Self-interpreting Bible

« back to list of books

« back to list of chapters

Zechariah 1

1Zechariah exhorteth to repentance. 7His vision of the horses and their angelic riders. 12At the prayer of the angel comforting promises are made to Jerusalem. 18The vision of the four horns and the four carpenters.


1 IN the aeighth month, in the bsecond year of Darius, ccame the word of the LORD unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of dIddo the prophet, saying,

2 The LORD ehath been 1*sore displeased with your fathers.

3 Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; fTurn ye unto me, saith the LORD of hosts, and gI will turn unto you, saith the LORD of hosts.

4 Be ye not has your fathers, unto whom the former prophets have cried, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; iTurn ye now from your evil ways, and from your evil doings: jbut they did not hear, nor hearken unto me, saith the LORD.

5 kYour fathers, where are they? and the prophets, do they live for ever?

6 lBut my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not 2take hold of your fathers? and they returned and said, mLike as the LORD of hosts thought to do unto us, according to our nways, and according to our doings, so hath 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,

    8 I saw by night, and behold a oman riding upon a red horse, and he pstood among the myrtle trees that were in the *bottom; and behind him were there qred horses, 3speckled, and white.

    9 Then said I, O my lord, rwhat are these? And the angel sthat talked with me said unto me, I will shew thee what these be.

    10 And the tman that stood among the umyrtle trees answered and said, These are they whom the LORD hath vsent to walk to and fro through the earth.

    11 And they answered the wangel of the LORD that stood among the myrtle trees, and said, xWe have walked to and fro through the earth, and, behold, all the earth sitteth still, and is yat rest.

    12 ¶Then zthe angel of the LORD answered and said, O LORD of hosts, ahow long wilt thou not have mercy on bJerusalem and on the cities of Judah, cagainst which thou hast had indignation these threescore and ten years?

    13 And the LORD answered the angel that talked with me with dgood words and comfortable words.

    14 So the eangel that communed with me said unto me, Cry thou, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; I am fjealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy.

    15 And I am very *sore displeased with the heathen that are gat ease: for I was but ha little displeased, and they ihelped forward the affliction.

    16 Therefore thus saith the LORD; jI am returned to Jerusalem with mercies: kmy house shall be built in it, saith the LORD of hosts, and la line shall be stretched forth upon Jerusalem.

    17 Cry yet, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; mMy cities through 4prosperity shall yet be spread *abroad; and the LORD shall yet ncomfort Zion, and shall yet ochoose Jerusalem.

    18 ¶Then lifted I up mine eyes, and saw, and behold four phorns.

    19 And I said unto qthe angel that talked with me, rWhat be these? And he answered me, sThese are the horns which have tscattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.

    20 And the LORD shewed me four ucarpenters.

    21 Then said I, What come these to do? And he spake, saying, These are the horns which have vscattered 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 wlifted up their horn over the land of Judah to scatter it.