A Call to Return to the LORD

1¹ In November of the second year of King Darius's reign, the Lord gave this message to the prophet Zechariah son of Berekiah and grandson of Iddo: ² "I, the Lord, was very angry with your ancestors. ³ Therefore, say to the people, 'This is what the Lord of Heaven's Armies says: Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of Heaven's Armies.' ⁴ Don't be like your ancestors who would not listen or pay attention when the earlier prophets said to them, 'This is what the Lord of Heaven's Armies says: Turn from your evil ways, and stop all your evil practices.' ⁵ "Where are your ancestors now? They and the prophets are long dead. ⁶ But everything I said through my servants the prophets happened to your ancestors, just as I said. As a result, they repented and said, 'We have received what we deserved from the Lord of Heaven's Armies. He has done what he said he would do.'"

The Vision of the Horses

⁷ Three months later, on February 15, the Lord sent another message to the prophet Zechariah son of Berekiah and grandson of Iddo. ⁸ In a vision during the night, I saw a man sitting on a red horse that was standing among some myrtle trees in a small valley. Behind him were riders on red, brown, and white horses. ⁹ I asked the angel who was talking with me, "My lord, what do these horses mean?" "I will show you," the angel replied. ¹⁰ The rider standing among the myrtle trees then explained, "They are the ones the Lord has sent out to patrol the earth." ¹¹ Then the other riders reported to the angel of the Lord, who was standing among the myrtle trees, "We have been patrolling the earth, and the whole earth is at peace." ¹² Upon hearing this, the angel of the Lord prayed this prayer: "O Lord of Heaven's Armies, for seventy years now you have been angry with Jerusalem and the towns of Judah. How long until you again show mercy to them?" ¹³ And the Lord spoke kind and comforting words to the angel who talked with me. ¹⁴ Then the angel said to me, "Shout this message for all to hear: 'This is what the Lord of Heaven's Armies says: My love for Jerusalem and Mount Zion is passionate and strong. ¹⁵ But I am very angry with the other nations that are now enjoying peace and security. I was only a little angry with my people, but the nations inflicted harm on them far beyond my intentions. ¹⁶ "'Therefore, this is what the Lord says: I have returned to show mercy to Jerusalem. My Temple will be rebuilt, says the Lord of Heaven's Armies, and measurements will be taken for the reconstruction of Jerusalem. ' ¹⁷ "Say this also: 'This is what the Lord of Heaven's Armies says: The towns of Israel will again overflow with prosperity, and the Lord will again comfort Zion and choose Jerusalem as his own.'"

The Vision of the Horns and Carpenters

¹⁸ Then I looked up and saw four animal horns. ¹⁹ "What are these?" I asked the angel who was talking with me. He replied, "These horns represent the nations that scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem." ²⁰ Then the Lord showed me four blacksmiths. ²¹ "What are these men coming to do?" I asked. The angel replied, "These four horns-these nations-scattered and humbled Judah. Now these blacksmiths have come to terrify those nations and throw them down and destroy them."

The Exiles Summoned

2¹ When I looked again, I saw a man with a measuring line in his hand. ² "Where are you going?" I asked. He replied, "I am going to measure Jerusalem, to see how wide and how long it is." ³ Then the angel who was with me went to meet a second angel who was coming toward him. ⁴ The other angel said, "Hurry, and say to that young man, 'Jerusalem will someday be so full of people and livestock that there won't be room enough for everyone! Many will live outside the city walls. ⁵ Then I, myself, will be a protective wall of fire around Jerusalem, says the Lord . And I will be the glory inside the city!'"

⁶ The Lord says, "Come away! Flee from Babylon in the land of the north, for I have scattered you to the four winds. ⁷ Come away, people of Zion, you who are exiled in Babylon!" ⁸ After a period of glory, the Lord of Heaven's Armies sent me against the nations who plundered you. For he said, "Anyone who harms you harms my most precious possession. ⁹ I will raise my fist to crush them, and their own slaves will plunder them." Then you will know that the Lord of Heaven's Armies has sent me.

¹⁰ The Lord says, "Shout and rejoice, O beautiful Jerusalem, for I am coming to live among you. ¹¹ Many nations will join themselves to the Lord on that day, and they, too, will be my people. I will live among you, and you will know that the Lord of Heaven's Armies sent me to you. ¹² The land of Judah will be the Lord 's special possession in the holy land, and he will once again choose Jerusalem to be his own city. ¹³ Be silent before the Lord, all humanity, for he is springing into action from his holy dwelling."

The Prophet's Vision of Joshua the High Priest

3¹ Then the angel showed me Jeshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord . The Accuser, Satan, was there at the angel's right hand, making accusations against Jeshua. ² And the Lord said to Satan, "I, the Lord, reject your accusations, Satan. Yes, the Lord, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebukes you. This man is like a burning stick that has been snatched from the fire." ³ Jeshua's clothing was filthy as he stood there before the angel. ⁴ So the angel said to the others standing there, "Take off his filthy clothes." And turning to Jeshua he said, "See, I have taken away your sins, and now I am giving you these fine new clothes." ⁵ Then I said, "They should also place a clean turban on his head." So they put a clean priestly turban on his head and dressed him in new clothes while the angel of the Lord stood by. ⁶ Then the angel of the Lord spoke very solemnly to Jeshua and said, ⁷ "This is what the Lord of Heaven's Armies says: If you follow my ways and carefully serve me, then you will be given authority over my Temple and its courtyards. I will let you walk among these others standing here.

