Zechariah 1:3
New International Version
Therefore tell the people: This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Return to me,’ declares the LORD Almighty, ‘and I will return to you,’ says the LORD Almighty.

New Living Translation
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.’

English Standard Version
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.

Berean Standard Bible
So tell the people that this is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘Return to Me, declares the LORD of Hosts, and I will return to you, says the LORD of Hosts.’

King James Bible
Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye unto me, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the LORD of hosts.

New King James Version
Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts: “Return to Me,” says the LORD of hosts, “and I will return to you,” says the LORD of hosts.

New American Standard Bible
Therefore say to them, ‘This is what the LORD of armies says: “Return to Me,” declares the LORD of armies, “that I may return to you,” says the LORD of armies.

NASB 1995
“Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, “Return to Me,” declares the LORD of hosts, “that I may return to you,” says the LORD of hosts.

NASB 1977
“Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, “Return to Me,” declares the LORD of hosts, “that I may return to you,” says the LORD of hosts.

Legacy Standard Bible
Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts, “Return to Me,” declares Yahweh of hosts, “that I may return to you,” says Yahweh of hosts.

Amplified Bible
Therefore say to the Jews, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts (armies), “Return to Me,” declares the LORD of hosts, “and I shall return to you.

Christian Standard Bible
So tell the people, ‘This is what the LORD of Armies says: Return to me—this is the declaration of the LORD of Armies—and I will return to you, says the LORD of Armies.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
So tell the people: This is what the LORD of Hosts says: Return to Me"—this is the declaration of the LORD of Hosts—"and I will return to you, says the LORD of Hosts.

American Standard Version
Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Return unto me, saith Jehovah of hosts, and I will return unto you, saith Jehovah of hosts.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Say to them, “Thus says LORD JEHOVAH of Hosts: ‘return to me, says LORD JEHOVAH of Hosts, and I shall return to you, says LORD JEHOVAH of Hosts

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And thou shalt say to them, Thus saith the Lord Almighty: Turn to me, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will turn to you, saith the Lord of hosts.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And thou shalt say to them: Thus saith the Lord of hosts: Turn ye to me, saith the Lord of hosts: and I will turn to you, saith the Lord of hosts.

English Revised Version
Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts: Return unto me, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Tell the people, 'This is what the LORD of Armies says: Return to me, declares the LORD of Armies, and I will return to you, says the LORD of Armies.'

Good News Translation
but now I say to you, 'Return to me, and I will return to you.

International Standard Version
So tell them, 'This is what the LORD of the Heavenly Armies says: "Return to me," declares the LORD of the Heavenly Armies, "and I will return to you.

JPS Tanakh 1917
Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts: Return unto Me, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts.

Literal Standard Version
And you have said to them, Thus said YHWH of Hosts: Return to Me, | A declaration of YHWH of Hosts, | And I return to you, said YHWH of Hosts.

Majority Standard Bible
So tell the people that this is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘Return to Me, declares the LORD of Hosts, and I will return to you, says the LORD of Hosts.’

New American Bible
Say to them: Thus says the LORD of hosts, Return to me—oracle of the LORD of hosts—and I will return to you, says the LORD of hosts.

NET Bible
Therefore say to the people: The LORD who rules over all says, "Turn to me," says the LORD who rules over all, "and I will turn to you," says the LORD who rules over all.

New Revised Standard Version
Therefore say to them, Thus says the LORD of hosts: Return to me, says the LORD of hosts, and I will return to you, says the LORD of hosts.

New Heart English Bible
Therefore tell them: Thus says the LORD of hosts: 'Return to me,' says the LORD of hosts, 'and I will return to you,' says the LORD of hosts.

Webster's Bible Translation
Therefore say thou to them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye to me, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will turn to you, saith the LORD of hosts.

World English Bible
Therefore tell them, Yahweh of Armies says: ‘Return to me,’ says Yahweh of Armies, ‘and I will return to you,’ says Yahweh of Armies.

Young's Literal Translation
And thou hast said unto them, Thus said Jehovah of Hosts, turn back unto Me, An affirmation of Jehovah of Hosts, And I turn back unto you, said Jehovah of Hosts.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
A Call to Repentance
2“The LORD was very angry with your fathers. 3So tell the people that this is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘Return to Me, declares the LORD of Hosts, and I will return to you, says the LORD of Hosts.’ 4Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets proclaimed that this is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘Turn now from your evil ways and deeds.’ But they did not listen or pay attention to Me, declares the LORD.…

Cross References
James 4:8
Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

Job 22:23
If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored. If you remove injustice from your tents

Isaiah 31:6
Return to the One against whom you have so blatantly rebelled, O children of Israel.

Isaiah 44:22
I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud, and your sins like a mist. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.

