J. Vernon McGee Thru the Bible Radio - (38) Book of Zechariah

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The Book of Zechariah - Summary

Zechariah was a prophet (holy man). The Book of Zechariah is in the Old Testament part of the Bible.

Zechariah lived at the same time as Haggai. God showed Zechariah many strange pictures to encourage the people in Jerusalem. These pictures explained good things that God would do in the future. Zechariah wrote about some things that would happen during his own life. And we now know that Zechariah wrote some things about Jesus. Jesus is both a priest and a king (Zechariah 6:12-13). Zechariah describes Jesus' death in Zechariah 12:10. Some things that Zechariah described have not happened yet (Zechariah 14). These things will happen in the future.
http://www.easyenglish.info/bible-outline/zechariah-summary.htm

Chapter summaries from: http://www.biblesummary.info/zechariah

Streamed Audio	Download Thru the Bible Chapters	Bible Chapter Listen or Download	Chapter Descriptions
Listen	Download		Zechariah Introduction
Listen	Download	Bible - KJV	Zechariah Ch. 1 Zec1: The LORD said, "Return to me." So the people repented. I saw a man on a red horse. The LORD said, "I will return to Zion with mercy."
Listen	Download	Bible - KJV	Zechariah Ch. 2 Zec2: I saw a man going to measure Jerusalem. The LORD says, "I will be her glory." He sent me to the nations. The LORD will inherit Judah.
Listen	Download	Bible - KJV	Zechariah Ch. 3 Zec3: Joshua stood before the angel. The LORD rebuked Satan. They put new clothes on Joshua. The LORD says, "I will bring forth my servant."
Listen	Download	Bible - KJV	Zechariah Ch. 4 Zec4: I saw a lampstand. I asked the angel about it. "Not by might but by my Spirit," says the LORD. "Zerubbabel will complete the temple."
Listen	Download	Bible - KJV	Zechariah Ch. 5 Zec5: I saw a flying scroll. He said, "This is the curse on thieves and liars." I saw a woman in a basket. He said, "This is Wickedness."
Listen	Download	Bible - KJV	Zechariah Ch. 6 Zec6: I saw four chariots with red, black, white and dappled horses. The LORD said, "Make a crown for Joshua. He shall build the temple."
Listen	Download		Zechariah Ch. 6 Review
Listen	Download	Bible - KJV	Zechariah Ch. 7 Zec7: The people asked, "Should we fast?" The LORD said, "Show mercy and do not oppress. But they would not listen. So I scattered them."
Listen	Download	Bible - KJV	Zechariah Ch. 8 Zec8: The LORD said: "I am jealous for Zion. I will save my people. Your fasts shall be feasts. Nations shall seek the LORD in Jerusalem."
Listen	Download	Bible - KJV	Zechariah Ch. 9 Zec9: The LORD is against Hadrach, Tyre and Philistia. Rejoice, O Zion! Behold your king, riding on a donkey. The LORD will save his people.
Listen	Download	Bible - KJV	Zechariah Ch. 10 Zec10: Ask the LORD for rain. From Judah will come the cornerstone. "I will save Judah for I am the LORD their God. I will bring them home."
Listen	Download	Bible - KJV	Zechariah Ch. 11 Zec11: The cedar has fallen! The LORD said, "Shepherd the doomed flock." I broke the two staffs. The LORD said, "Woe to the idle shepherd!"
Listen	Download	Bible - KJV	Zechariah Ch. 12 Zec12: The LORD said: "I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock. They will look upon me whom they have pierced. And they will mourn alone."
Listen	Download	Bible - KJV	Zechariah Ch. 13 Zec13: "There will be a fountain to cleanse from sin. I will remove prophets from the land. Strike my shepherd and the sheep will scatter."
Listen	Download	Bible - KJV	Zechariah Ch. 14 Zec14: A day is coming when the LORD will go into battle. Jerusalem will dwell in security. All the nations will worship the LORD of hosts.

Book of Zechariah Outlines by J.Vernon McGee PDF format <Link>

========================================================== http://www.easyenglish.info/english-learners-bible/zech-taw.htm

About this book

Chapter 1

Return to the *Lord

v1 Zechariah the *prophet heard a message from the *Lord. He heard this when Darius had been king for two years. It was the 8th month of the year. Zechariah was the son of Berechiah and Berechiah was the son of Iddo.

v2 The *Lord told Zechariah to say to the people,

‘I, the *Lord, was very angry with your fathers and their fathers. v3 Now I, the *Lord *Almighty, say this to you, “If you return to me, I will return to you.” v4 Do not be like your fathers. Many years ago the *prophets gave them a message from me. The message was, “Stop doing those things that are wrong.” They did not listen to me. And they did not think that my words were important. v5 Your fathers and their *prophets have been dead for a long time. v6 I told my servants the *prophets that they should say my words. They continued to say my words until my words made your fathers sorry. I had done to your fathers what I promised to do. They knew that. They said that they were very sorry.’

The man on the red horse

v7 Shebat is the name of the 11th month. On the 24th day of Shebat, the *Lord spoke to Zechariah the *prophet. This was when Darius had been king for two years.

v8 During the night I, Zechariah, had a dream from the *Lord. I saw a man on a red horse. The horse was standing among some trees called myrtle trees, in the valley. And behind him were red, brown and white horses.

v9 I asked him, ‘My *lord, what are these horses?’ The *angel who talked with me said, ‘I will show you what they are.’

v10 The man who was standing among the trees answered. ‘The *Lord has sent these horses to go to all the places on the earth.’

v11 And the horses spoke to the *angel of the *Lord who stood among the trees. They said, ‘We have gone all over the earth. All the earth is without trouble.’

v12 Then the *angel of the *Lord said, ‘Oh *Lord *Almighty, how long will you be angry with *Jerusalem? How long will you be angry against the cities of *Judah? You have already been angry for 70 years.’ v13 And the *Lord answered the *angel with kind words.

v14 The *angel said to me, ‘Tell this to the people. This is what the *Lord *Almighty says: “I love *Jerusalem. *Jerusalem is mine. v15 I am very angry with the countries that are safe and without danger. Those countries were too cruel to my people, when I was only a little angry with *Jerusalem.” v16 So, this is what the *Lord says: “I will return to *Jerusalem to be kind to the people there. I will build my house again”, says the *Lord *Almighty, “and I will build the city again.” ’

v17 The *angel told me that I must say this: ‘The *Lord *Almighty says, “My towns will be rich again. I will again speak kind words to *Jerusalem. I will choose *Jerusalem again as my own city.” ’

Four *horns and four good workers

v18 And I looked up and I saw four *horns. v19 And I asked the *angel that talked with me, ‘What are these *horns?’ Then the *angel said to me, ‘These are the strong enemies of my people. They took my people out of *Judah, out of *Israel and out of *Jerusalem.’

v20 Then the *Lord showed me four workers with hammers. v21 I said, ‘What are these men coming to do?’ The *Lord answered, ‘The *horns are the enemies that destroyed *Judah. They destroyed Judah so that they will all be ashamed. The workers came to frighten and to destroy the enemies because they killed many of my people. The enemies took many of my people out of *Judah.’

