A reading from the book of Zechariah. In the eighth month, in the second ear of Darius, the word of

the Lord came to the prophet Zechariah, the son of Barakaya, son of Ido, saying,

The Lord was very angry with your fathers. Therefore say to them, thus declares the Lord of hosts,

return to me, says the Lord of hosts, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. Do not

be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets cried out, thus says the Lord of hosts, return

from your evil ways and from your evil deeds.

But they did not hear or pay attention to me, declares the Lord.

Your fathers, where are they? And the prophets, do they live forever? But my words and my statutes,

which I commanded my servants the prophets, 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. On the 24th day of the 11th month, which is the month of Shibet,

in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Zechariah, the son of Berichaya,

son of Ido, saying, 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. Then I said, what are these, my lord?

The angel who talked with me said to me, I will show you what they are. So the man who

was standing among the myrtle trees answered, these are they whom the Lord has sent to patrol

the earth. 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.

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 angry these seventy years. And the Lord answered

gracious and comforting words to the angel who talked with me. So the angel who talked with me

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