7 On the twenty-fourth*day of the eleventh*month, which is the monthShebat, in the secondyear of Darius, the word of the LORDcame to Zechariah the prophet, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, as follows:
8
I saw at night, and behold, a man was riding on a 1redhorse, and he was standingamong the 2myrtletreeswhich were in the ravine, with red, sorrel and 3whitehorsesbehind him.
9
Then I said, "My 4lord, what are these?" And the 5angel who was speaking with me said to me, "I will show you whatthese are."
10
And the man who was standingamong the myrtletreesanswered and said, "These are those whom the LORD has sent to [a]6patrol the earth."
11
So they answered the angel of the LORD who was 7standingamong the myrtletrees and said, "We have [b]patrolled the earth, and behold, 8all the earth is [c]peaceful and quiet."
12
Then the angel of the LORDsaid, "O LORD of hosts, 9howlong* will You 10havenocompassion for Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, with which You have been11indignantthese12seventyyears?"
13
The LORDanswered the 13angel who was speaking with me with [d]graciouswords, 14comfortingwords.
14
So the angel who was speaking with me said to me, "15Proclaim, saying, 'Thussays the LORD of hosts, "I am 16exceedinglyjealous for Jerusalem and Zion.
15
"But I am very17angry with the nations who are 18at ease; for while I was only a littleangry, they [e]19furthered the disaster."
16
'Thereforethussays the LORD, "I will 20return to Jerusalem with compassion; My 21house will be built in it," declares the LORD of hosts, "and a measuring22line will be stretchedoverJerusalem."'
17
"Again, proclaim, saying, 'Thussays the LORD of hosts, "My 23cities will againoverflow with prosperity, and the LORD will again24comfortZion and again25chooseJerusalem.""'
18
[f]Then I lifted up my eyes and looked, and behold, there were fourhorns.
19
So I said to the angel who was speaking with me, "What are these?" And he answered me, "These are the 26hornswhich have scatteredJudah, Israel and Jerusalem."
21
I said, "What are thesecoming to do?" And he said, "These are the 28hornswhich have scatteredJudahso that nomanlifts up his head; but these craftsmen have come to terrify them, to 29throwdown the horns of the nations who have lifted up their hornsagainst the land of Judah in order to scatter it."