Chapter 2

The dream about *Jerusalem that God gave to Zechariah

v1 Then I looked up and I saw a man in front of me. He had a line in his hand. The line was to measure something. v2 Then I said, ‘Where are you going?’ He said to me, ‘I am going to measure *Jerusalem. I want to see how broad and how long it is.’ v3 The *angel that talked with me went away. Another *angel came to meet him. v4 The second *angel said to the first *angel, ‘Run to that young man with the line in his hand. Say that *Jerusalem will be a city without walls. This is because of the many people and many animals that will live in it. v5 The *Lord himself promises that he will be like a wall of fire round *Jerusalem. He will shine as a beautiful light inside the city.’

The *Lord will be among his people

v6 ‘Come! Come! Run away from the country in the north’, says the *Lord. ‘As the four winds blow in different directions, I sent you to many far countries.

v7 Come, my people. Run away from *Babylon and return to *Jerusalem.’ v8 Return because the *Lord says, ‘Anyone that attacks you is attacking the *Lord’s people. He is attacking the people that the *Lord loves.’ So the *Lord *Almighty sent me, Zechariah, with this message about the countries that have robbed his people. v9 ‘The *Lord himself will fight against your enemies and their own slaves will rob them. Then you will know that the *Lord *Almighty has sent me, Zechariah, to you.’

v10 ‘Sing and be happy, you people in *Jerusalem. This is because I will come. And I will live among you’, says the *Lord. v11 ‘On that day, the people from many countries will come to me, the *Lord, and they will become my people. I will live among you. You will know that the *Lord *Almighty has sent me. v12 The *Lord will choose *Judah for himself again. *Jerusalem will be the city that he loves most of all cities. v13 Be quiet, all people, because the *Lord has left his home in *heaven to come among you.’

Chapter 3

Clean clothes for Joshua the most important *priest

v1 Then the *angel of the *Lord appeared to me, Zechariah, and he showed me Joshua, the most important *priest. Joshua was standing in front of the *angel of the *Lord. *Satan stood on the right side of Joshua. He was ready to say that Joshua had done bad things. v2 The *Lord said to *Satan, ‘The *Lord says that you are wrong. The *Lord has chosen *Jerusalem. And he says that you are wrong. Joshua is certainly like a burning stick that someone pulls quickly out of the fire.’

v3 Joshua was wearing very dirty clothes and he stood in front of the *angel. v4 The *angel said to the other *angels that stood in front of him, ‘Remove his very dirty clothes.’ Then the first *angel said to Joshua, ‘See, I have taken away your *sin. I will put the clothes on you that a *priest should wear.’

v5 Then Zechariah said, ‘Put a clean hat on his head.’ So, they put a clean hat on his head and they dressed him in clean clothes. The *angel of the *Lord stood near to them.

v6 The *angel of the *Lord spoke to Joshua with these serious words. v7 ‘These are the words of the *Lord *Almighty. Listen to them and obey them. “You will rule in my house. You will rule inside the walls of my house. I will give you a place among the *angels that are standing here.

v8 Listen, Joshua, most important *priest of the *Lord. Listen you *priests that sit with Joshua. You are like a sign. People can look at you. And they can know that good things will happen in future years. See! I will bring to you my servant who is called The Branch. v9 See the stone that I have put in front of Joshua! It is a stone with seven sides and I will cut words in the stone”, says the *Lord *Almighty. “I will remove the *sin of this country’s people in one day.” v10 “On that day”, says the *Lord *Almighty, “each of you will ask your friends to come. You will ask them to come and to sit under your own *vines and *fig trees.” ’

Chapter 4

The burning lights and the *olive trees

v1 The *angel that talked with me before woke me. I, Zechariah, was like a man who wakes out of his sleep. v2 The *angel said to me, ‘What do you see?’ I said, ‘I see a thing that someone has made out of gold. And it contains oil. The oil burns to make light. It has a dish on top of it. And it has seven things like branches that someone has made out of gold. Each branch has a burning light on top of it. v3 And two *olive trees are standing by the burning lights. One tree is on the right of the lights and one tree is on the left of the lights.’

v4 I, Zechariah, said to the *angel that talked with me. ‘What does this light mean, my *lord?’

v5 He said, ‘Do you not know what these are?’

            I said, ‘No, my *lord.’

v6 Then the *angel said to me, ‘The *Lord said this to Zerubbabel: “You will need my Spirit. You yourself are too weak. And you do not have enough power.” This is what the *Lord *Almighty says: v7 “Big mountain, you are no problem. You will become flat ground in front of Zerubbabel. Then he will bring out the last and biggest stone of my house. The people will shout, ‘God *bless it! God *bless it!’ ” ’

v8 Then the *Lord’s message came to me, Zechariah. He said, v9 ‘Zerubbabel has put down the first stone of my house. He will also finish it.’ Then you will know that the *Lord *Almighty has sent me to you.

v10 Everyone should know that the day of small things is important.

Men will see Zerubbabel. Then they will sing and they will be happy. They will see him with a line in his hand to measure the walls.

            The *Lord sees everything in the whole earth. (The 7 lights are the 7 eyes of the *Lord.)

v11 Then I said to the *angel, ‘What are these two *olive trees on the right and on the left of the light?’

v12 A second time I spoke to the *angel, ‘What are these two branches of the *olive trees? They are next to the pipes of gold and oil comes from those pipes.’

v13 The *angel replied, ‘Do you not know what these *olive trees mean?’

            ‘No, my *lord’, I said.

v14 So the *angel said, ‘These are the two men that the *Lord of all the earth has chosen to be his servants.’

Chapter 5

Words for everyone to read

v1 Again, I looked and I saw a large paper. It was moving through the air. There were many words on the paper.

v2 The *angel said to me, ‘What do you see?’ And I answered, ‘I see a paper that is flying through the air. It is twice as long as it is wide. And it is as long as 5 men.’

v3 Then the *angel said to me, ‘The words on the paper tell about bad events for the whole earth. This will be in future years. On one side of the paper, it says that a man must not rob anyone. If he does, people will send him away from his own country. On the other side of the paper, it says that a man must not speak false words. If he does, people will send him away from his own country. v4 The *Lord *Almighty says, “I will cause bad things to happen in the house of the man that robs anyone. I will cause bad things to happen in the house of the man that speaks false words. It is as if the words on the paper will destroy the houses of those bad people.” ’

The woman in the basket

v5 Then the *angel that talked to me came near to me. He said, ‘Look. And see the thing that has just appeared.’

v6 I said, ‘What is it?’

He said, ‘It is a basket that people measure with.’ Then he said, ‘It is the *sin of all the people in this country.’

v7 He lifted the heavy metal lid and there was a woman. She was sitting in the basket!

v8 The *angel said, ‘This is *sin.’ He pushed her into the basket again and he put the heavy metal lid on top of the basket.

v9 Then I looked up and I saw two women. They flew towards me with strong *wings. The wind carried them as the wind carries large birds. They lifted the basket between the earth and the sky.

v10 Then I said to the *angel that talked with me, ‘Where will these women take the basket?’

v11 The *angel said to me, ‘They will take the basket to the country called *Babylon. They will build a house for it there. When the house is ready, they will put the basket inside the house. They will put it where people can see it.’

