زَكَريَّا 1

١ 1 فِي ٱلشَّهْرِ ٱلثَّامِنِ فِي ٱلسَّنَةِ ٱلثَّانِيَةِ لِدَارِيُوسَ، كَانَتْ كَلِمَةُ ٱلرَّبِّ إِلَى زَكَرِيَّا بْنِ بَرَخِيَّا بْنِ عِدُّو ٱلنَّبِيِّ قَائِلًا:

The Lord sent a message to Zechariah the prophet, son of Berekiah, son of Iddo, in the eighth month of the second year of king Darius' reign, saying:

٢ 2 «قَدْ غَضِبَ ٱلرَّبُّ غَضَبًا عَلَى آبَائِكُمْ.

The Lord was very angry with your forefathers.

٣ 3 فَقُلْ لَهُمْ: هَكَذَا قَالَ رَبُّ ٱلْجُنُودِ: ٱرْجِعُوا إِلَيَّ، يَقُولُ رَبُّ ٱلْجُنُودِ، فَأَرْجِعَ إِلَيْكُمْ، يَقُولُ رَبُّ ٱلْجُنُودِ.

So tell the people this: Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord Almighty.

٤ 4 لَا تَكُونُوا كَآبَائِكُمُ ٱلَّذِينَ نَادَاهُمُ ٱلْأَنْبِيَاءُ ٱلْأَوَّلُونَ قَائِلِينَ: هَكَذَا قَالَ رَبُّ ٱلْجُنُودِ: ٱرْجِعُوا عَنْ طُرُقِكُمُ ٱلشِّرِّيرَةِ وَعَنْ أَعْمَالِكُمُ ٱلشِّرِّيرَةِ. فَلَمْ يَسْمَعُوا وَلَمْ يُصْغُوا إِلَيَّ، يَقُولُ رَبُّ ٱلْجُنُودِ.

You must not be like your forefathers. They were told by previous prophets: Give up your evil ways, and the evil things you do. But they would not listen or pay any attention to me, says the Lord.

٥ 5 آبَاؤُكُمْ أَيْنَ هُمْ؟ وَٱلْأَنْبِيَاءُ هَلْ أَبَدًا يَحْيَوْنَ؟

Where are your forefathers now? And the prophets, did they live forever?

٦ 6 وَلَكِنْ كَلَامِي وَفَرَائِضِي ٱلَّتِي أَوْصَيْتُ بِهَا عَبِيدِي ٱلْأَنْبِيَاءَ، أَفَلَمْ تُدْرِكْ آبَاءَكُمْ؟ فَرَجَعُوا وَقَالُوا: كَمَا قَصَدَ رَبُّ ٱلْجُنُودِ أَنْ يَصْنَعَ بِنَا كَطُرُقِنَا وَكَأَعْمَالِنَا، كَذَلِكَ فَعَلَ بِنَا».

But didn't all my instructions and warnings that I ordered my servants the prophets to communicate, didn't all that I said happen to your forefathers? So they repented and said, “What the Lord Almighty planned to do to us was what we deserved because of our ways and our actions. He did what he said he would.”

٧ 7 فِي ٱلْيَوْمِ ٱلرَّابِعِ وَٱلْعِشْرِينَ مِنَ ٱلشَّهْرِ ٱلْحَادِي عَشَرَ، هُوَ شَهْرُ شَبَاطَ. فِي ٱلسَّنَةِ ٱلثَّانِيَةِ لِدَارِيُوسَ، كَانَتْ كَلِمَةُ ٱلرَّبِّ إِلَى زَكَرِيَّا بْنِ بَرَخِيَّا بْنِ عِدُّو ٱلنَّبِيِّ قَائِلًا:

The Lord sent a message to Zechariah the prophet, son of Berekiah, son of Iddo, on the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month (the month of Shebat) of the second year of king Darius' reign:

٨ 8 رَأَيْتُ فِي ٱللَّيْلِ وَإِذَا بِرَجُلٍ رَاكِبٍ عَلَى فَرَسٍ أَحْمَرَ، وَهُوَ وَاقِفٌ بَيْنَ ٱلْآسِ ٱلَّذِي فِي ٱلظِّلِّ، وَخَلْفَهُ خَيْلٌ حُمْرٌ وَشُقْرٌ وَشُهْبٌ.

During the night I saw a man sitting on a red horse that stood among some myrtle trees in a narrow valley. Behind him were red, brown, and white horses with their riders.

٩ 9 فَقُلْتُ: «يَا سَيِّدِي، مَا هَؤُلَاءِ؟» فَقَالَ لِي ٱلْمَلَاكُ ٱلَّذِي كَلَّمَنِي: «أَنَا أُرِيكَ مَا هَؤُلَاءِ».

I asked him, “My lord, what are these?” The angel I was talking to replied, “I will show you.”

١٠ 10 فَأَجَابَ ٱلرَّجُلُ ٱلْوَاقِفُ بَيْنَ ٱلْآسِ وَقَالَ: «هَؤُلَاءِ هُمُ ٱلَّذِينَ أَرْسَلَهُمُ ٱلرَّبُّ لِلْجَوَلَانِ فِي ٱلْأَرْضِ».

The man who was there among the myrtle trees said, “These are the ones the Lord has sent out to patrol the earth.”

