17 From then on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, because the kingdom of heaven*has come near."

8 Therefore produce fruit  * consistent with  * repentance.

13 Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice.*,*For I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners."*

15 "The time*is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God*has come*near.*Repent*and believe*the good news! "

3 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as well.

32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

38 Peter replied, "Repent  * and be baptized,  * each of you, in the name  * of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

19 Therefore repent  * and turn back, so that your sins may be wiped out,  *

30 "Therefore, having overlooked  * the times of ignorance, God now commands all people everywhere to repent,

19 As many as I love, I rebuke and discipline.*So be zealous and repent.

9 The Lord does not delay his promise,  * as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any  * to perish  * but all to come to repentance.  *

32 For I take no pleasure in anyone’s death." This is the declaration of the Lord God. "So repent and live!

14 and my people, who bear my name, humble themselves, pray and seek my face, and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.  *

1 Then Hezekiah sent word throughout all Israel and Judah, and he also wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh to come to the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem to observe the Passover of the Lord, the God of Israel.  *2 For the king and his officials and the entire congregation in Jerusalem decided to observe the Passover of the Lord in the second month,  *3 because they were not able to observe it at the appropriate time. Not enough of the priests had consecrated themselves,  * and the people hadn’t been gathered together in Jerusalem. 4 The proposal pleased the king and the congregation, 5 so they affirmed the proposal and spread the message throughout all Israel, from Beer-sheba to Dan,  * to come to observe the Passover of the Lord, the God of Israel in Jerusalem, for they hadn’t observed it often,  * as prescribed.  *

6 So the couriers  * went throughout Israel and Judah with letters from the hand of the king and his officials, and according to the king’s command, saying, "Israelites, return to the Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel so that he may return to those of you who remain, who have escaped the grasp of the kings of Assyria.  *7 Don’t be like your ancestors and your brothers who were unfaithful to the Lord, the God of their ancestors  * so that he made them an object of horror  * as you yourselves see. 8 Don’t become obstinate  *,* now like your ancestors did. Give your allegiance  * to the Lord, and come to his sanctuary that he has consecrated forever. Serve the Lord your God so that he may turn his burning anger away from you,  *9 for when you return to the Lord, your brothers and your sons will receive mercy in the presence of their captors and will return to this land.  * For the Lord your God is gracious and merciful;  * he will not turn his face away from you if you return to him."

10 The couriers traveled from city to city in the land of Ephraim and Manasseh as far as Zebulun, but the inhabitants  * laughed at them and mocked them.  *11 But some from Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem.  *12 Also, the power of God was at work in Judah to unite them  * to carry out the command of the king and his officials by the word of the Lord.

13 A very large assembly of people was gathered in Jerusalem to observe the Festival of Unleavened Bread in the second month. 14 They proceeded to take away the altars that were in Jerusalem,  * and they took away the incense altars and threw them into the Kidron Valley.  *15 They slaughtered the Passover lamb  * on the fourteenth day of the second month. The priests and Levites were ashamed, and they consecrated themselves and brought burnt offerings to the Lord’s temple. 16 They stood at their prescribed posts,  * according to the law of Moses, the man of God. The priests splattered the blood received from the Levites, 17 for there were many in the assembly who had not consecrated themselves, and so the Levites were in charge of slaughtering the Passover lambs for every unclean person to consecrate the lambs to the Lord.  *18 A large number of the people — many from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun — were ritually unclean, yet they had eaten the Passover  * contrary to what was written.  * But Hezekiah had interceded for them, saying, "May the good Lord provide atonement on behalf of 19 whoever sets his whole heart on seeking God,  * the Lord, the God of his ancestors, even though not according to the purification rules of the sanctuary." 20 So the Lord heard Hezekiah and healed the people.  *21 The Israelites who were present in Jerusalem observed the Festival of Unleavened Bread seven days with great joy,  * and the Levites and the priests praised the Lord day after day with loud instruments. 22 Then Hezekiah encouraged  *,* all the Levites who performed skillfully before the Lord. They ate at the appointed festival for seven days, sacrificing fellowship offerings and giving thanks to the Lord, the God of their ancestors.  *