Chapter 6

Four *chariots

v1 Again I looked up and I saw 4 *chariots! They came out from between two mountains and the mountains were mountains of shining metal! v2 The first *chariot had red horses and the second *chariot had black horses. v3 The third *chariot had white horses and the fourth *chariot had grey horses. All the horses were strong. v4 Then I spoke to the *angel that talked to me. ‘What are these *chariots, my *lord?’ I said.

v5 The *angel answered me, ‘These are the 4 *spirits of *heaven. They have come from the *Lord of the whole world. v6 The *chariot with the black horses goes towards the north country. The *chariot with the white horses goes after them. The *chariot with the grey horses goes towards the south country.’

v7 When the strong horses came out, they were in a hurry to leave. The *angel said, ‘Go through all the earth.’ So the horses went through all the earth.

v8 Then the *Lord told me, ‘The *chariot that goes to the north country has caused my Spirit to rest in the north country. I am now no longer angry about the north country.’

A *crown for Joshua

v9 The *Lord spoke to me.

v10 ‘Three men have arrived from *Babylon’, he said. ‘Their names are Heldai, Tobijah and Jedaiah. Take the gold that they have brought with them. On the same day, take the gold to the house of Josiah, the son of Zephaniah.

v11 Take the gold and other valuable metal and make a *crown. Put it on the head of Joshua the most important *priest. He is the son of Jehozadak. v12 Say to Joshua, “The *Lord *Almighty says, ‘I have chosen a man. His name is the Branch. He will be a great man and he will build the house of the *Lord.

v13 It is he who will build the house of the *Lord. He will sit on his special high seat and he will rule all the people. He will be a *priest on the seat of a king. This one man will be *priest and king.’ ” v14 They will put the *crown in the house of the *Lord. This is to remember Heldai, Tobijah, Jedaiah and Hen the son of Zephaniah. This is because they brought the gold from *Babylon.

v15 People will come a long way and they will help to build the house of the *Lord. Then you will know that the *Lord *Almighty has sent me to you. All this will happen if you completely obey the *Lord your God.’

Chapter 7

God wants people to be fair and kind

v1 The *Lord spoke to Zechariah when Darius had been king for four years. It was the 4th day of the 9th month. The name of the month was Chislev. v2 Then the people in Bethel sent Sharezer and Regem-Melech and their men to *Jerusalem. They came to ask the *Lord to help them. v3 They came to the house of the *Lord *Almighty to speak to the *priests and to the *prophets. They asked, ‘Should we cry and not eat our food in the 5th month? We have done this for many years.’

v4 The *Lord *Almighty spoke to me, Zechariah. v5 He said, ‘Say this to all the people in this country and to the *priests. “You lived in *Babylon for many years. You ate no food and you were sad in the 5th month and in the 7th month. But you did not do this for me. v6 You ate and you drank. But you ate and you drank for yourselves. v7 These are the words that I, the *Lord, spoke by my *prophets in past years. At that time, the people in *Jerusalem lived without trouble. Many rich people lived in *Jerusalem. Also the people to the south and to the west of *Jerusalem lived without trouble.” ’

v8 The *Lord spoke again to Zechariah. He said, v9 ‘The *Lord *Almighty has said, “Be sure that you are fair to all people. Be kind to each other. v10 Be kind to a woman after the death of her husband. Be kind to a child after the death of his father. Be kind to strangers and to poor people. Do not think bad thoughts against your brother.”

v11 But the people would not listen and they turned away. They put their hands over their ears, because they did not want to hear. v12 They decided that they would not listen to God’s rules or to the messages from the *prophets. But the *Lord *Almighty had sent those messages by His Spirit. So I, the *Lord *Almighty, was very angry.

v13 When I spoke to them, they did not listen. So when they prayed to me, I did not listen to them’, says the *Lord *Almighty. v14 ‘As a storm takes things away, I took my people away to strange countries. The country that they left became an empty country. Nobody lived in it. That is how they made the good country an empty country.’

Chapter 8

The promises of God for *Jerusalem

v1 The *Lord *Almighty gave this message to Zechariah. v2 ‘I have wanted to help *Jerusalem because I love its people very much. My love causes me to be very angry with the enemies of *Jerusalem’, says the *Lord *Almighty.

v3 ‘*Jerusalem is the city that I have chosen. I will return there and I will live there. Then *Jerusalem will be called the city that obeys God. And the mountain of the *Lord *Almighty will be called the mountain that God has chosen.’

v4 The *Lord *Almighty says, ‘Old men and old women will sit in the streets of *Jerusalem again. Each will have a stick in his hands because he is so old.

v5 Many boys and girls will play in the streets of the city again.’

v6 ‘This may seem impossible to the few people that remain’, says the *Lord *Almighty. ‘But nothing is impossible to me’, says the *Lord *Almighty.

v7 ‘I will bring my people back from the east country and from the west country’, says the *Lord *Almighty. v8 ‘I will bring them back to live in *Jerusalem. They will be my people and I will be their God. I will do for them what I promised to do.’

v9 The *Lord *Almighty says, ‘Be strong, you people who now hear these words from the mouths of the *prophets. The *prophets spoke the same words when you prepared the ground for the *temple of the *Lord *Almighty. Now be strong and continue to build. v10 Before that time, there was not enough money to pay for work that men or animals did. No man was safe from the enemy because I made all men angry with each other.’

v11 ‘But now it is different. I will not be angry with the few people that have returned’, says the *Lord *Almighty.

v12 ‘The seeds and the plants will grow well. The trees will give fruit. There will be water from the skies. I will *bless the few people that will return. v13 In past years, people from other countries have said bad things against you, *Judah and Israel. But now I will help you. You will *bless many people. Do not be afraid. Be strong.’

v14 The *Lord *Almighty says this: ‘When your parents and their parents made me angry, I decided to *punish them.’ ‘I have also *punished you’, says the *Lord *Almighty. v15 ‘Do not be afraid. I have now decided to do good things to *Jerusalem and to the people in *Judah again. v16 These are the things that you should do. Speak true words to each other. Leaders, be fair to all people. v17 Do not think to do bad things against other people. Do not use my name to promise things and then not do those things. All these things make me very angry.’

v18 Again Zechariah the *prophet heard this message from the *Lord *Almighty. v19 ‘On special days in the year you eat no food. Those days are in the 4th, 5th, 7th and 10th months. But I want you to enjoy those days’, says the *Lord *Almighty. ‘I want the people in *Judah to be happy. So speak true words and live quiet lives.’

v20 ‘People that live in many countries will come to *Jerusalem’, says the *Lord *Almighty. v21 ‘The people from one city will go the people in another city. They will say, “Come with us to *worship the *Lord *Almighty. Come and ask the *Lord to help us.” v22 People from many strong countries will *worship the *Lord *Almighty in *Jerusalem. And they will ask the *Lord to help them.’

v23 ‘Then, 10 men from foreign countries will hold the coat of one *Jew’, says the *Lord *Almighty. ‘They will say, “People have told us that the *Lord is with you. So we want to go with you.” ’

Chapter 9

God speaks against *Israel’s enemies

v1 The *Lord speaks against the country called Hadrach and against Damascus city.

The *Lord watches all men and all the groups of people in Israel.

v2 The *Lord speaks against the country called Hamath. (It is next to the country called Hadrach.) The people in Tyre and Sidon cities are very *wise. But the *Lord also speaks against them.

v3 Tyre’s people have built strong walls to keep enemies out.

They have swept up rich metals like dirt.

They have swept up gold like dirt in the streets.

v4 The *Lord will take away all the things that Tyre’s people have.

And he will remove their ships from the sea.

Fire will burn every part of the city.

v5 The people in Ashkelon city will see it and they will be afraid.

The people in Gaza city will see it and they will be afraid.

