of hosts, and⁷ I will turn unto you, saith the LORD of hosts.

Be ye not as⁸ your fathers, unto⁹ whom the former prophets have cried, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn¹⁰ ye now from your evil ways, and from your evil doings: but¹¹ they did not hear, nor hearken unto me, saith the LORD.

¹²Your fathers, where are they? and the prophets, do they live for ever?

But my words¹³ and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did¹⁴ they not take hold of¹⁵ your fathers? and they returned¹⁶ and said, Like¹⁷ as the LORD of hosts thought¹⁸ to do unto us, according to our ways¹⁹, and according to our doings, so hath he dealt with us.

¶ Upon the four and twentieth day of the eleventh²⁰ month, which is the month Sebat²¹, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the LORD unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying,

I saw by night²², and behold²³ a man riding²⁴ upon a red horse, and he stood among²⁵ the myrtle trees that were in the bottom; and behind him were there red horses, speckled²⁶, and white.

Then said I, O my lord, what²⁷ are these? And the angel²⁸ that talked with me said unto me, I will shew thee what these be.

¶ And the man²⁹ that stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, These³⁰ are they whom the LORD hath sent to walk to and fro through the earth.

And they answered³¹ the angel of the LORD that stood among the myrtle trees, and said, We³² have walked to and fro through the earth, and, behold, all the earth sitteth still, and is³³ at rest.

Then the angel³⁴ of the LORD answered and said, O LORD of hosts, how³⁵ long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which thou hast³⁶ had indignation these threescore and ten years?

And the LORD answered the angel that talked with me with good³⁷ words and comfortable words.

So the angel³⁸ that communed with me said unto me, Cry³⁹ thou, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; I am⁴⁰ jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy.

⁴¹And I am very sore displeased with the heathen that are at ease: for⁴² I was but a little displeased, and⁴³ they helped forward the affliction.

Therefore thus saith the LORD; I am⁴⁴ returned to Jerusalem with mercies: my house⁴⁵ shall be built in it, saith the LORD of hosts, and⁴⁶ a line shall be stretched forth upon Jerusalem.

Cry yet, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; My cities⁴⁷ through prosperity⁴⁸ shall yet be spread abroad; and the LORD shall yet comfort Zion, and shall yet choose⁴⁹ Jerusalem.

¶ Then lifted⁵⁰ I up mine eyes, and saw, and behold four⁵¹ horns.

And I said unto the angel that talked with me, What⁵² be these? And he answered me, These are the horns which have scattered⁵³ Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.

¶ And the LORD shewed me four⁵⁴ carpenters.

Then said I, What come these to do? And he spake, saying, These are the⁵⁵ horns which have scattered Judah, so that no man did lift up his head: but these are come to fray⁵⁶ them, to cast out the horns of the Gentiles, which⁵⁷ lifted up their horn over the land of Judah to scatter it.