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Now I lifted up my eyes again and looked, and behold, ^(a)four chariots were coming forth from between the two mountains; and the mountains were bronze mountains.

With the first chariot were ^(b)red horses, with the second chariot ^(c)black horses,

with the third chariot ^(d)white horses, and with the fourth chariot strong ^(e)dappled horses.

Then I spoke and said to the angel who was speaking with me, "^(f)What are these, my lord?"

The angel replied to me, "These are the ^(g)four spirits of heaven, going forth after standing before the Lord of all the earth,

with one of which the black horses are going forth to the ^(h)north country; and the white ones go forth after them, while the dappled ones go forth to the ⁽ⁱ⁾south country.

When the strong ones went out, they ^[a]were eager to go to ^[b](j)patrol the earth." And He said, "Go, ^[c]patrol the earth." So they ^[d]patrolled the earth.

Then He cried out to me and spoke to me saying, "See, those who are going to the land of the north have ^[e](k)appeased My wrath in the land of the north."

The ^(l)word of the Lord also came to me, saying,

"^(m)Take an offering from the exiles, from Heldai, Tobijah and Jedaiah; and you go the same day and enter the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah, where they have arrived from Babylon.

Take silver and gold, make an ornate ⁽ⁿ⁾crown and set it on the head of ^(o)Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest.

Then say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, "Behold, a man whose name is ^[f](p)Branch, for He will ^[g](q)branch out from where He is; and He will ^(r)build the temple of the Lord .

Yes, it is He who will build the temple of the Lord , and He who will ^(s)bear the honor and sit and ^(t)rule on His throne. Thus, He will be a ^(u)priest on His throne, and the counsel of peace will be between the two ^[h]offices."'

Now the ^(v)crown will become a reminder in the temple of the Lord to Helem, Tobijah, Jedaiah and ^[i]Hen the son of Zephaniah.

^(w)Those who are far off will come and ^[j]build the temple of the Lord ." Then you will ^(x)know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. And it will take place if you completely ^(y)obey the Lord your God.

In the fourth year of King Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, which is ^(a)Chislev.

Now the town of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regemmelech and ^[a]their men to ^[b](b)seek the favor of the Lord ,

speaking to the ^(c)priests who belong to the house of the Lord of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, "Shall I weep in the ^(d)fifth month ^[c]and abstain, as I have done these many years?"

Then the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying,

"Say to all the people of the land and to the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months ^[d]these ^(e)seventy years, was it actually for ^(f)Me that you fasted?

When you eat and drink, ^[e]do you not eat for yourselves and do you not drink for yourselves?

Are not these the words which the Lord ^(g)proclaimed by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and ^[f](h)prosperous along with its cities around it, and the ^[g](i)Negev and the ^[h]foothills were inhabited?'"

Then the word of the Lord came to Zechariah saying,

"Thus has the Lord of hosts said, ‘^(j)Dispense true justice and practice ^(k)kindness and compassion each to his brother;

and ^(l)do not oppress the widow or the ^[i]orphan, the ^[j]stranger or the poor; and do ^(m)not devise evil in your hearts against one another.'

But they ⁽ⁿ⁾refused to pay attention and ^[k](o)turned a stubborn shoulder and ^[l](p)stopped their ears from hearing.

They made their ^(q)hearts like ^[m](r)flint ^[n]so that they could not hear the law and the ^(s)words which the Lord of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the ^(t)former prophets; therefore great ^(u)wrath came from the Lord of hosts.

And just as ^(v)He called and they would not listen, so ^(w)they called and I would not listen," says the Lord of hosts;

"but I ^[o](x)scattered them with a ^(y)storm wind among all the nations whom they have not known. Thus the land is ^(z)desolated behind them ^[p]so that ^(aa)no one went back and forth, for they ^(ab)made the pleasant land desolate."

Then the word of the Lord of hosts came, saying,

"Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘I am ^(a)exceedingly jealous for Zion, yes, with great wrath I am jealous for her.'

Thus says the Lord , ‘I will return to Zion and will ^(b)dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the City of ^(c)Truth, and the mountain of the Lord of hosts will be called the Holy Mountain.'

Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘^(d)Old men and old women will again sit in the ^[a]streets of Jerusalem, each man with his staff in his hand because of ^[b]age.

And the ^[c]streets of the city will be filled with ^(e)boys and girls playing in its ^[d]streets.'

Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘If it is ^[e](f)too difficult in the sight of the remnant of this people in those days, will it also be ^[f](g)too difficult in My sight?' declares the Lord of hosts.

Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Behold, I am going to save My people from the land of the ^[g](h)east and from the land of the ^[h]west;

and I will ⁽ⁱ⁾bring them back and they will ^(j)live in the midst of Jerusalem; and they shall be ^(k)My people, and I will be their God in ^[i]truth and righteousness.'

"Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Let your hands be ^(l)strong, you who are listening in these days to these words from the mouth of the ^(m)prophets, those who spoke in the day that the foundation of the house of the Lord of hosts was laid, to the end that the temple might be built.

For before those days there was ⁽ⁿ⁾no wage for man or any wage for animal; and for him who went out or came in there was no ^[j](o)peace because of ^[k]his enemies, and I ^(p)set all men one against another.

But now I will ^(q)not ^[l]treat the remnant of this people as in the former days,' declares the Lord of hosts.

‘For there will be ^(r)peace for the seed: the vine will yield its fruit, the land will yield its produce and the heavens will give their ^(s)dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to inherit ^(t)all these things.

It will come about that just as you were a ^(u)curse among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so I will save you that you may become a ^(v)blessing. Do not fear; let your ^(w)hands be strong.'

"For thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Just as I ^(x)purposed to do harm to you when your fathers provoked Me to wrath,' says the Lord of hosts, ‘and I have not ^(y)relented,

so I have again purposed in these days to ^(z)do good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. ^(aa)Do not fear!

These are the things which you should do: speak the ^(ab)truth to one another; ^(ac)judge with truth and judgment for peace in your ^[m]gates.

Also let none of you ^(ad)devise evil in your heart against another, and do not love ^[n](ae)perjury; for all these are what I ^(af)hate,' declares the Lord ."

Then the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying,

"Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘The fast of the ^(ag)fourth, the fast of the ^(ah)fifth, the fast of the ^(ai)seventh and the fast of the ^(aj)tenth months will become ^(ak)joy, gladness, and ^[o]cheerful feasts for the house of Judah; so ^(al)love truth and peace.'

"Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘It will yet be that ^(am)peoples will come, even the inhabitants of many cities.

The inhabitants of one will go to another, saying, "Let us go at once to ^(an)entreat the favor of the Lord , and to seek the Lord of hosts; ^[p]I will also go."

So ^(ao)many peoples and mighty nations will come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem and to ^(ap)entreat the favor of the Lord .'

Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘In those days ten men from all the ^[q]nations will ^[r](aq)grasp the ^[s]garment of a Jew, saying, "Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you."'"

The ^[a]burden of the word of the Lord is against the land of Hadrach, with ^(a)Damascus as its resting place (for the eyes of men, especially of all the tribes of Israel, are toward the Lord ),

And ^(b)Hamath also, which borders on it; ^(c)Tyre and ^(d)Sidon, ^[b]though ^[c]they are ^(e)very wise.

For Tyre built herself a ^(f)fortress And ^(g)piled up silver like dust, And ^(h)gold like the mire of the streets.

Behold, the Lord will ⁽ⁱ⁾dispossess her And cast her wealth into the sea; And she will be ^(j)consumed with fire.

Ashkelon will see it and be afraid. Gaza too will writhe in great pain; Also Ekron, for her expectation has been confounded. Moreover, the king will perish from Gaza, And Ashkelon will not be inhabited.

And a ^[d]mongrel race will dwell in ^(k)Ashdod, And I will cut off the pride of the Philistines.

And I will remove their blood from their mouth And their detestable things from between their teeth. Then they also will be a remnant for our God, And be like a ^[e]clan in Judah, And Ekron like a Jebusite.

But I will camp around My house ^[f]because of an army, Because of ^(l)him who passes by and returns; And ^(m)no oppressor will pass over them anymore, For now I have seen with My eyes.