The things that the people in Ekron city hope for will not happen.

The king of Gaza will die

and there will be no people in Ashkelon any longer.

v6 Foreign people will live in Ashdod city.

I will show the *Philistines that they are not clever. They are not as clever as they believe.

v7 I will take the blood from their mouths.

I will take the food from their teeth, because it is bad food.

Those that remain will still be my people.

They will become leaders in *Judah.

Ekron will be like a part of *Judah, as the *Jebusites were.

v8 Then I will keep my house safe against my enemies.

No army will ever again beat my people,

because I am watching them.

The King of *Zion comes

v9 Sing loudly, people in *Zion.

Shout, people in *Jerusalem.

Look! Your king comes to you.

He will save you because he does everything well.

But he is quiet and he is riding on a *donkey.

He will ride on a young animal. Its mother is a *donkey.

v10 I will take away the *chariots from Ephraim

and the horses of war from *Jerusalem.

The bows of war will be broken.

He will speak to all the countries and wars will finish.

He will rule from sea to sea. He will rule from the river Euphrates to the ends of the earth.

v11 But I made a promise to you. I made that promise true with blood. I will free your people that are in a prison, in deep dark holes without water.

v12 All you people who hoped to see your own country again, return to *Jerusalem.

I tell you this now: I will give back to you twice as much as you have lost.

v13 I will use *Judah and *Israel to attack my enemies.

I will use you, men from *Zion, to attack the men from Greece.

I will make you like the long metal knife of a soldier.

The *Lord will appear

v14 Then the *Lord will appear over them.

His *arrow will be like the bright light in the sky that you see during a storm.

The *Lord will make a great sound.

He will march in the storms from the south.

v15 And the *Lord *Almighty will watch over them.

They will beat the stones that their enemies throw at them.

When they go to war, they will shout.

They will shout like men

who have drunk too much *wine.

They will be as full of *joy as the dish is full.

This is the dish filled with the blood of animals in the house of God. The *priest pours it on the *altar.

v16 On that day, the *Lord will save them.

They are his people.

They will shine in his country

like beautiful stones that shine in a *crown.

v17 The people will be beautiful and good.

The young people will become strong

when they eat good bread.

The young women will become strong

when they drink new *wine.

Chapter 10

The *Lord will watch over *Judah

v1 Ask the *Lord for rain in spring.

It is the *Lord who makes the clouds and the storms.

He gives the rain to men.

He gives the plants of the field to everyone.

v2 People ask *idols for help,

but the *idols do not speak true words.

Some people explain what a dream means.

But they do not speak true words.

The help that they give is not good.

So the people move from place to place like sheep.

They are not safe. They have no leaders.

v3 ‘I am angry with the leaders.

I will cause them to be sorry.

*Judah’s people are mine’, says the *Lord *Almighty. ‘I will watch over them.

I will make them as strong as horses that are ready for war.

v4 From *Judah’s people will come the man called the *Cornerstone.

A strong leader will come from *Judah.

A strong soldier will come from *Judah.

Every ruler will come from *Judah.

v5 Together they will be like strong soldiers

who march through the dirty streets of the enemy.

The *Lord is with them and they will fight their enemies.

They will pull down the soldiers from their horses.

v6 I will make *Judah’s people strong

and I will make *Israel’s people free men.

I will bring them back to me,

because I am sorry for them.

I am their God

and I will answer them.

It will be as if I had never turned away from them.

v7 *Israel’s people will become like strong men.

They will be as happy as men that drink *wine.

Their children will see their happy fathers

and so the children will be happy.

They will sing to the *Lord.

v8 I will cause my people to come to me and I will bring them all together.

I will buy them and I will make them free people.

And there will be as many people as there were before.

v9 I will send them to foreign countries among foreign people.

But, in these far countries, they will remember me.

They and their children will not die.

They will return to *Jerusalem.

v10 I will bring my people back from Egypt

and I will bring them here together from Assyria.

I will bring them to Gilead and to Lebanon.

There will not be enough room for them all.

v11 And he will come to the difficult sea.

But it will be no trouble to him.

He will stop the *waves in the sea.

He will make the river Nile dry.

*Proud Assyria will have nothing to be proud about and

the power of Egypt’s people will finish.’

v12 ‘I will make my people strong.

They will obey me because they love my name.’

Chapter 11

The sheep and the *shepherd

v1 Open your gates, Lebanon,

so that the fires can burn down your *cedar trees.

v2 Cry aloud, *cypress tree, because the *cedar tree has fallen.

Enemies have cut down the tall and beautiful trees.

Cry aloud, *oak trees in Bashan,

because they have cut down the thick forest.

v3 Listen to the *shepherds. They are crying

because enemies have destroyed their fields.

Listen to the noise of the *lions

because the wood along the river Jordan

is no longer there.

The two *shepherds

v4 This is what the *Lord said to me, Zechariah. ‘My people are like sheep. There will be a time when men will buy them. And then they will kill them. But feed them until that time.

v5 Those men who buy the sheep will kill them. Nobody will *punish them. They will sell them. And they will say, “Thank you *Lord, because I am a rich man.” Their own *shepherds do not give the sheep any help.’

v6 The *Lord says, ‘The people in this country were my people, but they are not my people now. I will not go on being kind to them. I myself will give them to their enemies and to foreign kings. The foreign kings will do very bad things to the country, but I will not come to help.’

v7 So I was a good *shepherd to the sheep that men would soon kill. I thought specially about the weakest sheep. Then I took two sticks. And I called one stick ‘*Grace’ and I called the other stick ‘Together’. I fed the sheep.

v8 In one month, I sent away three *shepherds. They did not like me and I was not patient with them.

v9 I said to the sheep, ‘I will not be your *shepherd and you will die. The sheep that do not die will eat each other.’

v10 I took ‘*Grace’, which was my first stick. I broke it into two pieces. The *Lord’s promise to his people finished.

v11 On the day that the *Lord’s promise finished, the *oppressed sheep watched me. They knew that it was the *Lord’s message.

v12 I said to them, ‘You may think that I should have some money for my work. If you do think that, pay me my money. If you do not want to pay me, keep it.’ So they paid me 30 *silver coins.

v13 The *Lord said to me, ‘Throw the 30 *silver coins to the man who makes pots in the house of the *Lord.’ They thought that I was not worth very much! I took the 30 coins. And I threw them to the man who makes pots. He makes them for the house of the *Lord.

v14 Then I broke the second stick called ‘Together’. I made the country called *Judah separate. I made it separate from the country called *Israel. v15 Then the *Lord said to me, Zechariah, ‘Take again the tools of a bad *shepherd.

v16 I have chosen a man to watch the sheep. He will not help the sheep that are dying. He will not look for the sheep that have gone away. He will not help the sick sheep or feed the strong sheep. He will eat the meat of the fat sheep. He will tear off their feet to get all the meat.

v17 Bad things will happen to the bad *shepherd who leaves his sheep.

His enemy’s knife will cut his arm and his right eye.

His arm will become like a dry stick. And his right eye will no longer be able to see anything.’

