Vision Eight: The Chariots
6 Once more I looked, and this time I saw four chariots emerging from between two mountains of bronze. 2 Harnessed to the first chariot were red horses, to the second black horses, 3 to the third white horses, and to the fourth spotted horses, all of them strong. 4 Then I asked the angelic messenger who was speaking with me, "What are these, sir?" 5 The messenger replied, "These are the four spirits of heaven going out after presenting themselves before the Lord of all the earth. 6 The chariot with the black horses is going to the north country, and the white ones are going after them, but the spotted ones are going to the south country. 7 All these strong ones are scattering; they have sought permission to go and walk about over the earth." The Lord had said, "Go! Walk about over the earth!" So they are doing so. 8 Then he cried out to me, "Look! The ones going to the northland have brought me peace about the northland."
A Concluding Oracle
9 The Lord's message came to me as follows: 10 "Choose some people from among the exiles, namely, Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah, all who have come from Babylon, and when you have done so go to the house of Josiah son of Zephaniah. 11 Then take some silver and gold to make a crown and set it on the head of Joshua the high priest, the son of Jehozadak. 12 Then say to him, 'The Lord of Heaven's Armies says, "Look—here is the man whose name is Branch, who will sprout up from his place and build the temple of the Lord. 13 Indeed, he will build the temple of the Lord, and he will be clothed in splendor, sitting as king on his throne. Moreover, there will be a priest with him on his throne and they will see eye to eye on everything. 14 The crown will then be turned over to Helem, Tobijah, Jedaiah, and Hen son of Zephaniah as a memorial in the temple of the Lord. 15 Then those who are far away will come and build the temple of the Lord so that you may know that the Lord of Heaven's Armies has sent me to you. This will all come to pass if you completely obey the voice of the Lord your God."'"
The Hypocrisy of False Fasting
7 In King Darius' fourth year, on the fourth day of Kislev, the ninth month, the Lord's message came to Zechariah. 2 Now the people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regem-Melech and their companions to seek the Lord's favor 3 by asking both the priests of the temple of the Lord of Heaven's Armies and the prophets, "Should we weep in the fifth month, fasting as we have done over the years?" 4 The message of the Lord of Heaven's Armies then came to me, 5 "Speak to all the people and priests of the land as follows: 'When you fasted and lamented in the fifth and seventh months through all these seventy years, did you truly fast for me—for me, indeed? 6 And now when you eat and drink, are you not doing so for yourselves? 7 Should you not have obeyed the words that the Lord cried out through the former prophets when Jerusalem was peacefully inhabited and her surrounding cities, the Negev, and the foothills were also populated?'"
8 Again the Lord's message came to Zechariah: 9 "The Lord of Heaven's Armies said, 'Exercise true judgment and show brotherhood and compassion to each other. 10 You must not oppress the widow, the orphan, the resident foreigner, or the poor, nor should anyone secretly plot evil against his fellow citizen.'
11 "But they refused to pay attention, turning away stubbornly and stopping their ears so they could not hear. 12 Indeed, they made their hearts as hard as diamond, so that they could not obey the law of Moses and the other words the Lord of Heaven's Armies had sent by his Spirit through the former prophets. Therefore, the Lord of Heaven's Armies poured out great wrath.
13 "'Just as I called out, but they would not obey, so they will call out, but I will not listen,' the Lord of Heaven's Armies says. 14 'Rather, I will sweep them away in a storm into all the nations they are not familiar with.' Thus the land became desolate because of them, with no one crossing through or returning, for they had made the fruitful land a waste."
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