A reading from the book of Zechariah.

In the eighth month in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet

Zechariah, the son of Barakiah, 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,lares 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, returned 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 Shibat in the second year of Darius,

the word of the Lord came to the prophet Zechariah, the son of Berichai, son of Ido, sang.

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 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,

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