Chapter 12

God will beat the enemies of *Jerusalem

v1 This is the *Lord’s message about Israel. The *Lord made the skies and the whole wide earth. He makes men and women.

v2 ‘I will frighten the enemies that live round *Jerusalem. I will frighten them so much that they will run. They will run as fast as they can from *Jerusalem and from *Judah.

v3 There will be a time when all the countries of the earth will be ready to attack *Jerusalem. Then I will make *Jerusalem like a heavy rock that nobody can move. All those who try to lift it will hurt themselves very badly.

v4 On that day’, says the *Lord, ‘I will make every horse very afraid. I will make all the men that ride them crazy. I want to help *Judah’s people. And so, I will not let the horses of the enemy see any longer.

v5 Then the leaders of *Judah will say to themselves, “The *Lord *Almighty, their God, makes the people in *Jerusalem strong. And they will help us.”

v6 On that day, I will make the leaders of *Judah like fire in a forest. I will make them like fire among *wheat that the farmer has cut. They will kill all the people from round *Jerusalem, but the people in *Jerusalem will be safe.

v7 The *Lord will save the homes of the people from *Judah first. So David’s *family and the people who live in *Jerusalem will not be greater than the people from *Judah.

v8 On that day, the *Lord will save the people who live in *Jerusalem. Even sick people will be as strong as King David was. The *family of David will lead the people from *Jerusalem like the *angel of the *Lord. God himself will go before them.

v9 On that day, I will destroy all the countries that fight against *Israel.

They will weep for the man that they killed

v10 I will cause the *family of David and the people in *Jerusalem to think seriously about me. Then they will know that I am kind to them. And they will want to pray to me. They will look at me whom they pierced (made holes in). They will weep about him as those that weep after the death of their only son. They will cry aloud as if their only son was dead.

v11 On that day, people will weep loudly in *Jerusalem. It will be like when they were weeping about Hadadrimmon in the fields of Megiddo.

v12 All the people will weep. Each *family will weep by itself. The *family of King David will weep by itself. And their wives will weep by themselves. The *family of Nathan will weep by itself. And their wives will weep by themselves.

v13 The *family of Levi will weep by itself. And their wives will weep by themselves. The *family of Shimei will weep by itself. And their wives will weep by themselves.

v14 And all the families that have not died will weep by themselves. And their wives will weep by themselves.’

Chapter 13

The *Lord takes away the *sin of the people

v1 ‘On that day, something will be like water that comes up from the ground. And it will clean away the *sin from the *family of David. It will clean away the *sin from the people in *Jerusalem.

v2 On that day, I will remove the names of false gods from the country’, says the *Lord *Almighty. ‘Everyone will forget them. I will remove all the false *prophets. And I will remove the bad *spirit that is not *holy.

v3 And if anyone appears as a *prophet again, his father and his mother will say to him, “You must die. You do not speak true words. The *Lord has not spoken to you.” Then they will kill him.

v4 On that day, every *prophet will be ashamed that he was ever a *prophet. He will not put on the clothes of a *prophet that they make from hair. Then people will not know that he is a *prophet.

v5 He will say, “I am not a *prophet. I am a farmer. From the time that I was a boy, I have worked on the land.”

v6 If someone asks him, “Who cut your body?” he will answer, “My friends cut me when I was at their house.” ’

Kill the *shepherd and the sheep will run away

v7 ‘Attack my *shepherd with a sharp knife.

Attack the man that is next to me’,

says the *Lord *Almighty.

            ‘Kill the *shepherd and then the sheep will run away.

            Then I will attack the young sheep.

v8        In the whole country’, says the *Lord,

            ‘two thirds of the people will die.

            But one third will still be living there.

v9        I will bring these people through fire.

As men clean *silver in the fire, so I will clean them.

As men *test gold in the fire, so I will *test them.

            They will speak my name and I will answer them.

            I will say, “They are my people.”

            They will say, “The *Lord is our God.” ’

Chapter 14

The *lord and ruler comes

v1 There will be a day when your enemies will take away everything. They will take away everything that is yours. They will each have some of your things.

v2 I will bring soldiers from all countries to fight against *Jerusalem. They will go into the city and they will rob the houses. They will have sex with the women. They will lead away half the people to other countries. They will let the other half stay in *Jerusalem.

v3 Then the *Lord will go out. And he will fight against the people from those countries as in past years.

v4 On that day, the *Lord’s feet will stand on the mountain of *Olives. This mountain is east of *Jerusalem. It will break in two from east to west and it will make a wide valley. Half of the mountain will move north and half of the mountain will move south.

v5 In the time of Uzziah, king of *Judah, you ran away when the earth moved. You will do this again. Then the *Lord will come. And all those who are *holy will come with him.

v6 On that day, it will not be light in some places and dark in other places.

v7 It will be a day like no other day. There will be no night. When it is evening, there will still be light. Only the *Lord himself will know that day.

v8 On that day, water will come out from *Jerusalem. Half of this water will go towards the sea in the east. Half of this water will go towards the sea in the west. This will go on during summer and winter.

v9 The *Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day, there will be only one *Lord and he will have only one name.

v10 All the land, from Geba to Rimmon, south of *Jerusalem, will become flat. But *Jerusalem will rise and it will be high in its place. The city will be from the Gate of Benjamin to the Corner Gate and to the High Building of Hananel. The place where the servants of the king make his *wine will be in it too.

v11 *Jerusalem will be safe. People will live there. Nobody will destroy *Jerusalem ever again.

v12 The *Lord will make the people sick that fought against *Jerusalem. Their bodies will become bad as they stand on their feet. Their eyes will become bad and they will fall out. And their *tongues will become bad in their mouths.

v13 On that day, the *Lord will make men so afraid that each man will attack the man next to him.

v14 *Judah also will go to *Jerusalem and they will fight. They will take every good thing from all the countries. There will be a lot of expensive metals and many rich clothes.

v15 The horses and all the other animals will be sick. And they will die as the soldiers died.

v16 Some of the soldiers from the countries that attacked *Jerusalem will not die. They will go to *Jerusalem year after year to *worship the King, the *Lord *Almighty. They will *worship him at the *Feast of Tabernacles.

v17 All the people on the earth will have to go to *Jerusalem to *worship the King, the *Lord *Almighty. If any people on the earth do not go, they will have no rain.

v18 If the people from Egypt do not go to *Jerusalem to *worship the *Lord, they will have no rain. And the *Lord will make them sick. If the people from other countries will not go to *Jerusalem, the *Lord will make them sick. They will die.

v19 This will happen to the people from Egypt. This will happen to the people from all the countries that do not go up to *Jerusalem at that time.

v20 On that day, men will write the words, ‘This is for the *Lord’ on the bells of the horses. The pots that anyone uses to cook with in the house of the *Lord will be special. They will be as special as the dishes in front of the *altar.

v21 Every pot in *Jerusalem and *Judah will be for the *Lord *Almighty. All the people who come to offer animals to the *Lord will cook in those pots. On that day, nobody who sells things will come into the house of the *Lord *Almighty.

Word List

almighty ~ more powerful than anyone else; someone who can beat all his enemies; someone who can do anything that he wants to do; the ruler of everything.

altar ~ special table for people to burn animals or other gifts that they offer to God.

angel ~ a servant from God to bring his messages.

angel of the *Lord ~ a very special *angel. Many Bible students say, “People saw Christ on earth before he came to Bethlehem as a baby. They called what they saw ‘the angel of the Lord’.”

arrow ~ a stick with a point at one end that you shoot from a bow.