⁸ "Listen to me, O Jeshua the high priest, and all you other priests. You are symbols of things to come. Soon I am going to bring my servant, the Branch. ⁹ Now look at the jewel I have set before Jeshua, a single stone with seven facets. I will engrave an inscription on it, says the Lord of Heaven's Armies, and I will remove the sins of this land in a single day. ¹⁰ "And on that day, says the Lord of Heaven's Armies, each of you will invite your neighbor to sit with you peacefully under your own grapevine and fig tree."

The Candlestick and the Olive Trees

4¹ Then the angel who had been talking with me returned and woke me, as though I had been asleep. ² "What do you see now?" he asked. I answered, "I see a solid gold lampstand with a bowl of oil on top of it. Around the bowl are seven lamps, each having seven spouts with wicks. ³ And I see two olive trees, one on each side of the bowl." ⁴ Then I asked the angel, "What are these, my lord? What do they mean?" ⁵ "Don't you know?" the angel asked. "No, my lord," I replied. ⁶ Then he said to me, "This is what the Lord says to Zerubbabel: It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of Heaven's Armies. ⁷ Nothing, not even a mighty mountain, will stand in Zerubbabel's way; it will become a level plain before him! And when Zerubbabel sets the final stone of the Temple in place, the people will shout: 'May God bless it! May God bless it!' " ⁸ Then another message came to me from the Lord : ⁹ "Zerubbabel is the one who laid the foundation of this Temple, and he will complete it. Then you will know that the Lord of Heaven's Armies has sent me. ¹⁰ Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel's hand." (The seven lamps represent the eyes of the Lord that search all around the world.)

¹¹ Then I asked the angel, "What are these two olive trees on each side of the lampstand, ¹² and what are the two olive branches that pour out golden oil through two gold tubes?" ¹³ "Don't you know?" he asked. "No, my lord," I replied. ¹⁴ Then he said to me, "They represent the two anointed ones who stand in the court of the Lord of all the earth."

The Fall of Babylon

18¹ After all this I saw another angel come down from heaven with great authority, and the earth grew bright with his splendor. ² He gave a mighty shout: "Babylon is fallen-that great city is fallen! She has become a home for demons. She is a hideout for every foul spirit, a hideout for every foul vulture and every foul and dreadful animal. ³ For all the nations have fallen because of the wine of her passionate immorality. The kings of the world have committed adultery with her. Because of her desires for extravagant luxury, the merchants of the world have grown rich." ⁴ Then I heard another voice calling from heaven, "Come away from her, my people. Do not take part in her sins, or you will be punished with her. ⁵ For her sins are piled as high as heaven, and God remembers her evil deeds. ⁶ Do to her as she has done to others. Double her penalty for all her evil deeds. She brewed a cup of terror for others, so brew twice as much for her. ⁷ She glorified herself and lived in luxury, so match it now with torment and sorrow. She boasted in her heart, 'I am queen on my throne. I am no helpless widow, and I have no reason to mourn.' ⁸ Therefore, these plagues will overtake her in a single day- death and mourning and famine. She will be completely consumed by fire, for the Lord God who judges her is mighty."

⁹ And the kings of the world who committed adultery with her and enjoyed her great luxury will mourn for her as they see the smoke rising from her charred remains. ¹⁰ They will stand at a distance, terrified by her great torment. They will cry out, "How terrible, how terrible for you, O Babylon, you great city! In a single moment God's judgment came on you." ¹¹ The merchants of the world will weep and mourn for her, for there is no one left to buy their goods. ¹² She bought great quantities of gold, silver, jewels, and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk, and scarlet cloth; things made of fragrant thyine wood, ivory goods, and objects made of expensive wood; and bronze, iron, and marble. ¹³ She also bought cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, olive oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle, sheep, horses, wagons, and bodies-that is, human slaves. ¹⁴ "The fancy things you loved so much are gone," they cry. "All your luxuries and splendor are gone forever, never to be yours again." ¹⁵ The merchants who became wealthy by selling her these things will stand at a distance, terrified by her great torment. They will weep and cry out, ¹⁶ "How terrible, how terrible for that great city! She was clothed in finest purple and scarlet linens, decked out with gold and precious stones and pearls! ¹⁷ In a single moment all the wealth of the city is gone!" And all the captains of the merchant ships and their passengers and sailors and crews will stand at a distance. ¹⁸ They will cry out as they watch the smoke ascend, and they will say, "Where is there another city as great as this?" ¹⁹ And they will weep and throw dust on their heads to show their grief. And they will cry out, "How terrible, how terrible for that great city! The shipowners became wealthy by transporting her great wealth on the seas. In a single moment it is all gone." ²⁰ Rejoice over her fate, O heaven and people of God and apostles and prophets! For at last God has judged her for your sakes. ²¹ Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a huge millstone. He threw it into the ocean and shouted, "Just like this, the great city Babylon will be thrown down with violence and will never be found again. ²² The sound of harps, singers, flutes, and trumpets will never be heard in you again. No craftsmen and no trades will ever be found in you again. The sound of the mill will never be heard in you again. ²³ The light of a lamp will never shine in you again. The happy voices of brides and grooms will never be heard in you again. For your merchants were the greatest in the world, and you deceived the nations with your sorceries. ²⁴ In your streets flowed the blood of the prophets and of God's holy people and the blood of people slaughtered all over the world."