The Lord is righteous in everything he does; he is filled with kindness. The Lord is close to all who call on him, yes, to all who call on him in truth. He grants the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cries for help and rescues them. The Lord protects all those who love him, but he destroys the wicked.
I will praise the Lord, and may everyone on earth bless his holy name forever and ever.
In November of the second year of King Darius's reign, the Lord gave this message to the prophet Zechariah son of Berekiah and grandson of Iddo:
"I, the Lord, was very angry with your ancestors. Therefore, say to the people, 'This is what the Lord of Heaven's Armies says: Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of Heaven's Armies.' Don't be like your ancestors who would not listen or pay attention when the earlier prophets said to them, 'This is what the Lord of Heaven's Armies says: Turn from your evil ways, and stop all your evil practices.'
"Where are your ancestors now? They and the prophets are long dead. But everything I said through my servants the prophets happened to your ancestors, just as I said. As a result, they repented and said, 'We have received what we deserved from the Lord of Heaven's Armies. He has done what he said he would do.'"
Three months later, on February 15, the Lord sent another message to the prophet Zechariah son of Berekiah and grandson of Iddo.
In a vision during the night, I saw a man sitting on a red horse that was standing among some myrtle trees in a small valley. Behind him were riders on red, brown, and white horses. I asked the angel who was talking with me, "My lord, what do these horses mean?"
"I will show you," the angel replied.
The rider standing among the myrtle trees then explained, "They are the ones the Lord has sent out to patrol the earth."
Then the other riders reported to the angel of the Lord, who was standing among the myrtle trees, "We have been patrolling the earth, and the whole earth is at peace."
Upon hearing this, the angel of the Lord prayed this prayer: "O Lord of Heaven's Armies, for seventy years now you have been angry with Jerusalem and the towns of Judah. How long until you again show mercy to them?" And the Lord spoke kind and comforting words to the angel who talked with me.
Then the angel said to me, "Shout this message for all to hear: 'This is what the Lord of Heaven's Armies says: My love for Jerusalem and Mount Zion is passionate and strong. But I am very angry with the other nations that are now enjoying peace and security. I was only a little angry with my people, but the nations inflicted harm on them far beyond my intentions.
"'Therefore, this is what the Lord says: I have returned to show mercy to Jerusalem. My Temple will be rebuilt, says the Lord of Heaven's Armies, and measurements will be taken for the reconstruction of Jerusalem. '
"Say this also: 'This is what the Lord of Heaven's Armies says: The towns of Israel will again overflow with prosperity, and the Lord will again comfort Zion and choose Jerusalem as his own.'"
Then I looked up and saw four animal horns. "What are these?" I asked the angel who was talking with me.
He replied, "These horns represent the nations that scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem."
Then the Lord showed me four blacksmiths. "What are these men coming to do?" I asked.
The angel replied, "These four horns - these nations - scattered and humbled Judah. Now these blacksmiths have come to terrify those nations and throw them down and destroy them."
When I looked again, I saw a man with a measuring line in his hand. "Where are you going?" I asked.
He replied, "I am going to measure Jerusalem, to see how wide and how long it is."
Then the angel who was with me went to meet a second angel who was coming toward him. The other angel said, "Hurry, and say to that young man, 'Jerusalem will someday be so full of people and livestock that there won't be room enough for everyone! Many will live outside the city walls. Then I, myself, will be a protective wall of fire around Jerusalem, says the Lord. And I will be the glory inside the city!'"
The Lord says, "Come away! Flee from Babylon in the land of the north, for I have scattered you to the four winds. Come away, people of Zion, you who are exiled in Babylon!"
After a period of glory, the Lord of Heaven's Armies sent me against the nations who plundered you. For he said, "Anyone who harms you harms my most precious possession. I will raise my fist to crush them, and their own slaves will plunder them." Then you will know that the Lord of Heaven's Armies has sent me.
The Lord says, "Shout and rejoice, O beautiful Jerusalem, for I am coming to live among you. Many nations will join themselves to the Lord on that day, and they, too, will be my people. I will live among you, and you will know that the Lord of Heaven's Armies sent me to you. The land of Judah will be the Lord's special possession in the holy land, and he will once again choose Jerusalem to be his own city. Be silent before the Lord, all humanity, for he is springing into action from his holy dwelling."
After all this I saw another angel come down from heaven with great authority, and the earth grew bright with his splendor. He gave a mighty shout:
"Babylon is fallen - that great city is fallen! She has become a home for demons. She is a hideout for every foul spirit, a hideout for every foul vulture and every foul and dreadful animal. For all the nations have fallen because of the wine of her passionate immorality. The kings of the world have committed adultery with her. Because of her desires for extravagant luxury, the merchants of the world have grown rich."
Then I heard another voice calling from heaven,
"Come away from her, my people. Do not take part in her sins, or you will be punished with her. For her sins are piled as high as heaven, and God remembers her evil deeds. Do to her as she has done to others. Double her penalty for all her evil deeds. She brewed a cup of terror for others, so brew twice as much for her. She glorified herself and lived in luxury, so match it now with torment and sorrow. She boasted in her heart, 'I am queen on my throne. I am no helpless widow, and I have no reason to mourn.' Therefore, these plagues will overtake her in a single day - death and mourning and famine. She will be completely consumed by fire, for the Lord God who judges her is mighty."
And the kings of the world who committed adultery with her and enjoyed her great luxury will mourn for her as they see the smoke rising from her charred remains. They will stand at a distance, terrified by her great torment. They will cry out,
"How terrible, how terrible for you, O Babylon, you great city! In a single moment God's judgment came on you."