1 The word of Jehovah came to Zechariah the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, the prophet. It was in the eighth month, in the second year of Darius the king:

2 Jehovah was very angry with your fathers.

3 Tell them, Jehovah of Hosts has said: »Jehovah of Hosts says return to me and I will return to you.«

4 »Do not be like your fathers! The former prophets declared: ‘Jehovah of Hosts said, I implore you, return from your evil ways, and from your wicked activities! But they did not listen, they paid no attention to me,’« said Jehovah.

5 »’Your fathers, where are they?’ The prophets, do they live forever?

6 »I commanded my servants the prophets to obey my words and my statutes. They disregarded them and suffered greatly. Then they repented and admitted that I, Jehovah of Hosts, corrected them as they deserved according to their deeds.’«

7 In the second year that Darius was king, on the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month the month of Shebat, Jehovah gave me a message in a vision at night.

8 He said: »I had a vision in the night. I saw someone riding a red horse. He stopped among some myrtle trees in a valley, and behind him were other horses, red, speckled, and white.«

9 I asked him, »Sir, what do these horses mean?« He answered: »I will show you what they mean.«

10 The man answered: »These are they whom Jehovah sent to inspect the earth.«

11 They spoke to the Messenger Angel of Jehovah who stood among the myrtle-trees: »We have patrolled the earth and the entire world is at rest.«

12 Then the Messenger Angel of Jehovah said: »Jehovah of Hosts, how much longer until you show compassion to Jerusalem and the cities of Judah? You have been angry with them for seventy years.«

13 Jehovah replied to the angel that talked with me with gracious and comforting words.

14 The angel said: »Call out, say, this is what Jehovah of Hosts has said: ‘I am zealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with intense ardor.

15 ‘And I am very angry with the nations that are at ease secure. I was but a little angered and they caused my anger to grow into fury.’«

16 »Therefore,« said Jehovah: »I will return to Jerusalem with compassion. My house will be built in it,« said Jehovah of Hosts, »and a measuring line will be stretched over Jerusalem.«

17 »Pronounce again, Jehovah of hosts: ‘My cities will again overflow with prosperity. Jehovah will comfort Zion and yet choose Jerusalem.’«

18 I lifted up my eyes, and saw, and, behold, four horns.

19 I questioned the angel: »What are these?« And he answered me, »These are the horns governments that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.«

20 Then Jehovah showed me four craftsmen.

21 I asked: »What did these come to do?« He answered: »These are the horns that scattered Judah! No man lifted up his head for these came to terrify them. They will cast down the horns powerauthority of the nations that lifted up their horn powerauthority against the land of Judah to scatter it.«