Zechariah 1
Names of God Bible
Turn from Your Evil Ways
1 In the eighth month of Darius’ second year as king, Yahweh spoke his word to the prophet Zechariah, who was the son of Berechiah and the grandson of Iddo. He said, 2 “Yahweh was very angry with your ancestors. 3 Tell the people, ‘This is what Yahweh Tsebaoth says: Return to me, declares Yahweh Tsebaoth, and I will return to you, says Yahweh Tsebaoth.’ 4 Don’t be like your ancestors, who heard the earlier prophets preach to them, ‘This is what Yahweh Tsebaoth says: Turn from your evil ways and your evil deeds.’ But they didn’t listen or pay attention to me, declares Yahweh. 5 Your ancestors—where are they now? And the prophets—are they still alive? 6 Didn’t my warnings and my laws, which I’ve commanded my servants the prophets to preach, finally catch up with your ancestors? Then your ancestors turned away from their sins and said, ‘Yahweh Tsebaoth has done to us what he had planned to do. He has dealt with us as our ways and deeds deserve.’”
The Lord Will Comfort Zion
7 On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month (the month of Shebat) in Darius’ second year as king, Yahweh spoke his word to the prophet Zechariah, who was the son of Berechiah and the grandson of Iddo.
8 During that night I saw a man riding on a red horse. He was standing among the myrtle trees in a ravine. Behind him were red, chestnut, and white horses.
9 “What do these horses mean, sir?” I asked.
The angel who was speaking with me answered, “I will show you what they mean.”
10 The man standing among the myrtle trees explained, “They’re the horses Yahweh has sent to patrol the earth.” 11 Then they reported to the Messenger of Yahweh standing among the myrtle trees, “We have patrolled the earth. The whole world is at rest and in peace.”
12 Then the Messenger of Yahweh said, “Yahweh Tseboath, how much longer until you show compassion to Jerusalem and the cities of Judah? You’ve been angry with them for 70 years.” 13 Yahweh responded to the angel who was speaking with me, using kind and comforting words.
14 The angel who was speaking with me said, “Announce: This is what Yahweh Tsebaoth says: I’m very jealous about Jerusalem and Zion, 15 and I’m very angry with the nations who think they are at ease. I was only a little angry, but they made things worse. 16 This is what Yahweh says: I have returned to Jerusalem with compassion. My house will be rebuilt in it, declares Yahweh Tsebaoth. A measuring line will be used to rebuild Jerusalem.
17 “Announce again: This is what Yahweh Tsebaoth says: My cities will overflow with prosperity once more. Yahweh will again comfort Zion and will again choose Jerusalem.”[a]
Punishment for the Nations That Scattered Judah
18 I looked up and saw four animal horns. 19 So I asked the angel who was speaking with me, “What do these horns mean?”
He said to me, “These are the horns of the nations that scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.”
20 Then Yahweh showed me four craftsmen. 21 I asked, “What are they going to do?”
He answered, “Those horns scattered Judah so widely that no one could lift up his head. But the craftsmen have come to terrify them, to throw down the horns of the nations. The nations raised their horns to scatter the land of Judah.”
Footnotes
- Zechariah 1:17 Zechariah 1:18–21 in English Bibles is Zechariah 2:1–4 in the Hebrew Bible.
Zechariah 1
English Standard Version
A Call to Return to the Lord
1 In the eighth month, (A)in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet (B)Zechariah, the son of (C)Berechiah, son of (D)Iddo, saying, 2 (E)“The Lord was very angry with your fathers. 3 Therefore say to them, Thus declares the Lord of hosts: (F)Return to me, says the Lord of hosts, and (G)I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. 4 (H)Do not be like your fathers, (I)to whom the former prophets cried out, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, (J)Return from your evil ways and from your evil deeds.’ But (K)they did not hear or pay attention to me, declares the Lord. 5 Your fathers, where are they? And (L)the prophets, do they live forever? 6 (M)But my words and my statutes, which I commanded (N)my servants the prophets, did they not (O)overtake your fathers? So they repented and said, (P)‘As the Lord of hosts purposed to deal with us for (Q)our ways and (R)deeds, so has he dealt with us.’”
A Vision of a Horseman
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 (S)Zechariah, the son of (T)Berechiah, son of (U)Iddo, saying, 8 “I saw in the night, and behold, (V)a man riding on a red horse! He was standing among the myrtle trees in the glen, and behind him were (W)red, sorrel, and white horses. 9 Then I said, ‘What are these, my lord?’ (X)The angel who talked with me said to me, ‘I will show you what they are.’ 10 So (Y)the man who was standing among the myrtle trees answered, (Z)‘These are they whom the Lord has sent to (AA)patrol the earth.’ 11 And they answered (AB)the angel of the Lord who was standing among the myrtle trees, and said, (AC)‘We have patrolled the earth, and behold, all the earth (AD)remains at rest.’ 12 Then (AE)the angel of the Lord said, (AF)‘O Lord of hosts, (AG)how long will you (AH)have no mercy on Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, against which you have been angry these (AI)seventy years?’ 13 And the Lord answered (AJ)gracious and comforting words to (AK)the angel who talked with me. 14 So (AL)the angel who talked with me said to me, ‘Cry out, Thus says the Lord of hosts: (AM)I am exceedingly jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion. 15 (AN)And I am exceedingly angry with the nations that are (AO)at ease; (AP)for while I was angry but a little, (AQ)they furthered the disaster. 16 Therefore, thus says the Lord, (AR)I have returned to Jerusalem with mercy; (AS)my house shall be built in it, declares the Lord of hosts, and (AT)the measuring line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem. 17 Cry out again, Thus says the Lord of hosts: (AU)My cities shall again overflow with prosperity, (AV)and the Lord will again comfort Zion and again (AW)choose Jerusalem.’”
A Vision of Horns and Craftsmen
18 [a] And I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, (AX)four horns! 19 And I said to (AY)the angel who talked with me, “What are these?” And he said to me, (AZ)“These are the horns that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.” 20 Then the Lord showed me four craftsmen. 21 And I said, “What are these coming to do?” He said, (BA)“These are the horns that scattered Judah, so that no one raised his head. And these have come (BB)to terrify them, to cast down the horns of the nations (BC)who lifted up their horns against the land of Judah to scatter it.”
Footnotes
- Zechariah 1:18 Ch 2:1 in Hebrew
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