Babylon ~ a country north of Israel.

bless ~ to say or to do good things to a person; or, to ask God to be good to someone.

cedar ~ a tall tree that has a lovely smell.

chariot ~ a box that soldiers ride in. Horses pull it.

cornerstone ~ the most important stone in a building.

crown ~ a special hat that a king, queen or other ruler wears.

cypress tree ~ like the *cedar tree but with a stronger smell.

donkey ~ an animal, like a small horse.

family ~ family here includes anyone who was born from his sons.

Feast of Tabernacles ~ the time when the *Jews remember that the *Lord was kind to his people. They live in tabernacles (something like a *tent) for a week. The *Lord was kind to his people when they left Egypt many years ago.

fig tree ~ a tree with small sweet fruits (figs).

grace ~ a gift from God that we cannot buy. He gives it because he loves us.

heaven ~ God’s home.

holy ~ very, very good; only God is really holy; the country where he lives with his people is also holy; it is holy because he is there.

Holy Spirit ~ one person of the three persons who are God. We cannot see him. He comes to help people to do what God wants.

horn ~ a hard bone on the head of an animal. It shows that it is strong.

idol ~ a false god that people made out of wood or stone or metal; something that we love more than God.

Israel ~ the name of the country that God gave to Jacob (Israel), and to his sons. But sometimes it means the north part of that country. The south part of that country is sometimes called Judah.

Jebusites ~ the name of the people that lived in *Jerusalem a long time ago.

Jerusalem ~ the capital city of Israel.

Jews ~ people that are born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.

joy ~ when people are happy because of what God has done for them.

Judah ~ the south part of the country where the *Jews lived.

lion ~ a big strong animal that can kill a man.

lord ~ someone who rules or someone who is a master. God is the Lord who rules everyone.

oak ~ a tall tree; it has hard wood; men can make boats out of this wood.

olive ~ a tree with small fruits (or the fruits themselves) that people used to make oil. They burned the oil to give them light.

oppressed ~ people that their enemies have hurt.

Philistines ~ some enemies of the *Jews (God’s people).

priest ~ a man that God chose to do a special work for him. The priests worked in the *temple.

prophet ~ a person who hears God’s words and tells them to other people; a false prophet does not really hear God’s words.

proud ~ when someone thinks that he is better than other people.

punish ~ to hurt someone for the wrong things that they have done. For example, a person who has robbed another person must go to a prison.

Satan ~ the name of the worst of the bad *spirits; he is the enemy of God.

shepherd ~ a person who works with sheep; he feeds them and he keeps them safe.

silver ~ a white metal that shines and is very valuable.

sin ~ when a person does bad things against God or against other people.

spirit ~ the part of a person that is alive, but which we cannot see. There are also bad spirits and good spirits. The *Holy Spirit is God’s Spirit.

temple ~ a place where people meet to *worship God.

tent ~ a home that people have made, sometimes out of cloth. You can move a tent-house to different places.

test ~ try to see how good someone or something is.

tongue ~ large red part (of the body) in the mouth; it helps us to speak.

vine ~ a plant which climbs. Its fruits are called grapes. People can make a drink that contains alcohol from grapes.

wave ~ when the wind blows on water and it moves up and down.

wheat ~ a plant. People make bread from its seeds.

wine ~ a red drink that makes people happy; it contains alcohol.

wing ~ a bird or an *angel uses its wings to fly.

wise ~ wise people know what to do; they know what is good and right; and they do it.

worship ~ to give thanks to God; to show God that we love him very much.

Zion ~ another name for *Jerusalem.

Book List

Joyce G. Baldwin ~ Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi ~ Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries

Bibles ~ R.S.V, N.I.V, Good News & Amplified

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Book 38	Zechariah

King James Version

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001:001	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,
001:002	The LORD hath been sore displeased with your fathers.
001:003	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.
001:004	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.
001:005	Your fathers, where are they? and the prophets, do they live for ever?
001:006	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.
001:007	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,
001:008	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.
001:009	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.
001:010	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.
001:011	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.
001:012	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?
001:013	And the LORD answered the angel that talked with me with good words and comfortable words.
001:014	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.
001:015	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.
001:016	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.
001:017	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.
001:018	Then lifted I up mine eyes, and saw, and behold four horns.
001:019	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.
001:020	And the LORD shewed me four carpenters.
001:021	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.

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002:001	I lifted up mine eyes again, and looked, and behold a man with a measuring line in his hand.
002:002	Then said I, Whither goest thou? And he said unto me, To measure Jerusalem, to see what is the breadth thereof, and what is the length thereof.
002:003	And, behold, the angel that talked with me went forth, and another angel went out to meet him,
002:004	And said unto him, Run, speak to this young man, saying, Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls for the multitude of men and cattle therein:
002:005	For I, saith the LORD, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her.
002:006	Ho, ho, come forth, and flee from the land of the north, saith the LORD: for I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heaven, saith the LORD.
002:007	Deliver thyself, O Zion, that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon.
002:008	For thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye.
002:009	For, behold, I will shake mine hand upon them, and they shall be a spoil to their servants: and ye shall know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me.
002:010	Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the LORD.
002:011	And many nations shall be joined to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto thee.
002:012	And the LORD shall inherit Judah his portion in the holy land, and shall choose Jerusalem again.
002:013	Be silent, O all flesh, before the LORD: for he is raised up out of his holy habitation.

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003:001	And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him.
003:002	And the LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan; even the LORD that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?
003:003	Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel.
003:004	And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.
003:005	And I said, Let them set a fair mitre upon his head. So they set a fair mitre upon his head, and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the LORD stood by.
003:006	And the angel of the LORD protested unto Joshua, saying,
003:007	Thus saith the LORD of hosts; If thou wilt walk in my ways, and if thou wilt keep my charge, then thou shalt also judge my house, and shalt also keep my courts, and I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by.
003:008	Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy fellows that sit before thee: for they are men wondered at: for, behold, I will bring forth my servant the BRANCH.
003:009	For behold the stone that I have laid before Joshua; upon one stone shall be seven eyes: behold, I will engrave the graving thereof, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.
003:010	In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, shall ye call every man his neighbour under the vine and under the fig tree.

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004:001	And the angel that talked with me came again, and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep.
004:002	And said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof:
004:003	And two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof.
004:004	So I answered and spake to the angel that talked with me, saying, What are these, my lord?
004:005	Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord.
004:006	Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.
004:007	Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it.
004:008	Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
004:009	The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto you.
004:010	For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth.
004:011	Then answered I, and said unto him, What are these two olive trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon the left side thereof?
004:012	And I answered again, and said unto him, What be these two olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves?
004:013	And he answered me and said, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord.
004:014	Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the LORD of the whole earth.

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005:001	Then I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a flying roll.
005:002	And he said unto me, What seest thou? And I answered, I see a flying roll; the length thereof is twenty cubits, and the breadth thereof ten cubits.
005:003	Then said he unto me, This is the curse that goeth forth over the face of the whole earth: for every one that stealeth shall be cut off as on this side according to it; and every one that sweareth shall be cut off as on that side according to it.
005:004	I will bring it forth, saith the LORD of hosts, and it shall enter into the house of the thief, and into the house of him that sweareth falsely by my name: and it shall remain in the midst of his house, and shall consume it with the timber thereof and the stones thereof.
005:005	Then the angel that talked with me went forth, and said unto me, Lift up now thine eyes, and see what is this that goeth forth.
005:006	And I said, What is it? And he said, This is an ephah that goeth forth. He said moreover, This is their resemblance through all the earth.
005:007	And, behold, there was lifted up a talent of lead: and this is a woman that sitteth in the midst of the ephah.
005:008	And he said, This is wickedness. And he cast it into the midst of the ephah; and he cast the weight of lead upon the mouth thereof.
005:009	Then lifted I up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came out two women, and the wind was in their wings; for they had wings like the wings of a stork: and they lifted up the ephah between the earth and the heaven.
005:010	Then said I to the angel that talked with me, Whither do these bear the ephah?
005:011	And he said unto me, To build it an house in the land of Shinar: and it shall be established, and set there upon her own base.

