The Prophets - Zechariah Chapters 1 2

     Paraphrased and Condensed

1:1 In the second year of King Darius — this is Darius the Great, not Darius the Mede who co-ruled for two years. Some time has passed, this Darius (of Persia) is listed as third after Cyrus. — In the eighth month (two months after the word first came to Haggai) the word of the Lord came to the prophet Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, son of Iddo, saying.. “Return to me, says the Lord of hosts, and I will return to you. 4 Don’t be like your fathers..  the former prophets cried out to them, “Return from your evil ways and from your evil deeds.’ But they would not hear.. 6 But my words and statutes.. did they not overtake your fathers? ..So they repented and said, ‘As the Lord of hosts purposed to deal with us for our ways and deeds, so has he dealt with us.’” (The seventy years in captivity in Babylon.. Strangers in a strange land.. Current human condition.)

     7 On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, which is the month of Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Zechariah, saying, 8 “I saw in the night, and behold, a man riding on a red horse! He was standing among the myrtle trees in the glen, and behind him were red, sorrel, and white horses. 9 Then I said, ‘What are these, my lord?’ The angel who talked with me said, ‘I will show you what they are.’ 10 So the man who was standing among the myrtle trees answered, ‘These are they whom the Lord has sent to patrol the earth.’11 And they answered the angel of the Lord who was standing among the myrtle trees, and said, ‘We have patrolled the earth, and behold, all the earth remains at rest.’ 12 Then the angel of the Lord said, ‘O Lord of hosts, how long will you have no mercy on Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, against which you have been indignant these seventy years?’ 13 And the Lord answered gracious and comforting words.. 14 So the angel who talked with me said, ‘Cry out’ (not much printed words back then.) ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: I am very jealous for Jerusalem and Zion (homeland).15 And I am not happy with the nations that are arrogant for they furthered the consequences that befell them. 16 ..So I return to Jerusalem with mercy. My house shall be built, the measuring line will be stretched out over Jerusalem.’ 17 And cry out (proclaim) again, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: My cities shall again overflow with prosperity, and the Lord will again comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem.’”

     18  And I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, four horns! 19 And I said to the angel who talked with me, “What are these?” And he said, “These are the horns that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.” 20 Then the Lord showed me four craftsmen [charash - engravers, artificers, stonemasons]. 21 And I said, “What are these coming to do?” ..”These have come to terrify. To cast down/out the horns (powers) of the nations who lifted up their horns (powers) against the land of Judah to scatter [zarah - to scatter, fan, winnow] it.”

Chapter 2

And I looked, and behold, a man with a measuring line in his hand! 2 Then I said, “Where are you going?” And he said to me, “To measure Jerusalem, to see what is its width and its length.” 3 And the angel who talked with me came forward, and another angel came forward to meet him, 4 and said to him, “Run, say to that young man - (the word came to Haggai, old man? And also Zechariah, young man, during this second year of Darius the Great) - ‘Jerusalem will be inhabited as villages without walls, because of the multitude of people and livestock in it! 5 And I will be to her a wall of fire all around, declares the LORD, and I will be the glory in her midst.

      6,7 Up! Up! Escape to Zion, you who dwell with the daughter of Babylon. 8 For thus says the LORD of hosts.. he who touches you touches the apple of his eye. 9 Behold, I will turn the tables and you will know that Yhvh of hosts has sent. 10 Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for behold, I come and I will dwell in your midst, declares Yhvh, the LORD. 11 And many nations shall be joined to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people. And I will dwell in your midst, and you shall know that Yhvh of hosts has sent to you. 12 And the LORD will take possession of Judah as his inheritance in the holy land, for he will again choose Jerusalem.’

     13 Be silent all before the Lord for he has stirred himself from his holy dwelling.”

     Haggai, Zechariah, then Malachi are prophets after Daniel. And are the last of “the prophets”.

     Next - a brief history outline of the times of Daniel and after Daniel.