Zakarias 1

1 I den ottende Måned i Darius's andet Regeringsår kom HERRENs Ord til Profeten Zakarias, en Søn af Berekja, en Søn af Iddo, således:

In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying,

2 HERREN var fuld af Harme imod eders Fædre.

The Lord has been very angry with your fathers:

3 Men sig til dem: Så siger Hærskarers HERRE: Vend om til mig, lyder det fra Hærskarers HERRE, så vil jeg vende om til eder, siger Hærskarers HERRE.

And you are to say to them, These are the words of the Lord of armies: Come back to me, says the Lord of armies, and I will come back to you.

4 Vær ikke som eders Fædre, til hvem de tidligere Profeter talte således: Så siger Hærskarers HERRE: Vend om fra eders onde Veje og onde Gerninger! Men de hørte ikke og ænsede mig ikke, lyder det fra HERREN.

Be not like your fathers, to whom the voice of the earlier prophets came, saying, Be turned now from your evil ways and from your evil doings: but they did not give ear to me or take note, says the Lord.

5 Eders Fædre, hvor er de? Og Profeterne, lever de evigt?

Your fathers, where are they? and the prophets, do they go on living for ever?

6 Men mine Ord og Bud, som jeg overgav mine Tjenere Profeterne, nåede de ikke eders Fædre, så de måtte vende om og sige: "Som Hærskarers HERRE havde sat sig for at gøre imod os for vore Vejes og Gerningers Skyld, således gjorde han."

But my words and my orders, which I gave to my servants the prophets, have they not overtaken your fathers? and turning back they said, As it was the purpose of the Lord of armies to do to us, in reward for our ways and our doings, so has he done.

7 På den fire og tyvende dag i den ellevte Måned, det er Sjebat Måned, i Darius's andet Regeringsår kom HERRENs Ord til Profeten Zakarias, en Søn af Berekja, en Søn af Iddo, således:

On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, the month Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying,

8 Jeg skuede i Nat, og se, en Mand på en rød Hest holdt mellem Bjergene ved den dybe Kløft, og bag ham var der røde, mørke, hvide og brogede Heste.

I saw in the night a man on a red horse, between the mountains in the valley, and at his back were horses, red, black, white, and of mixed colours.

9 Jeg spurgte: "Hvad betyder de, Herre?" Og Engelen, som talte med mig, sagde: "Jeg vil vise dig, hvad de betyder."

Then I said, O my lord, what are these? And the angel who was talking to me said to me, I will make clear to you what they are.

10 Så tog Manden, som holdt mellem Bjergene, til Orde og sagde: "Det er dem, HERREN udsender, for at de skal drage Jorden rundt."

And the man who was between the mountains, answering me, said, These are those whom the Lord has sent to go up and down through the earth.

11 Og de tog til Orde og sagde til HERRENs Engel, som stod mellem Bjergene: "Vi drog Jorden rundt, og se, hele Jorden er rolig og stille.

And the man who was between the mountains, answering, said to the angel of the Lord, We have gone up and down through the earth, and all the earth is quiet and at rest.

12 HERRENs Engel tog da til Orde og sagde: "Hærskarers HERRE! Hvor længe varer det, før du forbarmer dig over Jerusalem og Judas Byer, som du nu har været vred på i halvfjerdsindstyve År?"

Then the angel of the Lord, answering, said, O Lord of armies, how long will it be before you have mercy on Jerusalem and on the towns of Judah against which your wrath has been burning for seventy years?

13 Og til Svar gav HERREN Engelen, som talte med mig, gode og trøstende Ord.

And the Lord gave an answer in good and comforting words to the angel who was talking to me.

14 Engelen, som talte med mig, sagde så til mig: Tal og sig: Så siger Hærskarers HERRE: Jeg er fuld af Nidkærhed for Jerusalem og Zion

And the angel who was talking to me said to me, Let your voice be loud and say, These are the words of the Lord of armies: I am greatly moved about the fate of Jerusalem and of Zion.

15 og af Harme mod de trygge Hedninger, fordi de hjalp til at gøre Ulykken stor, da min Vrede kun var lille.

And I am very angry with the nations who are living untroubled: for when I was only a little angry, they made the evil worse.

16 Derfor, så siger HERREN: Jeg vender mig til Jerusalem og forbarmer mig over det; mit Hus skal opbygges der, lyder det fra Hærskarers HERRE, og der skal udspændes Målesnor over Jerusalem.

So this is what the Lord has said: I have come back to Jerusalem with mercies; my house is to be put up in her, says the Lord of armies, and a line is to be stretched out over Jerusalem.

17 Tal videre: Så siger Hærskarers HERRE: Mine Byer skal atter strømme med Velsignelse, og HERREN vil atter trøste Zion og udvælge Jerusalem.

And again let your voice be loud and say, This is what the Lord of armies has said: My towns will again be overflowing with good things, and again the Lord will give comfort to Zion and take Jerusalem for himself.

18 Derpå løftede jeg mine Øjne og skuede, og se, der var fire Horn.

And lifting up my eyes I saw four horns.

19 Jeg spurgte Engelen, som talte med mig: "Hvad betyder de?" Han svarede: "Det er de Horn, som har spredt Juda, Israel og Jerusalem."

And I said to the angel who was talking to me, What are these? And he said to me, These are the horns which have sent Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem in flight.

20 Så lod HERREN mig se fire Smede.

And the Lord gave me a vision of four metal-workers.

21 Jeg spurgte: "Hvad kommer de for?" Og han svarede: "Hine er de Horn, som spredte Juda, så det ikke kunde løfte sit Hoved; og nu kommer disse for at hvæsse Økser til at slå Hornene til Jorden på de Hedninger, som løftede deres Horn mod Judas Land for at sprede det."

Then I said, What have these come to do? And he said, These are the horns which sent Judah in flight, and kept him from lifting up his head: but these men have come to send fear on them and to put down the nations who are lifting up their horns against the land of Judah to send it in flight.