Today's Reading

¹Again I lifted up my eyes, and saw, and behold, four chariots came out from between two mountains; and the mountains were mountains of brass.

²In the first chariot were red horses; in the second chariot black horses;

³in the third chariot white horses; and in the fourth chariot dappled horses, all of them powerful.

⁴Then I asked the angel who talked with me, "What are these, my lord?"

⁵The angel answered me, "These are the four winds of the sky, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth.

⁶The one with the black horses goes out toward the north country; and the white went out after them; and the dappled went forth toward the south country."

⁷The strong went out, and sought to go that they might walk back and forth through the earth: and he said, "Go around and through the earth!" So they walked back and forth through the earth.

⁸Then he called to me, and spoke to me, saying, "Behold, those who go toward the north country have quieted my spirit in the north country."

⁹The word of the Lord came to me, saying,

¹⁰"Take of them of the captivity, even of Heldai, of Tobijah, and of Jedaiah; and come the same day, and go into the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah, where they have come from Babylon.

¹¹Yes, take silver and gold, and make crowns, and set them on the head of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest;

¹²and speak to him, saying, 'Thus says the Lord of hosts, "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;

¹³even he shall build the temple of the Lord; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule on his throne; and he shall be a priest on his throne; and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.

¹⁴The 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.

¹⁵Those who are far off shall come and build in the temple of the Lord; and you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. This will happen, if you will diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God."'"

¹It happened in the fourth year of king Darius that the word of the Lord came to Zechariah in the fourth day of the ninth month, the month of Chislev.

²The people of Bethel sent Sharezer and Regem Melech, and their men, to entreat the Lord's favor,

³and to speak to the priests of 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?"

⁴Then the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying,

⁵"Speak to all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, 'When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and in the seventh month for these seventy years, did you at all fast to me, really to me?

⁶When you eat, and when you drink, do you not eat for yourselves, and drink for yourselves?

⁷Aren't these the words which the Lord proclaimed by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and in prosperity, and its cities around her, and the Negev and the lowland were inhabited?'"

⁸The word of the Lord came to Zechariah, saying,

⁹"Thus has the Lord of hosts spoken, saying, 'Execute true judgment, and show kindness and compassion every man to his brother.

¹⁰Do not oppress the widow, nor the fatherless, the foreigner, nor the poor; and let none of you devise evil against his brother in your heart.'

¹¹But they refused to listen, and turned their backs, and stopped their ears, that they might not hear.

¹²Yes, they made their hearts as hard as flint, lest they might hear the law, and the words which the Lord of hosts had sent by his Spirit by the former prophets. Therefore great wrath came from the Lord of hosts.

¹³It has come to pass that, as he called, and they refused to listen, so they will call, and I will not listen," said the Lord of hosts;

¹⁴"but I will scatter them with a whirlwind among all the nations which they have not known. Thus the land was desolate after them, so that no man passed through nor returned: for they made the pleasant land desolate."

¹The word of the Lord of hosts came to me.

²Thus says the Lord of hosts: "I am jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I am jealous for her with great wrath."

³Thus says the Lord: "I have returned to Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Jerusalem shall be called 'The City of Truth;' and the mountain of the Lord of hosts, 'The Holy Mountain.'"

⁴Thus says the Lord of hosts: "Old men and old women will again dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, every man with his staff in his hand for very age.

⁵The streets of the city will be full of boys and girls playing in its streets."

⁶Thus says the Lord of hosts: "If it is marvelous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in those days, should it also be marvelous in my eyes?" says the Lord of hosts.

⁷Thus says the Lord of hosts: "Behold, I will save my people from the east country, and from the west country;

⁸and I will bring them, and they will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem; and they will be my people, and I will be their God, in truth and in righteousness."

⁹Thus says the Lord of hosts: "Let your hands be strong, you who hear in these days these words from the mouth of the prophets who were in the day that the foundation of the house of the Lord of hosts was laid, even the temple, that it might be built.

¹⁰For before those days there was no wages for man, nor any wages for an animal; neither was there any peace to him who went out or came in, because of the adversary. For I set all men everyone against his neighbor.

¹¹But now I will not be to the remnant of this people as in the former days," says the Lord of hosts.

¹²"For the seed of peace and the vine will yield its fruit, and the ground will give its increase, and the heavens will give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to inherit all these things.

¹³It shall come to pass that, as you were a curse among the nations, house of Judah and house of Israel, so will I save you, and you shall be a blessing. Do not be afraid. Let your hands be strong."