Jeremiah 3:1
"If a man divorces his wife and she leaves him to marry another, can he ever return to her? Would not such a land be completely defiled? But you have played the harlot with many lovers--and you would return to Me?" declares the LORD.

Ezekiel 18:19
Yet you may ask, 'Why shouldn't the son bear the iniquity of his father?' Since the son has done what is just and right, carefully observing all My statutes, he will surely live.

Malachi 3:7
Yet from the days of your fathers, you have turned away from My statutes and have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you," says the LORD of Hosts. "But you ask, 'How can we return?'


Treasury of Scripture

Therefore say you to them, Thus said the LORD of hosts; Turn you to me, said the LORD of hosts, and I will turn to you, said the LORD of hosts.

Turn.

Deuteronomy 4:30,31
When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice; …

Deuteronomy 30:2-10
And shalt return unto the LORD thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul; …

1 Kings 8:47,48
Yet if they shall bethink themselves in the land whither they were carried captives, and repent, and make supplication unto thee in the land of them that carried them captives, saying, We have sinned, and have done perversely, we have committed wickedness; …

and

Jeremiah 12:15
And it shall come to pass, after that I have plucked them out I will return, and have compassion on them, and will bring them again, every man to his heritage, and every man to his land.

Jeremiah 29:12-14
Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you…

Jeremiah 31:18-20
I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus; Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised, as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke: turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art the LORD my God…

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Zechariah 1
1. Zechariah exhorts to repentance.
7. The vision of the horses.
12. At the prayer of the angel comfortable promises are made to Jerusalem.
18. The vision of the four horns and the four carpenters.














Verse 3. - Say thou unto them. The prophet shows why he has reminded them of their forefathers' sins and punishment. Saith the Lord of hosts. The expression recurs three times in this verse; it denotes the almightiness and infinite resources of God (see note A in the appendix to Archdeacon Perowne's edition of this prophet). Its constant repetition, as in Haggai, gives a certain heaviness to the prophet's style. Turn (return) ye unto me. He calls the people to repentance, partly, doubtless, with a view to their taking an active part in rebuilding the temple, thus carrying on the exhortations of Haggai, but also with reference to their general indevotion and laxity which Ezra afterwards had to reprove (see Ezra 9:2). Saith the Lord of hosts; literally, (it is) the utterance of Jehovah of hosts. This is a more threatening form than the mere "saith" in the other two places in this verse. And I will turn (return) unto you (Malachi 3:7). God promises his favour on their repentance and better conduct; as Haggai had been commissioned to proclaim a return of fruitful seasons as soon as the people obeyed his word and attended diligently to the work before them (Haggai 2:19). They were called now to attend to the pure worship of the Lord, as the sole condition of prosperity (comp. 2 Chronicles 30:6; James 4:8). It has been well observed that when it is said, "Turn ye unto me," etc., we are reminded of our free will; and when we cry, "Turn us, good Lord, and we shall be turned," we acknowledge the need of God's preventing grace.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
So tell [the people]
וְאָמַרְתָּ֣ (wə·’ā·mar·tā)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

that this is what
כֹּ֤ה (kōh)
Adverb
Strong's 3541: Like this, thus, here, now

the LORD
יְהוָ֣ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

of Hosts
צְבָא֔וֹת (ṣə·ḇā·’ō·wṯ)
Noun - common plural
Strong's 6635: A mass of persons, reg, organized for, war, a campaign

says:
אָמַר֙ (’ā·mar)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

‘Return
שׁ֣וּבוּ (šū·ḇū)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural
Strong's 7725: To turn back, in, to retreat, again

to Me,’
אֲלֵהֶ֗ם (’ă·lê·hem)
Preposition | third person masculine plural
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

declares
נְאֻ֖ם (nə·’um)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 5002: An oracle

the LORD
יְהוָ֣ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

of Hosts,
צְבָא֑וֹת (ṣə·ḇā·’ō·wṯ)
Noun - common plural
Strong's 6635: A mass of persons, reg, organized for, war, a campaign

‘and I will return
וְאָשׁ֣וּב (wə·’ā·šūḇ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 7725: To turn back, in, to retreat, again

to you,’
אֵלַ֔י (’ê·lay)
Preposition | first person common singular
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

says
אָמַ֖ר (’ā·mar)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

the LORD
יְהוָ֥ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

of Hosts.
צְבָאֽוֹת׃ (ṣə·ḇā·’ō·wṯ)
Noun - common plural
Strong's 6635: A mass of persons, reg, organized for, war, a campaign


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OT Prophets: Zechariah 1:3 Therefore tell them: Thus says Yahweh (Zech. Zec Zc)
Zechariah 1:2
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