Day 366 of 730

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

²"The Lord was very displeased with your fathers.

³Therefore tell them: Thus says the Lord of hosts: 'Return to me,' says the Lord of hosts, 'and I will return to you,' says the Lord of hosts.

⁴Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets proclaimed, saying: Thus says the Lord of hosts, 'Return now from your evil ways, and from your evil doings;' but they did not hear, nor listen to me, says the Lord.

⁵Your fathers, where are they? And the prophets, do they live forever?

⁶But my words and my decrees, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did not they overtake your fathers? "Then they repented and said, 'Just as the Lord of hosts determined to do to us, according to our ways, and according to our practices, so he has dealt with us.'"

⁷On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, which is the month Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, the prophet, saying,

⁸"I had a vision in the night, and behold, a man riding on a red horse, and he stood among the myrtle trees that were in a ravine; and behind him there were red, brown, and white horses.

⁹Then I asked, 'My lord, what are these?'" The angel who talked with me said to me, "I will show you what these are."

¹⁰The man who stood among the myrtle trees answered, "They are the ones the Lord has sent to go back and forth through the earth."

¹¹They reported to the angel of the Lord who stood among the myrtle trees, and said, "We have walked back and forth through the earth, and behold, all the earth is at rest and in peace."

¹²Then the angel of the Lord replied, "O Lord of hosts, how long will you not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which you have had indignation these seventy years?"

¹³The Lord answered the angel who talked with me with kind and comforting words.

¹⁴So the angel who talked with me said to me, "Proclaim, saying, 'Thus says the Lord of hosts: "I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy.

¹⁵I am very angry with the nations that are at ease; for I was but only a little angry, but they added to the calamity."

¹⁶Therefore thus says the Lord: "I have returned to Jerusalem with mercy. My house shall be built in it," says the Lord of hosts, "and a line shall be stretched forth over Jerusalem."'

¹⁷"Proclaim further, saying, 'Thus says the Lord of hosts: "My cities will again overflow with prosperity, and the Lord will again comfort Zion, and will again choose Jerusalem."'"

¹⁸I lifted up my eyes, and saw, and behold, four horns.

¹⁹I asked the angel who talked with me, "What are these?" He answered me, "These are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem."

²⁰The Lord showed me four craftsmen.

²¹Then I asked, "What are these coming to do?" He said, "These are the horns which scattered Judah, so that no man lifted up his head; but these have come to terrify them, to cast down the horns of the nations, which lifted up their horn against the land of Judah to scatter it."

¹Make a joyful shout to God, all the earth!

²Sing to the glory of his name! Offer glory and praise!

³Tell God, "How awesome are your deeds! Through the greatness of your power, your enemies submit themselves to you.

⁴All the earth will worship you, and will sing to you; they will sing to your name." Selah.

⁵Come, and see God's deeds- awesome work on behalf of the children of men.

⁶He turned the sea into dry land. They went through the river on foot. There, we rejoiced in him.

⁷He rules by his might forever. His eyes watch the nations. Do not let the rebellious rise up against him. Selah.

⁸Praise our God, you peoples! Make the sound of his praise heard,

⁹who preserves our life among the living, and doesn't allow our feet to be moved.

¹⁰For you, God, have tested us. You have refined us, as silver is refined.

¹¹You brought us into prison. You laid a burden on our backs.

¹²You allowed men to ride over our heads. We went through fire and through water, but you brought us to the place of abundance.

¹³I will come into your temple with burnt offerings. I will pay my vows to you,

¹⁴which my lips promised, and my mouth spoke, when I was in distress.

¹⁵I will offer to you burnt offerings of fat animals, with the offering of rams, I will offer bulls with goats. Selah.

¹⁶Come, and hear, all you who fear God. I will declare what he has done for my soul.

¹⁷I cried to him with my mouth. He was extolled with my tongue.

¹⁸If I cherished sin in my heart, the Lord wouldn't have listened.

¹⁹But most certainly, God has listened. He has heard the voice of my prayer.

²⁰Blessed be God, who has not turned away my prayer, nor his loving kindness from me.

¹These also are proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied out.

²It is the glory of God to conceal a thing, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter.

³As the heavens for height, and the earth for depth, so the hearts of kings are unsearchable.

⁴Take away the dross from the silver, and material comes out for the refiner;

⁵Take away the wicked from the king's presence, and his throne will be established in righteousness.

⁶Do not exalt yourself in the presence of the king, or claim a place among great men;

⁷for it is better that it be said to you, "Come up here," than that you should be put lower in the presence of the prince, whom your eyes have seen.

⁸Do not be hasty in bringing charges to court. What will you do in the end when your neighbor shames you?

⁹Debate your case with your neighbor, and do not betray the confidence of another;

¹⁰lest one who hears it put you to shame, and your bad reputation never depart.

¹¹A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.

¹²As an earring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, so is a wise reprover to an obedient ear.

¹³As the cold of snow in the time of harvest, so is a faithful messenger to those who send him; for he refreshes the soul of his masters.

¹⁴As clouds and wind without rain, so is he who boasts of gifts deceptively.

¹⁵By patience a ruler is persuaded. A soft tongue breaks the bone.

¹⁶Have you found honey? Eat as much as is sufficient for you, lest you eat too much, and vomit it.

¹⁷Let your foot be seldom in your neighbor's house, lest he be weary of you, and hate you.

¹⁸A man who gives false testimony against his neighbor is like a club, a sword, or a sharp arrow.

¹⁹Confidence in someone unfaithful in time of trouble is like a bad tooth, or a lame foot.

²⁰As one who takes away a garment in cold weather, or vinegar on soda, so is one who sings songs to a heavy heart.

²¹If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat. If he is thirsty, give him water to drink:

²²for you will heap coals of fire on his head, and the Lord will reward you.

²³The north wind brings forth rain: so a backbiting tongue brings an angry face.

²⁴It is better to dwell in the corner of the housetop, than to share a house with a contentious woman.

²⁵Like cold water to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country.

²⁶Like a muddied spring, and a polluted well, so is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked.

²⁷It is not good to eat much honey; nor is it honorable to seek one's own honor.

²⁸Like a city that is broken down and without walls is a man whose spirit is without restraint.