¹² Rejoice and be glad,^(A) because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.^(B)

⁸ Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.”^[a] While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.^(A)

²⁰ Then the Spirit^(A) of God came on Zechariah^(B) son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood before the people and said, “This is what God says: ‘Why do you disobey the Lord’s commands? You will not prosper.^(C) Because you have forsaken the Lord, he has forsaken^(D) you.’”

²¹ But they plotted against him, and by order of the king they stoned^(E) him to death^(F) in the courtyard of the Lord’s temple.^{(G) 22} King Joash did not remember the kindness Zechariah’s father Jehoiada had shown him but killed his son, who said as he lay dying, “May the Lord see this and call you to account.”^(H)

A Call to Return to the Lord

1 In the eighth month of the second year of Darius,^(A) the word of the Lord came to the prophet Zechariah^(B) son of Berekiah,^(C) the son of Iddo:^(D)

⁴⁹ Because of this, God in his wisdom^(A) said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and others they will persecute.’^{(B) 50} Therefore this generation will be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning of the world, ⁵¹ from the blood of Abel^(C) to the blood of Zechariah,^(D) who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held responsible for it all.^(E)