"***ZECHARIAH 03 ****" 
"Men of Bethel enquire of the Lord should they still fast and mourn in the fifth month In the fourth year of Darius , the people living in Bethel sent men to Jerusalem to make this inquiry of the Lord , Should we continue to mourn and fast in the fifth month as we havedone for so many years?  The Lord asks if the fasting was sincere Then this word of the Lord came to Zechariah the prophet . Say to the people, When you fasted and mourned for these past seventy years, was it really for me that you fasted? Judah scattered for not listening to earlier prophets Did I not"
"proclaim these words through earlier prophets when Judah was at restand prosperous: Administer true justice. Show mercy to one another. Oppress not the widow and the fatherless, the foreigneror the poor. And in your hearts think not evil of one another. But my people did not heed the words I sent by my Spirit through the earlier prophets. So I Jehovah was angry and when they called on me I would not listen. Then I scattered them among nations they knew not and the pleasant land was left deserted behind them. The Lord still loves Jerusalem and will once again fill the city with people Yet I"
"still burn with jealousy for Zion and will return to Jerusalem. She shall be called the City of Truth and the mountain of the Lord shall be called the Holy Mountain. Once again men and women of ripe old age will sit in the squares of Jerusalem, and the city streets shall be filled with childrenplaying. For I will gather my people from the lands of the east and the west and bring them back to live in Jerusalem, and theyshall be my people and I shall be their faithful God. The people to be blessed now as they rebuild the Temple Now you who hear these words as the house of the Lord is being"
"built, let your hands be strong so that the Temple may becompleted. In past years there have been no wages, nor could you go about your businesssafely because of your enemies, for I had turned every man against his neighbour. But now your crops will grow well and your vine will yield its fruit and the heavens will drop their rain. The people must however speak truth and act with justice But these things you must do: Speak truthfully to one another, administer honest judgement in your gates,  and do not plot evil against your neighbour or swear falsely, for these things I hate. Thereforelove"
"peace and truth. The fasts to continue but as joyful times The fasts of the fourth, fifth, seventh and tenth months shall be joyful times andhappy festivals for Judah. One day people from strong nations will seek the Lord in Jerusalem For the days shall yet come when people from strong nations shall say to each other, Come, let us go and seekJehovah in Jerusalem and entreat him. In those days ten men will take hold of one Jew by his clothing and say, Let us gowith you, for we have heard that God is with you." 
"*** ZECHARIAH 04 ****" 
"Tyre to be destroyed A prophecy of the prophet Zechariah."
"Jehovah says, My word is against Damascus and Hamath and also against Tyre and Sidon, though they are very skilful. Tyre has built herself a great stronghold and has heaped up silver and gold, but I will take away her possessions and destroy herpower on the sea. She will be burnt by fire. The pride of the Philistines to end The cities of the Philistines shall see it and fear. Gaza shall lose her king andAshkelon will be deserted. Foreigners shall occupy Ashdod. I will end the pride of the Philistines. But some shall survive and belong to me and will become like the clans of Judah. Judah to be"
"protected during the next invasion When the invasion comes I will protect my Temple against the marauding force. This time the oppressor shall not overrun my people. The Messiah-King to enter Jerusalem riding the foal of a donkey Rejoice greatly O Jerusalem. Your King is coming to you, righteous and havingsalvation, humble and riding on the foal of a donkey. The Messiah-King to command peace and eventually have dominion over the whole earth Weapons of war shall be abolished, and I will command peace to the nations. My dominion shall extend to the ends of theearth. The Messiah to set free"
"prisoners in the spirit world And because of the blood of my covenant I shall set free the prisoners from Sheol. Wait in your stronghold O prisoners of hope, for I will restore you double. The Lords people to be helped in battle on the last day In that day I shall bend Judah as my bow and make Ephraim my arrow, for I will arouse your sons O Jerusalem and will make you like a warriors sword against the sons ofGreece.  10Jehovah shall appear over them and his arrow shall flash forth like lightning. Heshall sound the trumpet and go forth like a whirlwind of the south. He will shield his"
"people and they shall prevail and tread down their enemies. Their weapons shall drink blood as wine and shall be full, like the bowl of blood that is pouredout upon the altar. The people of Israel to shine like jewels during Millennium Jehovah their God shall save his people on that day. Then they will shine in his land like jewels in a crown. How beautiful they will be, and grain shall make the young men thrive, and new wine the young women. Uncaring shepherds have led Israel astray The word of the Lord came to Zechariah . Jehovah says, Ask me for the showers of rain in the springtime. It is"
"I Jehovah who For idols speak nonsense and diviners see false dreams. This is why my people havewandered like sheep, for they lack a caring shepherd. Great leaders to come from house of Judah My anger burns against the shepherds of my people and I shall punish them. For I care for my flock who are of the house of Judah and I will make them like a proud warhorse in battle. From out of Judah will come the cornerstone and the tent stakes, and thewarriors bow and every commander. They shall be like mighty men in battle for I Jehovah am with them. The house of Joseph also to be saved and to be"
"made mighty I will also save the house of Josephand restore them, for I love them. They will be as though I had not rejected them, for I am Jehovah their Godand will make them mighty warriors. Their hearts and their childrens hearts will exult in the Lord. Surely I will redeemthem and they shall be numerous as before. The Nile to dry up and the sea to be subdued to assist the gathering Though I have scattered them in distant lands, yet they will return. I will gather them in from Egypt and from Assyria. The waves of the sea will be subdued and the Nile will dry up. I shall bring them to"
"Gilead and to Lebanon, until there is no more room for them. Zechariah commanded to become a shepherd of sheep marked for slaughter The Lord my God said to me , Zechariah, become a shepherd to a flock of sheep marked for slaughter.  25Those who buy them will slaughter them freely, and those who sell them shall say, Praise the Lord, I am rich. Their ownshepherds shall not spare them. For I too shall no longer have pity on the people of this land. I will cause them tofall into the hands of their shepherds, and into the hands of a king who shall crush the earth,  and I will rescue none from"
"their hands. So I Zechariah became a shepherd for the sheep merchants and pastured a flock of sheepmarked for slaughter . Two staffs named Favour and Union I took two staffs and called one Favour and the other Union . 29In one month I got rid of three under-shepherds for they detested me and I grew weary of them . Zechariah resigns as shepherd and breaks the staff called Favour Then I said to the merchants , I will no longer be your shepherd. Let the dying sheep die, and those who are left can eat one anothers flesh.  31I took my staff called Favour and broke it , revoking the covenant I"
"had made with the merchants . 32The sheep merchants who were watching knew it was the word of the Lord . Zechariah paid thirty pieces of silver Then I said to them , Pay me what you consider I am worth . So they paid me thirty pieces of silver .  The silver is thrown into the Temple to the potter The Lord said to me , Throw this handsome price at which they valued me tothe potter. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the Temple to the potter . Zechariah breaks the second staff called Union Then I broke my second staff called Union , symbolising the broken unity between"
"Judah and Israel . An uncaring shepherd about to be raised up over the land The Lord said to me , Take up again the implements of a shepherd, an uncaring one, for I am about to raise up a shepherd overthe land who will care not for the lost nor heal the injured, but will eat the meat of the choice sheep.  37Woe to the uncaring shepherd who deserts his flock. May the sword strike his arm and his right eye."