Chronological Plan

¹In 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,

²“The LORD was very angry with your fathers.

³Therefore say to them, ‘This is what the LORD of armies says: “Return to Me,” declares the LORD of armies, “that I may return to you,” says the LORD of armies.

⁴“Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets proclaimed, saying, ‘This is what the LORD of armies says: “Return now from your evil ways and from your evil deeds.” ’ But they did not listen or pay attention to Me,” declares the LORD.

⁵“Your fathers, where are they? And the prophets, do they live forever?

⁶But did My words and My statutes, which I commanded My servants the prophets, not overtake your fathers? Then they repented and said, ‘Just as the LORD of armies planned to do to us in accordance with our ways and our deeds, so He has dealt with us.’ ” ’ ”

⁷On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, that is, 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:

⁸I saw at night, and behold, a man was riding on a red horse, and he was standing among the myrtle trees which were in the ravine, with red, sorrel, and white horses behind him.

⁹Then I said, “What are these, my lord?” And the angel who was speaking with me said to me, “I will show you what these are.”

¹⁰And the man who was standing among the myrtle trees responded and said, “These are the ones whom the LORD has sent to patrol the earth.”

¹¹So they responded to the angel of the LORD who was standing among the myrtle trees and said, “We have patrolled the earth, and behold, all the earth is still and quiet.”

¹²Then the angel of the LORD said, “LORD of armies, how long will You take no pity on Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, with which You have been indignant for these seventy years?”

¹³And the LORD responded to the angel who was speaking with me with gracious words, comforting words.

¹⁴So the angel who was speaking with me said to me, “Proclaim, saying, ‘This is what the LORD of armies says: “I am exceedingly jealous for Jerusalem and Zion.

¹⁵But I am very angry with the nations who are carefree; for while I was only a little angry, they furthered the disaster.”

¹⁶Therefore the LORD says this: “I will return to Jerusalem with compassion; My house will be built in it,” declares the LORD of armies, “and a measuring line will be stretched over Jerusalem.” ’

¹⁷Again, proclaim, saying, ‘This is what the LORD of armies says: “My cities will again overflow with prosperity, and the LORD will again comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem.” ’ ”

¹⁸Then I raised my eyes and looked, and behold, there were four horns.

¹⁹So I said to the angel who was speaking with me, “What are these?” And he said to me, “These are the horns that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.”

²⁰Then the LORD showed me four craftsmen.

²¹And I said, “What are these coming to do?” And he said, “These are the horns that have scattered Judah so that no one lifts up his head; but these craftsmen have come to frighten 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.”

¹Then I raised my eyes and looked, and behold, there was a man with a measuring line in his hand.

²So I said, “Where are you going?” And he said to me, “To measure Jerusalem, to see how wide it is and how long it is.”

³And behold, the angel who had been speaking with me was going out, and another angel was going out to meet him.

⁴And he said to him, “Run, speak to that young man there, saying, ‘Jerusalem will be inhabited as open country because of the multitude of people and cattle within it.

⁵But I,’ declares the LORD, ‘will be a wall of fire to her on all sides, and I will be the glory in her midst.’ ”

⁶“You there! Flee from the land of the north,” declares the LORD, “because I have spread you out like the four winds of the heavens,” declares the LORD.

⁷“You, Zion! Escape, you who are living with the daughter of Babylon.”

⁸For the LORD of armies says this: “After glory He has sent me against the nations that plunder you, for the one who touches you, touches the apple of His eye.

⁹For behold, I am going to wave My hand over them so that they will be plunder for their slaves. Then you will know that the LORD of armies has sent Me.

¹⁰Shout for joy and rejoice, daughter of Zion; for behold I am coming and I will dwell in your midst,” declares the LORD.

¹¹“And many nations will join themselves to the LORD on that day and will become My people. Then I will dwell in your midst, and you will know that the LORD of armies has sent Me to you.

¹²And the LORD will possess Judah as His portion in the holy land, and will again choose Jerusalem.

¹³“Be silent, all mankind, before the LORD; for He has roused Himself from His holy dwelling.”

¹Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right to accuse him.

²And the LORD said to Satan, “The LORD rebuke you, Satan! Indeed, the LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a log snatched from the fire?”

³Now Joshua was clothed in filthy garments and was standing before the angel.

⁴And he responded and said to those who were standing before him, saying, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” Again he said to him, “See, I have taken your guilt away from you and will clothe you with festive robes.”

⁵Then I said, “Have them put a clean headband on his head.” So they put the clean headband on his head and clothed him with garments, while the angel of the LORD was standing by.

⁶And the angel of the LORD admonished Joshua, saying,

⁷“The LORD of armies says this: ‘If you walk in My ways and perform My service, then you will both govern My house and be in charge of My courtyards, and I will grant you free access among these who are standing here.

⁸Now listen, Joshua, you high priest, you and your friends who are sitting in front of you—indeed they are men who are a sign: for behold, I am going to bring in My servant the Branch.

⁹For behold, the stone that I have put before Joshua; on one stone are seven eyes. Behold, I am going to engrave an inscription on it,’ declares the LORD of armies, ‘and I will remove the guilt of that land in one day.

¹⁰On that day,’ declares the LORD of armies, ‘every one of you will invite his neighbor to sit under his vine and under his fig tree.’ ”

¹Then the angel who had been speaking with me returned and woke me, like a person who is awakened from his sleep.

²And he said to me, “What do you see?” And I said, “I see, and behold, a lampstand all of gold with its bowl on the top of it, and its seven lamps on it with seven spouts belonging to each of the lamps which are on the top of it;

³also two olive trees by it, one on the right side of the bowl and the other on its left side.”

