On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month of Darius’ second year, ¹  the Lord spoke again to the prophet Haggai: ² 

In the eighth month of Darius’ ¹  second year, ²  the word of the Lord came to the prophet Zechariah, ³  son of Berechiah son of Iddo, as follows:

Instead he will say, ‘I am no prophet – indeed, I am a farmer, for a man has made me his indentured servant since my youth.’ ¹ 

He stayed there until Herod ¹  died. In this way what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet was fulfilled: “I called my Son out of Egypt.” ² 

But he answered them, ¹  “An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.

This fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet: ¹  “I will open my mouth in parables, I will announce what has been hidden from the foundation of the world.” ² 

And so they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own house.”

“So when you see the abomination of desolation ¹  – spoken about by Daniel the prophet – standing in the holy place (let the reader understand),

As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, ¹  “Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way, ² 

Then ¹  Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown, and among his relatives, and in his own house.”

And you, child, ¹  will be called the prophet ²  of the Most High. ³  For you will go before ⁴  the Lord to prepare his ways, ⁵ 

and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He ¹  unrolled ²  the scroll and found the place where it was written,

And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, ¹  yet ²  none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.” ³ 

Fear ¹  seized them all, and they began to glorify ²  God, saying, “A great prophet ³  has appeared ⁴  among us!” and “God has come to help ⁵  his people!”

Nevertheless I must ¹  go on my way today and tomorrow and the next day, because it is impossible ²  that a prophet should be killed ³  outside Jerusalem.’ ⁴ 

But if we say, ‘From people,’ all the people will stone us, because they are convinced that John was a prophet.”

So they asked him, “Then who are you? ¹  Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not!” ²  “Are you the Prophet?” ³  He answered, “No!”

John ¹  said, “I am the voice of one shouting in the wilderness, ‘Make straight ²  the way for the Lord,’ ³  as Isaiah the prophet said.”

They replied, ¹  “You aren’t from Galilee too, are you? ²  Investigate carefully and you will see that no prophet ³  comes from Galilee!”

So then, because ¹  he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn to him with an oath to seat one of his descendants ²  on his throne, ³