23 The whole congregation decided to observe  * seven more days, so they observed seven days with joy, 24 for King Hezekiah of Judah contributed one thousand bulls and seven thousand sheep for the congregation. Also, the officials contributed one thousand bulls and ten thousand sheep for the congregation,  * and many priests consecrated themselves.  *25 Then the whole assembly of Judah with the priests and Levites, the whole assembly that came from Israel, the resident aliens who came from the land of Israel, and those who were living in Judah, rejoiced. 26 There was great rejoicing in Jerusalem, for nothing like this was known since the days of Solomon son of David, the king of Israel.  *

27 Then the priests and the Levites  * stood to bless the people,  * and God heard them, and their prayer came into his holy dwelling place  * in heaven.

13 Tear your hearts,  *

not just your clothes,  *

and return to the  Lord your God.

For he is gracious and compassionate,

slow to anger, abounding in faithful love,

and he relents from sending disaster.  *

1 In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius,  * the word of the Lord came to the prophet Zechariah  * son of Berechiah, son of Iddo: 2 "The Lord was extremely angry with your ancestors.  *3 So tell the people, ‘This is what the Lord of Armies says: Return to me — this is the declaration of the Lord of Armies — and I will return to you, says the Lord of Armies.  *4 Do not be like your ancestors;  * the earlier prophets proclaimed to them:  * This is what the Lord of Armies says: Turn from your evil ways and your evil deeds.  * But they did not listen or pay attention to me — this is the Lord’s declaration. 5 Where are your ancestors now? And do the prophets live forever? 6 But didn’t my words and my statutes that I commanded my servants the prophets overtake your ancestors? ’ "

So the people repented and said, "As the Lord of Armies decided to deal with us for our ways and our deeds, so he has dealt with us."  *

The Night Visions

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 son of Berechiah, son of Iddo:

8 I looked out in the night and saw a man riding on a chestnut  * horse.  * He was standing among the myrtle trees in the valley.  * Behind him were chestnut, brown, and white horses. 9 I asked, "What are these, my lord? "

The angel who was talking to me replied, "I will show you what they are."

10 Then the man standing among the myrtle trees explained, "They are the ones the Lord has sent to patrol the earth."

11 They reported to the angel of the Lord standing among the myrtle trees, "We have patrolled the earth, and right now the whole earth is calm and quiet."  *

12 Then the angel of the Lord responded, "How long, Lord of Armies, will you withhold mercy from Jerusalem and the cities of Judah that you have been angry with these seventy years? "  *13 The Lord replied with kind and comforting words to the angel who was speaking with me.

14 So the angel who was speaking with me said, "Proclaim: The Lord of Armies says: I am extremely jealous  * for Jerusalem and Zion. 15 I am fiercely angry with the nations that are at ease,  * for I was a little angry, but they made the destruction worse.  *16 Therefore, this is what the Lord says: In mercy, I have returned to Jerusalem; my house will be rebuilt within it — this is the declaration of the Lord of Armies — and a measuring line will be stretched out over Jerusalem.  *

17 "Proclaim further: This is what the Lord of Armies says: My cities will again overflow with prosperity; the Lord will once more comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem."  *

18 Then I looked up and saw four horns.  *19 So I asked the angel who was speaking with me, "What are these? "

And he said to me, "These are the horns that scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem."

20 Then the Lord showed me four craftsmen. 21 I asked, "What are they coming to do? "

He replied, "These are the horns that scattered Judah so no one could raise his head. These craftsmen have come to terrify them, to cut off  * the horns of the nations that raised a horn against the land of Judah to scatter it."

13 The one who conceals his sins

will not prosper,  *

but whoever confesses and renounces them

will find mercy.  *

23 If you respond to my warning,  *,*

then I will pour out my spirit on you  *

and teach you my words.

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive  * us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

7 I tell you, in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven*over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who don’t need repentance.

10 I tell you, in the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels*over one sinner who repents."

8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.  *