⁴Then I said to the angel who was speaking with me, saying, “What are these, my lord?”

⁵So the angel who was speaking with me answered and said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” And I said, “No, my lord.”

⁶Then he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel, saying, ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the LORD of armies.

⁷‘What are you, you great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become a plain; and he will bring out the top stone with shouts of “Grace, grace to it!” ’ ”

⁸Also the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

⁹“The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house, and his hands will finish it. Then you will know that the LORD of armies has sent me to you.

¹⁰For who has shown contempt for the day of small things? But these seven will rejoice when they see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel—they are the eyes of the LORD roaming throughout the earth.”

¹¹Then I said to him, “What are these two olive trees on the right of the lampstand and on its left?”

¹²And I responded the second time and said to him, “What are the two olive branches which are beside the two golden pipes, which empty the golden oil from themselves?”

¹³So he answered me, saying, “Do you not know what these are?” And I said, “No, my lord.”

¹⁴Then he said, “These are the two anointed ones, who are standing by the Lord of the whole earth.”

¹Then I raised my eyes again and looked, and behold, there was a flying scroll.

²And he said to me, “What do you see?” And I said, “I see a flying scroll; its length is twenty cubits, and its width ten cubits.”

³Then he said to me, “This is the curse that is going forth over the face of the entire land; everyone who steals certainly will be purged away according to the writing on one side, and everyone who swears falsely will be purged away according to the writing on the other side.

⁴I will make it go forth,” declares the LORD of armies, “and it will enter the house of the thief and the house of the one who swears falsely by My name; and it will spend the night within that house and destroy it with its timber and stones.”

⁵Then the angel who had been speaking with me went out and said to me, “Now raise your eyes and see what this is that is going forth.”

⁶And I said, “What is it?” Then he said, “This is the ephah going forth.” Again he said, “This is their appearance in all the land.

⁷And behold, a lead cover was lifted up.” He continued, “And this is a woman sitting inside the ephah.”

⁸Then he said, “This is Wickedness!” And he thrust her into the middle of the ephah and threw the lead weight on its opening.

⁹Then I raised my eyes and looked, and there two women were coming out with the wind in their wings; and they had wings like the wings of the stork, and they lifted up the ephah between the earth and the heavens.

¹⁰So I said to the angel who was speaking with me, “Where are they taking the ephah?”

¹¹Then he said to me, “To build a temple for her in the land of Shinar; and when it is prepared, she will be set there on her own pedestal.”

¹Now I raised my eyes again and looked, and behold, four chariots were going out from between the two mountains; and the mountains were bronze mountains.

²With the first chariot were red horses, with the second chariot black horses,

³with the third chariot white horses, and with the fourth chariot strong spotted horses.

⁴So I responded and said to the angel who was speaking with me, “What are these, my lord?”

⁵The angel replied to me, “These are the four spirits of heaven, going out after taking their stand before the Lord of all the earth,

⁶with one of which the black horses are going out to the north country; and the white ones are to go out after them, while the spotted ones are to go out to the south country.”

⁷When the strong ones went out, they were eager to go to patrol the earth. And He said, “Go, patrol the earth.” So they patrolled the earth.

⁸Then He called out to me and spoke to me, saying, “See, those who are going to the land of the north have appeased My wrath in the land of the north.”

⁹The word of the LORD also came to me, saying,

¹⁰“Take an offering from the exiles, from Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah; and you shall go the same day and enter the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah, where they have arrived from Babylon.

¹¹Also take silver and gold, make an ornate crown, and set it on the head of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest.

¹²Then say to him, ‘The LORD of armies says this: “Behold, there is a Man whose name is Branch, for He will branch out from where He is; and He will build the temple of the LORD.

¹³Yes, it is He who will build the temple of the LORD, and He who will bear the majesty and sit and rule on His throne. So He will be a priest on His throne, and the counsel of peace will be between the two offices.” ’

¹⁴Now the crown will become a reminder in the temple of the LORD to Helem, Tobijah, Jedaiah, and Hen the son of Zephaniah.

¹⁵Those who are far away will come and build the temple of the LORD.” Then you will know that the LORD of armies has sent me to you. And it will take place if you completely obey the LORD your God.

¹In the fourth year of King Darius, the word of the LORD came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, which is Chislev.

²Now the town of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regemmelech and their men to seek the favor of the LORD,

³speaking to the priests who belong to the house of the LORD of armies, and to the prophets, saying, “Shall I weep in the fifth month and fast, as I have done these many years?”

⁴Then the word of the LORD of armies came to me, saying,

⁵“Say to all the people of the land and to the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months these seventy years, was it actually for Me that you fasted?

⁶And when you eat and drink, do you not eat for yourselves and drink for yourselves?

⁷Are these not the words which the LORD proclaimed by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and carefree along with its cities around it, and the Negev and the foothills were inhabited?’ ”

⁸Then the word of the LORD came to Zechariah, saying,

⁹“This is what the LORD of armies has said: ‘Dispense true justice and practice kindness and compassion each to his brother;

¹⁰and do not oppress the widow or the orphan, the stranger or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another.’

¹¹But they refused to pay attention, and turned a stubborn shoulder and plugged their ears from hearing.

¹²They also made their hearts as hard as a diamond so that they could not hear the Law and the words which the LORD of armies had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets; therefore great wrath came from the LORD of armies.

¹³And just as He called and they would not listen, so they called and I would not listen,” says the LORD of armies;

¹⁴“but I scattered them with a storm wind among all the nations whom they did not know. So the land was desolated behind them so that no one went back and forth, since they made the pleasant land desolate.”