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006:001	And I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came four chariots out from between two mountains; and the mountains were mountains of brass.
006:002	In the first chariot were red horses; and in the second chariot black horses;
006:003	And in the third chariot white horses; and in the fourth chariot grisled and bay horses.
006:004	Then I answered and said unto the angel that talked with me, What are these, my lord?
006:005	And the angel answered and said unto me, These are the four spirits of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the LORD of all the earth.
006:006	The black horses which are therein go forth into the north country; and the white go forth after them; and the grisled go forth toward the south country.
006:007	And the bay went forth, and sought to go that they might walk to and fro through the earth: and he said, Get you hence, walk to and fro through the earth. So they walked to and fro through the earth.
006:008	Then cried he upon me, and spake unto me, saying, Behold, these that go toward the north country have quieted my spirit in the north country.
006:009	And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
006:010	Take of them of the captivity, even of Heldai, of Tobijah, and of Jedaiah, which are come from Babylon, and come thou the same day, and go into the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah;
006:011	Then take silver and gold, and make crowns, and set them upon the head of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest;
006:012	And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD:
006:013	Even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.
006:014	And the crowns shall be to Helem, and to Tobijah, and to Jedaiah, and to Hen the son of Zephaniah, for a memorial in the temple of the LORD.
006:015	And they that are far off shall come and build in the temple of the LORD, and ye shall know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto you. And this shall come to pass, if ye will diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God.

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007:001	And it came to pass in the fourth year of king Darius, that the word of the LORD came unto Zechariah in the fourth day of the ninth month, even in Chisleu;
007:002	When they had sent unto the house of God Sherezer and Regemmelech, and their men, to pray before the LORD,
007:003	And to speak unto the priests which were in the house of the LORD of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done these so many years?
007:004	Then came the word of the LORD of hosts unto me, saying,
007:005	Speak unto all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh month, even those seventy years, did ye at all fast unto me, even to me?
007:006	And when ye did eat, and when ye did drink, did not ye eat for yourselves, and drink for yourselves?
007:007	Should ye not hear the words which the LORD hath cried by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and in prosperity, and the cities thereof round about her, when men inhabited the south and the plain?
007:008	And the word of the LORD came unto Zechariah, saying,
007:009	Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother:
007:010	And oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart.
007:011	But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear.
007:012	Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the LORD of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the LORD of hosts.
007:013	Therefore it is come to pass, that as he cried, and they would not hear; so they cried, and I would not hear, saith the LORD of hosts:
007:014	But I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations whom they knew not. Thus the land was desolate after them, that no man passed through nor returned: for they laid the pleasant land desolate.

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008:001	Again the word of the LORD of hosts came to me, saying,
008:002	Thus saith the LORD of hosts; I was jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I was jealous for her with great fury.
008:003	Thus saith the LORD; I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; and the mountain of the LORD of hosts the holy mountain.
008:004	Thus saith the LORD of hosts; There shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, and every man with his staff in his hand for very age.
008:005	And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof.
008:006	Thus saith the LORD of hosts; If it be marvellous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these days, should it also be marvellous in mine eyes? saith the LORD of hosts.
008:007	Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will save my people from the east country, and from the west country;
008:008	And I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in truth and in righteousness.
008:009	Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Let your hands be strong, ye that hear in these days these words by the mouth of the prophets, which were in the day that the foundation of the house of the LORD of hosts was laid, that the temple might be built.
008:010	For before these days there was no hire for man, nor any hire for beast; neither was there any peace to him that went out or came in because of the affliction: for I set all men every one against his neighbour.
008:011	But now I will not be unto the residue of this people as in the former days, saith the LORD of hosts.
008:012	For the seed shall be prosperous; the vine shall give her fruit, and the ground shall give her increase, and the heavens shall give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things.
008:013	And it shall come to pass, that as ye were a curse among the heathen, O house of Judah, and house of Israel; so will I save you, and ye shall be a blessing: fear not, but let your hands be strong.
008:014	For thus saith the LORD of hosts; As I thought to punish you, when your fathers provoked me to wrath, saith the LORD of hosts, and I repented not:
008:015	So again have I thought in these days to do well unto Jerusalem and to the house of Judah: fear ye not.
008:016	These are the things that ye shall do; Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates:
008:017	And let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbour; and love no false oath: for all these are things that I hate, saith the LORD.
008:018	And the word of the LORD of hosts came unto me, saying,
008:019	Thus saith the LORD of hosts; The fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall be to the house of Judah joy and gladness, and cheerful feasts; therefore love the truth and peace.
008:020	Thus saith the LORD of hosts; It shall yet come to pass, that there shall come people, and the inhabitants of many cities:
008:021	And the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, Let us go speedily to pray before the LORD, and to seek the LORD of hosts: I will go also.
008:022	Yea, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the LORD.
008:023	Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.

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009:001	The burden of the word of the LORD in the land of Hadrach, and Damascus shall be the rest thereof: when the eyes of man, as of all the tribes of Israel, shall be toward the LORD.
009:002	And Hamath also shall border thereby; Tyrus, and Zidon, though it be very wise.
009:003	And Tyrus did build herself a strong hold, and heaped up silver as the dust, and fine gold as the mire of the streets.
009:004	Behold, the LORD will cast her out, and he will smite her power in the sea; and she shall be devoured with fire.
009:005	Ashkelon shall see it, and fear; Gaza also shall see it, and be very sorrowful, and Ekron; for her expectation shall be ashamed; and the king shall perish from Gaza, and Ashkelon shall not be inhabited.
009:006	And a bastard shall dwell in Ashdod, and I will cut off the pride of the Philistines.
009:007	And I will take away his blood out of his mouth, and his abominations from between his teeth: but he that remaineth, even he, shall be for our God, and he shall be as a governor in Judah, and Ekron as a Jebusite.
009:008	And I will encamp about mine house because of the army, because of him that passeth by, and because of him that returneth: and no oppressor shall pass through them any more: for now have I seen with mine eyes.
009:009	Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.
009:010	And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off: and he shall speak peace unto the heathen: and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth.
009:011	As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water.
009:012	Turn you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope: even to day do I declare that I will render double unto thee;
009:013	When I have bent Judah for me, filled the bow with Ephraim, and raised up thy sons, O Zion, against thy sons, O Greece, and made thee as the sword of a mighty man.
009:014	And the LORD shall be seen over them, and his arrow shall go forth as the lightning: and the LORD God shall blow the trumpet, and shall go with whirlwinds of the south.
009:015	The LORD of hosts shall defend them; and they shall devour, and subdue with sling stones; and they shall drink, and make a noise as through wine; and they shall be filled like bowls, and as the corners of the altar.
009:016	And the LORD their God shall save them in that day as the flock of his people: for they shall be as the stones of a crown, lifted up as an ensign upon his land.
009:017	For how great is his goodness, and how great is his beauty! corn shall make the young men cheerful, and new wine the maids.