١١ 11 فَأَجَابُوا مَلَاكَ ٱلرَّبِّ ٱلْوَاقِفَ بَيْنَ ٱلْآسِ وَقَالُوا: «قَدْ جُلْنَا فِي ٱلْأَرْضِ وَإِذَا ٱلْأَرْضُ كُلُّهَا مُسْتَرِيحَةٌ وَسَاكِنَةٌ».

The riders reported to the angel of the Lord who was among the myrtle trees, “We have been patrolling the earth and saw that the whole earth has been pacified.”

١٢ 12 فَأَجَابَ مَلَاكُ ٱلرَّبِّ وَقَالَ: «يَارَبَّ ٱلْجُنُودِ، إِلَى مَتَى أَنْتَ لَا تَرْحَمُ أُورُشَلِيمَ وَمُدُنَ يَهُوذَا ٱلَّتِي غَضِبْتَ عَلَيْهَا هَذِهِ ٱلسَّبْعِينَ سَنَةً؟»

Then the angel of the Lord said, “Lord Almighty, how long will it be before you have mercy on Jerusalem and the cities of Judah which you have been angry with for the past seventy years?”

١٣ 13 فَأَجَابَ ٱلرَّبُّ ٱلْمَلَاكَ ٱلَّذِي كَلَّمَنِي بِكَلَامٍ طَيِّبٍ وَكَلَامِ تَعْزِيَةٍ.

So the Lord replied to the angel I was talking to with kind and comforting words.

١٤ 14 فَقَالَ لِي ٱلْمَلَاكُ ٱلَّذِي كَلَّمَنِي: «نَادِ قَائِلًا: هَكَذَا قَالَ رَبُّ ٱلْجُنُودِ: غِرْتُ عَلَى أُورُشَلِيمَ وَعَلَى صِهْيَوْنَ غَيْرَةً عَظِيمَةً.

Then the angel I was talking with told me, This is what you are to announce. The Lord Almighty says this: I am jealously protective of Jerusalem and Mount Zion,

١٥ 15 وَأَنَا مُغْضِبٌ بِغَضَبٍ عَظِيمٍ عَلَى ٱلْأُمَمِ ٱلْمُطْمَئِنِّينَ. لِأَنِّي غَضِبْتُ قَلِيلًا وَهُمْ أَعَانُوا ٱلشَّرَّ.

and I am extremely angry with the arrogant nations who think they are secure. I was only a little angry with my people, but they made the punishment far worse.

١٦ 16 لِذَلِكَ هَكَذَا قَالَ ٱلرَّبُّ: قَدْ رَجَعْتُ إِلَى أُورُشَلِيمَ بِٱلْمَرَاحِمِ فَبَيْتِي يُبْنَى فِيهَا، يَقُولُ رَبُّ ٱلْجُنُودِ، وَيُمَدُّ ٱلْمِطْمَارُ عَلَى أُورُشَلِيمَ.

Therefore this is what the Lord says: I have returned to be merciful to Jerusalem. My Temple shall be rebuilt there, as well as the city, declares the Lord Almighty.

١٧ 17 نَادِ أَيْضًا وَقُلْ: هَكَذَا قَالَ رَبُّ ٱلْجُنُودِ: إِنَّ مُدُنِي تَفِيضُ بَعْدُ خَيْرًا، وَٱلرَّبُّ يُعَزِّي صِهْيَوْنَ بَعْدُ، وَيَخْتَارُ بَعْدُ أُورُشَلِيمَ».

Announce this as well, says the Lord Almighty: Prosperity will flood out of my cities. I the Lord will comfort Zion, and Jerusalem will be my chosen city.

١٨ 18 فَرَفَعْتُ عَيْنَيَّ وَنَظَرْتُ وَإِذَا بِأَرْبَعَةِ قُرُونٍ.

Then I looked and saw four animal horns.

١٩ 19 فَقُلْتُ لِلْمَلَاكِ ٱلَّذِي كَلَّمَنِي: «مَا هَذِهِ؟» فَقَالَ لِي: «هَذِهِ هِيَ ٱلْقُرُونُ ٱلَّتِي بَدَّدَتْ يَهُوذَا وَإِسْرَائِيلَ وَأُورُشَلِيمَ».

“What are these?” I asked the angel I was talking to. “These are the horns that scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem,” he replied.

٢٠ 20 فَأَرَانِي ٱلرَّبُّ أَرْبَعَةَ صُنَّاعٍ.

Then the Lord showed me four craftsmen.

٢١ 21 فَقُلْتُ: «جَاءَ هَؤُلَاءِ، مَاذَا يَفْعَلُونَ؟» فَتَكَلَّمَ قَائِلًا: «هَذِهِ هِيَ ٱلْقُرُونُ ٱلَّتِي بَدَّدَتْ يَهُوذَا حَتَّى لَمْ يَرْفَعْ إِنْسَانٌ رَأْسَهُ. وَقَدْ جَاءَ هَؤُلَاءِ لِيُرْعِبُوهُمْ وَلِيَطْرُدُوا قُرُونَ ٱلْأُمَمِ ٱلرَّافِعِينَ قَرْنًا عَلَى أَرْضِ يَهُوذَا لِتَبْدِيدِهَا».

“What are these men coming to do?” I asked. The angel replied, “The four horns—these nations—scattered Judah, humbling the people so that they could not lift up their heads. These craftsmen have to come to terrify these nations, and to destroy them—those who used their power against the land of Judah, scattering the people.”