¹⁴For thus says the Lord of hosts: "As I thought to do evil to you, when your fathers provoked me to wrath," says the Lord of hosts, "and I did not repent;

¹⁵so again have I thought in these days to do good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. Do not be afraid.

¹⁶These are the things that you shall do: speak every man the truth with his neighbor. Execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates,

¹⁷and let none of you devise evil in your hearts against his neighbor, and love no false oath: for all these are things that I hate," says the Lord.

¹⁸The word of the Lord of hosts came to me.

¹⁹Thus says the Lord of hosts: "The fasts of the fourth fifth, seventh, and tenth months shall be for the house of Judah joy and gladness, and cheerful feasts. Therefore love truth and peace."

²⁰Thus says the Lord of hosts: "Many peoples, and the inhabitants of many cities will yet come;

²¹and the inhabitants of one shall go to another, saying, 'Let us go speedily to entreat the favor of the Lord, and to seek the Lord of hosts. I will go also.'

²²Yes, many peoples and strong nations will come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, and to entreat the favor of the Lord."

²³Thus says the Lord of hosts: "In those days, ten men will take hold, out of all the languages of the nations, they will take hold of the skirt of him who is a Jew, saying, 'We will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.'"

¹When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.

²I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.

³Another angel came and stood over the altar, having a golden censer. Much incense was given to him to offer up, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar which was before the throne.

⁴The smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up before God out of the angel's hand.

⁵The angel took the censer, and he filled it with the fire of the altar, and threw it on the earth. There followed thunders, sounds, lightnings, and an earthquake.

⁶The seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.

⁷The first sounded, and there followed hail and fire, mixed with blood, and they were thrown to the earth. One third of the earth was burnt up, and one third of the trees were burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.

⁸The second angel sounded, and something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea. One third of the sea became blood,

⁹and one third of the living creatures which were in the sea died. One third of the ships were destroyed.

¹⁰The third angel sounded, and a great star fell from the sky, burning like a torch, and it fell on one third of the rivers, and on the springs of the waters.

¹¹The name of the star is called "Wormwood." One third of the waters became wormwood. Many people died from the waters, because they were made bitter.

¹²The fourth angel sounded, and one third of the sun was struck, and one third of the moon, and one third of the stars; so that one third of them would be darkened, and the day would not shine for one third of it, and the night in the same way.

¹³I saw, and I heard an eagle, flying in mid heaven, saying with a loud voice, "Woe! Woe! Woe for those who dwell on the earth, because of the other voices of the trumpets of the three angels, who are yet to sound!"

¹He who is often rebuked and stiffens his neck will be destroyed suddenly, with no remedy.

²When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice; but when the wicked rule, the people groan.

³Whoever loves wisdom brings joy to his father; but a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth.

⁴The king by justice makes the land stable, but he who takes bribes tears it down.

⁵A man who flatters his neighbor spreads a net for his feet.

⁶An evil man is snared by his sin, but the righteous can sing and be glad.

⁷The righteous care about justice for the poor. The wicked aren't concerned about knowledge.

⁸Mockers stir up a city, but wise men turn away anger.

⁹If a wise man goes to court with a foolish man, the fool rages or scoffs, and there is no peace.

¹⁰The bloodthirsty hate a man of integrity; and they seek the life of the upright.

¹¹A fool vents all of his anger, but a wise man brings himself under control.

¹²If a ruler listens to lies, all of his officials are wicked.

¹³The poor man and the oppressor have this in common: The Lord gives sight to the eyes of both.

¹⁴The king who fairly judges the poor, his throne shall be established forever.

¹⁵The rod of correction gives wisdom, but a child left to himself causes shame to his mother.

¹⁶When the wicked increase, sin increases; but the righteous will see their downfall.

¹⁷Correct your son, and he will give you peace; yes, he will bring delight to your soul.

¹⁸Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; but one who keeps the Law is blessed.

¹⁹A servant can't be corrected by words. Though he understands, yet he will not respond.

²⁰Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him.

²¹He who pampers his servant from youth will have him become a son in the end.

²²An angry man stirs up strife, and a wrathful man abounds in sin.

²³A man's pride brings him low, but one of lowly spirit gains honor.

²⁴Whoever is an accomplice of a thief is an enemy of his own soul. He takes an oath, but dares not testify.

²⁵The fear of man proves to be a snare, but whoever puts his trust in the Lord is kept safe.

²⁶Many seek the ruler's favor, but a man's justice comes from the Lord.

²⁷A dishonest man detests the righteous, and the upright in their ways detest the wicked.