1:1  In the eighth month of the second year of )Darius, the word of the LORD came to Zechariah the prophet, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo saying,

1:2  "The LORD became very angry with your fathers.

1:3  "Therefore say to them, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, "Return to Me," declares the LORD of hosts, "that I may return to you," says the LORD of hosts.

1:4  "Do not behave like your fathers, to whom the former prophets proclaimed, saying, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, " Return now from your evil ways and from your evil deeds "' But they did not listen or give heed to Me," declares the LORD.

1:5   "Your fathers, where have they gone? And the prophets, do they live forever?

1:6  "But did not My words and My statutes, which I commanded My servants the prophets, overtake your fathers? Then they repented and said, ' As the LORD of hosts purposed to do to us in accordance with our ways and our deeds, so He has dealt with us.'"'"

1:7   On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, which we acknowledge as the month Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to Zechariah the prophet, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, as follows:

1:8   I saw at night, and behold, a man rode on a red horse, and he stood among the myrtle trees which stood in the ravine, with red, sorrel and white horses behind him.

1:9   Then I said, "My lord, what do you call these?" And the angel who spoke with me said to me, "I will show you what these mean."

1:10   And the man who stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, "These we identify as those whom the LORD has sent to patrol the earth."

1:11   So they answered the angel of the LORD who stood among the myrtle trees and said, "We have patrolled the earth, and behold, all the earth has become peaceful and quiet."

1:12  Then the angel of the LORD said, "O LORD of hosts, how long will You have no compassion for Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, with which You have remained indignant these seventy years?"

1:13  The LORD answered the angel who spoke with me with gracious words, comforting words.

1:14   So the angel who spoke with me said to me, " Proclaim, saying, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, "I have become exceedingly jealous for Jerusalem and Zion.

1:15   "But I have much anger with the nations who have become at ease; for while I felt only a little angry, they furthered the disaster."

1:16  'Therefore thus says the LORD, "I will return to Jerusalem with compassion; they will build My house in it," declares the LORD of hosts, "and I will stretch a measuring line over Jerusalem."'

1:17  "Again, proclaim, saying, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, "My cities will again overflow with prosperity, and the LORD will again comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem."'"

1:18   Then I lifted up my eyes and looked, and behold, I saw four horns.

1:19  So I said to the angel who spoke with me, "What do you call these?" And he answered me, "These symbolize the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel and Jerusalem."

1:20   Then the LORD showed me four craftsmen.

1:21  I said, "What do these who come propose to do?" And he said, "These symbolize the horns which have scattered Judah so that no man lifts up his head; but these craftsmen have come to terrify them, to throw down the horns of the nations who have lifted up their horns against the land of Judah in order to scatter it."