Zechariah 1
The LORD calls the people to return to Him, not to be like their fathers who ignored the prophets. Zechariah sees a vision of a man riding a red horse among the myrtle trees — the horsemen report that all the earth sits still and is at rest. The LORD declares He is sore displeased with the nations at ease and will return to Jerusalem with mercies; His house will be rebuilt.
| v | King James Version | Modern English |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the LORD unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying, | In the eighth month of the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to Zechariah the prophet, son of Berechiah, son of Iddo. He said: |
| 2 | The LORD hath been sore displeased with your fathers. | "The LORD was greatly displeased with Your fathers. |
| 3 | Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye unto me, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. | Therefore say to them, 'This is what the LORD of hosts says: Return to Me, says the LORD of hosts, and I will return to You, says the LORD of hosts.' |
| 4 | Be ye not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets have cried, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye now from your evil ways, and from your evil doings: but they did not hear, nor hearken unto me, saith the LORD. | Do not be like Your fathers, to whom the earlier prophets cried out, saying, 'This is what the LORD of hosts says: Turn now from Your evil ways and Your evil deeds.' But they would not hear or listen to Me, says the LORD. |
| 5 | Your fathers, where are they? and the prophets, do they live for ever? | Where are Your fathers now? And the prophets, do they live forever? |
| 6 | But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not take hold of your fathers? and they returned and said, Like as the LORD of hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways, and according to our doings, so hath he dealt with us. | But did not My words and My statutes, which I commanded My servants the prophets, take hold of Your fathers? Then they turned back and said, 'Just as the LORD of hosts purposed to do to us, according to our ways and according to our deeds, so has He dealt with us.'" |
| 7 | Upon the four and twentieth day of the eleventh month, which is the month Sebat, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the LORD unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying, | On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, the month of Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to Zechariah the prophet, son of Berechiah, son of Iddo. He said: |
| 8 | I saw by night, and behold a man riding upon a red horse, and he stood among the myrtle trees that were in the bottom; and behind him were there red horses, speckled, and white. | I saw in the night a man riding on a red horse. He was standing among the myrtle trees in the valley. Behind Him were red horses, speckled horses, and white horses. |
| 9 | Then said I, O my lord, what are these? And the angel that talked with me said unto me, I will shew thee what these be. | Then I said, "My lord, what are these?" The angel who talked with me said, "I will show you what these are." |
| 10 | And the man that stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, These are they whom the LORD hath sent to walk to and fro through the earth. | And the man who stood among the myrtle trees answered, "These are the ones whom the LORD has sent to go back and forth through the earth." |
| 11 | And they answered the angel of the LORD that stood among the myrtle trees, and said, We have walked to and fro through the earth, and, behold, all the earth sitteth still, and is at rest. | And they answered the angel of the LORD Who stood among the myrtle trees, saying, "We have gone back and forth through the earth, and all the earth sits still and is at rest." |
| 12 | Then the angel of the LORD answered and said, O LORD of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which thou hast had indignation these threescore and ten years? | Then the angel of the LORD answered, "O LORD of hosts, how long will You not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which You have had indignation these seventy years?" |
| 13 | And the LORD answered the angel that talked with me with good words and comfortable words. | And the LORD answered the angel who talked with me with good and comforting words. |
| 14 | So the angel that communed with me said unto me, Cry thou, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy. | So the angel who spoke with me said to me, "Cry out, saying, 'This is what the LORD of hosts says: I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy. |
| 15 | And I am very sore displeased with the heathen that are at ease: for I was but a little displeased, and they helped forward the affliction. | And I am greatly displeased with the heathen who are at ease. For I was only a little displeased, and they made the affliction worse. |
| 16 | Therefore thus saith the LORD; I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies: my house shall be built in it, saith the LORD of hosts, and a line shall be stretched forth upon Jerusalem. | Therefore this is what the LORD says: I have returned to Jerusalem with mercies. My house shall be built in it, says the LORD of hosts, and a measuring line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem.' |
| 17 | Cry yet, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; My cities through prosperity shall yet be spread abroad; and the LORD shall yet comfort Zion, and shall yet choose Jerusalem. | Cry out again, saying, 'This is what the LORD of hosts says: My cities shall yet overflow with prosperity. The LORD shall yet comfort Zion, and shall yet choose Jerusalem.'" |
| 18 | Then lifted I up mine eyes, and saw, and behold four horns. | Then I lifted up my eyes and saw, and there were four horns. |
| 19 | And I said unto the angel that talked with me, What be these? And he answered me, These are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem. | And I said to the angel who talked with me, "What are these?" He answered me, "These are the horns that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem." |
| 20 | And the LORD shewed me four carpenters. | And the LORD showed me four craftsmen. |
| 21 | Then said I, What come these to do? And he spake, saying, These are the horns which have scattered Judah, so that no man did lift up his head: but these are come to fray them, to cast out the horns of the Gentiles, which lifted up their horn over the land of Judah to scatter it. | Then I said, "What are these coming to do?" And He said, "These are the horns that scattered Judah, so that no man lifted up His head. But these craftsmen have come to terrify them and to cast out the horns of the Gentiles, which lifted up their horn against the land of Judah to scatter it." |