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010:001	Ask ye of the LORD rain in the time of the latter rain; so the LORD shall make bright clouds, and give them showers of rain, to every one grass in the field.
010:002	For the idols have spoken vanity, and the diviners have seen a lie, and have told false dreams; they comfort in vain: therefore they went their way as a flock, they were troubled, because there was no shepherd.
010:003	Mine anger was kindled against the shepherds, and I punished the goats: for the LORD of hosts hath visited his flock the house of Judah, and hath made them as his goodly horse in the battle.
010:004	Out of him came forth the corner, out of him the nail, out of him the battle bow, out of him every oppressor together.
010:005	And they shall be as mighty men, which tread down their enemies in the mire of the streets in the battle: and they shall fight, because the LORD is with them, and the riders on horses shall be confounded.
010:006	And I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph, and I will bring them again to place them; for I have mercy upon them: and they shall be as though I had not cast them off: for I am the LORD their God, and will hear them.
010:007	And they of Ephraim shall be like a mighty man, and their heart shall rejoice as through wine: yea, their children shall see it, and be glad; their heart shall rejoice in the LORD.
010:008	I will hiss for them, and gather them; for I have redeemed them: and they shall increase as they have increased.
010:009	And I will sow them among the people: and they shall remember me in far countries; and they shall live with their children, and turn again.
010:010	I will bring them again also out of the land of Egypt, and gather them out of Assyria; and I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon; and place shall not be found for them.
010:011	And he shall pass through the sea with affliction, and shall smite the waves in the sea, and all the deeps of the river shall dry up: and the pride of Assyria shall be brought down, and the sceptre of Egypt shall depart away.
010:012	And I will strengthen them in the LORD; and they shall walk up and down in his name, saith the LORD.

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011:001	Open thy doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour thy cedars.
011:002	Howl, fir tree; for the cedar is fallen; because the mighty are spoiled: howl, O ye oaks of Bashan; for the forest of the vintage is come down.
011:003	There is a voice of the howling of the shepherds; for their glory is spoiled: a voice of the roaring of young lions; for the pride of Jordan is spoiled.
011:004	Thus saith the LORD my God; Feed the flock of the slaughter;
011:005	Whose possessors slay them, and hold themselves not guilty: and they that sell them say, Blessed be the LORD; for I am rich: and their own shepherds pity them not.
011:006	For I will no more pity the inhabitants of the land, saith the LORD: but, lo, I will deliver the men every one into his neighbour's hand, and into the hand of his king: and they shall smite the land, and out of their hand I will not deliver them.
011:007	And I will feed the flock of slaughter, even you, O poor of the flock. And I took unto me two staves; the one I called Beauty, and the other I called Bands; and I fed the flock.
011:008	Three shepherds also I cut off in one month; and my soul lothed them, and their soul also abhorred me.
011:009	Then said I, I will not feed you: that that dieth, let it die; and that that is to be cut off, let it be cut off; and let the rest eat every one the flesh of another.
011:010	And I took my staff, even Beauty, and cut it asunder, that I might break my covenant which I had made with all the people.
011:011	And it was broken in that day: and so the poor of the flock that waited upon me knew that it was the word of the LORD.
011:012	And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver.
011:013	And the LORD said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the LORD.
011:014	Then I cut asunder mine other staff, even Bands, that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.
011:015	And the LORD said unto me, Take unto thee yet the instruments of a foolish shepherd.
011:016	For, lo, I will raise up a shepherd in the land, which shall not visit those that be cut off, neither shall seek the young one, nor heal that that is broken, nor feed that that standeth still: but he shall eat the flesh of the fat, and tear their claws in pieces.
011:017	Woe to the idol shepherd that leaveth the flock! the sword shall be upon his arm, and upon his right eye: his arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye shall be utterly darkened.

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012:001	The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him.
012:002	Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem.
012:003	And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.
012:004	In that day, saith the LORD, I will smite every horse with astonishment, and his rider with madness: and I will open mine eyes upon the house of Judah, and will smite every horse of the people with blindness.
012:005	And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, The inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be my strength in the LORD of hosts their God.
012:006	In that day will I make the governors of Judah like an hearth of fire among the wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf; and they shall devour all the people round about, on the right hand and on the left: and Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place, even in Jerusalem.
012:007	The LORD also shall save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem do not magnify themselves against Judah.
012:008	In that day shall the LORD defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the LORD before them.
012:009	And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
012:010	And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.
012:011	In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon.
012:012	And the land shall mourn, every family apart; the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart;
012:013	The family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart; the family of Shimei apart, and their wives apart;
012:014	All the families that remain, every family apart, and their wives apart.

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013:001	In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.
013:002	And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD of hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they shall no more be remembered: and also I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land.
013:003	And it shall come to pass, that when any shall yet prophesy, then his father and his mother that begat him shall say unto him, Thou shalt not live; for thou speakest lies in the name of the LORD: and his father and his mother that begat him shall thrust him through when he prophesieth.
013:004	And it shall come to pass in that day, that the prophets shall be ashamed every one of his vision, when he hath prophesied; neither shall they wear a rough garment to deceive:
013:005	But he shall say, I am no prophet, I am an husbandman; for man taught me to keep cattle from my youth.
013:006	And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.
013:007	Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones.
013:008	And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein.
013:009	And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.

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014:001	Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.
014:002	For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
014:003	Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.
014:004	And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.
014:005	And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.
014:006	And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark:
014:007	But it shall be one day which shall be known to the LORD, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light.
014:008	And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be.
014:009	And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.
014:010	All the land shall be turned as a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem: and it shall be lifted up, and inhabited in her place, from Benjamin's gate unto the place of the first gate, unto the corner gate, and from the tower of Hananeel unto the king's winepresses.
014:011	And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited.
014:012	And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.
014:013	And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.
014:014	And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the heathen round about shall be gathered together, gold, and silver, and apparel, in great abundance.
014:015	And so shall be the plague of the horse, of the mule, of the camel, and of the ass, and of all the beasts that shall be in these tents, as this plague.
014:016	And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.
014:017	And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain.
014:018	And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith the LORD will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.
014:019	This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.
014:020	In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD; and the pots in the LORD's house shall be like the bowls before the altar.
014:021	Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto the LORD of hosts: and all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them, and seethe therein: and in that day there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the LORD of hosts.

 

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*The Good News Bible, Today's English Version, Second Edition, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville. 1992

**The Liberty Annotated Study Bible, 1988, Liberty University Publication and Thomas A Nelson, Inc. Publication.

***The Liberty Annotated Study Bible, 1988, Liberty University Publication and Thomas A Nelson, Inc. Publication.

****F.B. Meyer Bible Commentary; Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Wheaton, Illinois. ISBN 0-8423-4250-8, 1978.

Note: Chapter topic headings suggested from "The Holman Illustrated Study Bible"; Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.A. ISBN: 978-1-58640-275-4. and Chapter topic headings suggested from "The Inspirational Study Bible" by Max Lucado, General Editor; Word Bibles, 1991; Thomas Nelson, Inc., ISBN 0-8499-5123-2 (Hardback edition); and "The Liberty Annotated Study Bible, 1988, Liberty University Publication and Thomas A Nelson, Inc. Publication. and from "The Abingdon Bible Commentary" Abingdon Press, 1929, The Good News Bible, Today's English Version, Second Edition, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville. 1992, and Wikepedia.com

 

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