Zechariah 1:7-17

Common English Bible

⁸ Tonight I looked and saw a man riding on a red horse,
        which was standing among the myrtle trees in the valley;
        and behind him were red, sorrel, and white horses.
⁹ I said, “What are these, sir?”
The messenger speaking with me said,
        “I will show you what they are.”
¹⁰ The man standing among the myrtles responded,
        “These are the ones the Lord sent to patrol the earth.”
¹¹ Then they responded to the Lord’s messenger,
    who was standing among the myrtles,
        “We have patrolled the earth. The whole earth is peaceful and quiet.”
¹² Then the Lord’s messenger, who was speaking with me, said:
    “Lord of heavenly forces,
            how long will you withhold compassion from Jerusalem and the cities of Judah,
                with whom you have been angry these seventy years?”
¹³ The Lord responded to the messenger who was speaking with me
    with kind and compassionate words.
¹⁴ The messenger speaking with me called out,
    “This is what the Lord of heavenly forces says:
        I care passionately about Jerusalem and Zion.
¹⁵         And I am exceedingly angry with those carefree nations.
            Though I was somewhat angry, they added to the violence.”
¹⁶ Therefore, this is what the Lord says:
    I have returned to Jerusalem with compassion.
    My house will be built in it, says the Lord of heavenly forces.
    Let a measuring line be stretched over Jerusalem.
¹⁷ “Call out again,
    The Lord of heavenly forces proclaims:
        My cities will again overflow with prosperity.
            The Lord will again show compassion to Zion
                and will again choose Jerusalem.”