⁽ⁿ⁾Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your ^(o)king is coming to you; He is ^[g](p)just and ^(q)endowed with salvation, ^(r)Humble, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a ^(s)colt, the ^[h]foal of a donkey.

I will ^(t)cut off the chariot from Ephraim And the ^(u)horse from Jerusalem; And the ^(v)bow of war will be cut off. And He will speak ^(w)peace to the nations; And His ^(x)dominion will be from sea to sea, And from the ^[i]River to the ends of the earth.

As for you also, because of the ^(y)blood of My covenant with you, I have set your ^(z)prisoners free from the ^[j]waterless pit.

Return to the ^[k](aa)stronghold, O prisoners ^[l]who have the ^(ab)hope; This very day I am declaring that I will restore ^(ac)double to you.

For I will ^(ad)bend Judah ^[m]as My bow, I will fill the bow with Ephraim. And I will stir up your sons, O Zion, against your sons, O ^(ae)Greece; And I will make you like a ^(af)warrior's sword.

Then the Lord will appear ^(ag)over them, And His ^(ah)arrow will go forth like lightning; And the Lord ^[n] God will blow the ^(ai)trumpet, And will march in the ^(aj)storm winds of the south.

^(ak)The Lord of hosts will defend them. And they will ^(al)devour and trample on the ^(am)sling stones; And they will drink and be ^(an)boisterous as with wine; And they will be filled like a sacrificial basin, Drenched like the ^(ao)corners of the altar.

And the Lord their God will ^(ap)save them in that day As the flock of His people; For they are as the stones of a ^(aq)crown, ^[o]Sparkling in His land.

For what ^[p](ar)comeliness and ^(as)beauty will be ^[q]theirs! Grain will make the young men flourish, and new wine the virgins.

Ask ^(a)rain from the Lord at the time of the spring rain— The Lord who ^(b)makes the ^[a]storm clouds; And He will give them ^(c)showers of rain, vegetation in the field to each man.

For the ^(d)teraphim speak ^[b]iniquity, And the ^(e)diviners see ^[c]lying visions And tell ^(f)false dreams; They comfort in vain. Therefore the people ^[d]wander like ^(g)sheep, They are afflicted, because there is no shepherd.

"My ^(h)anger is kindled against the shepherds, And I will punish the ^[e]male goats; For the Lord of hosts has ⁽ⁱ⁾visited His flock, the house of Judah, And will make them like His majestic horse in battle.

"From ^[f]them will come the ^(j)cornerstone, From ^[g]them the tent peg, From ^[h]them the bow of ^(k)battle, From ^[i]them every ^[j]ruler, all of them together.

"They will be as mighty men, ^(l)Treading down the enemy in the mire of the streets in battle; And they will fight, for the Lord will be with them; And the ^(m)riders on horses will be put to shame.

"I will ⁽ⁿ⁾strengthen the house of Judah, And I will ^(o)save the house of Joseph, And I will ^[k](p)bring them back, Because I have had ^(q)compassion on them; And they will be as though I had ^(r)not rejected them, For I am the Lord their God and I will ^(s)answer them.

"Ephraim will be like a mighty man, And their heart will be glad as if from wine; Indeed, their ^(t)children will see it and be glad, ^[l]Their heart will rejoice in the Lord .

"I will ^(u)whistle for them to gather them together, For I have redeemed them; And they will be as ^(v)numerous as they ^[m](w)were before.

"When I ^[n]scatter them among the peoples, They will ^(x)remember Me in far countries, And they with their children will live and come back.

"I will ^(y)bring them back from the land of Egypt And gather them from Assyria; And I will bring them into the land of ^(z)Gilead and Lebanon ^[o]Until ^(aa)no room can be found for them.

"And they will pass through the ^(ab)sea of distress And He will strike the waves in the sea, So that all the depths of the ^(ac)Nile will dry up; And the pride of ^(ad)Assyria will be brought down And the scepter of ^(ae)Egypt will depart.

"And I will ^(af)strengthen them in the Lord , And in His name ^(ag)they will walk," declares the Lord .