A Call to Repentance
(Jeremiah 3:11–25; Hosea 14:1–3)

1In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of YHWH came to Zechariah son of Berechiah son of Iddo, the prophet, saying:

2“YHWH has been angry at your⁺ fathers with wrath. 3Therefore you shall say to them, thus says YHWH of Hosts: ‘Return to Me, a declaration of YHWH of Hosts, and I will return to you⁺, says YHWH of Hosts.’

4Do not be like your⁺ fathers, to whom the former prophets called, saying, thus says YHWH of Hosts: ‘Turn aside now from your⁺ evil ways and your⁺ evil deeds.’

They did not hear and did not pay attention to Me, a declaration of YHWH.

5Your⁺ fathers, where are they? And the prophets, do they live forever? 6Indeed, My words and My statutes, which I commanded My servants the prophets, did not they overtake your⁺ fathers? And they returned and said, ‘As YHWH of Hosts determined to do to us, according to our ways and according to our deeds, so He has done to us.’”

The Vision of the Horses

7On the twenty and fourth day of the one and tenth month, it is the month of Shebat,† in the second year of Darius, the word of YHWH came to Zechariah son of Berechiah son of Iddo, the prophet, saying:

8I saw in the night, and behold, a man was riding on a red horse, and it was standing among the myrtle trees that were in the hollow; and behind him were red, sorrel, and white horses.

9And I said, “What are these, my lord?”

And the angel speaking with me said to me, “I will show you what they are, these things.”

10And the man standing among the myrtle trees answered, and he said: “These are they whom YHWH has sent to walk to and fro on the earth.”

11And they answered the angel of YHWH standing among the myrtle trees, and they said, “We have walked to and fro on the earth, and behold, all the earth is sitting and being quiet.”

12And the angel of YHWH answered and said, “O YHWH of Hosts, until when will You have no compassion on Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, with which You have been angry these seventy years?”

13And YHWH answered the angel speaking with me good words, words of comfort.

14And the angel speaking with me said to me, “Call out, saying, thus says YHWH of Hosts: ‘I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with great zeal. 15And with great wrath I am angry with the nations at ease; for I was a little angry, and they have helped the calamity!†”

16Therefore, thus says YHWH: ‘I have returned to Jerusalem with compassion; My house will be built within her, a declaration of YHWH of Hosts, and a line will be stretched out over Jerusalem.’

17Again call out, saying, thus says YHWH of Hosts: ‘Again My cities will overflow with goodness; and YHWH again will comfort Zion, and He will choose again Jerusalem.’”

The Vision of the Horns and the Craftsmen

18And I raised my eyes, and looked, and behold, four horns. 19And I said to the angel who was speaking with me, “What are these?”

And he said to me, “These are the horns that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.”

20And YHWH showed me four craftsmen.

21And I said, “What are these coming to do?”

And He answered, saying, “These are the horns that scattered Judah so that not a person could lift up his head; and these are coming to make them tremble, to cast down the horns of the nations who have lifted up the horn against the land of Judah to scatter it.”