Zechariah 1

1 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,

In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of Yahweh unto Zechariah, son of Berechiah, son of Iddo, the prophet, saying: —

2 The Lord has been very angry with your fathers:

Yahweh, was sore displeased, with your fathers:

3 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.

therefore shalt thou say unto them, Thus, saith Yahweh of hosts, Return ye unto me, urgeth Yahweh of hosts, —that I may return unto you, saith Yahweh of hosts.

4 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.

Do not become like your fathers, unto whom the former prophets, proclaimed, saying, Thus, saith Yahweh of hosts, Return, I pray you, from your wicked ways, and from your wicked practices; but they heard not, nor hearkened unto me, declareth Yahweh.

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

Your fathers, where are they? and, the prophets, to times age-abiding, do they live?

6 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.

Howbeit, as for my words and my statutes with which I charged my servants the prophets, did they not overtake your fathers? and so they returned and said, Just as Yahweh of hosts planned to do unto us, according to our ways and according to our practices, So hath he dealt with us?

7 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,

Upon the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, the same, is the month Shebat, in the second year of Darius, came the word of Yahweh unto Zechariah, son of Berechiah, son of Iddo, the prophet, as followeth:

8 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.

I looked by night, And lo! a man riding upon a red horse, and he was standing among the myrtle trees, in the shade; and, after him, were horses, red, bay, and white.

9 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.

Then said I, What are these, my lord? And the messenger who was speaking with me, said unto me, I, will shew thee what these, are.

10 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.

So the man who was standing among the myrtle-trees responded, and said, —These, are they whom Yahweh, hath sent, to go to and fro through the earth.

11 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.

Then responded they to the messenger of Yahweh, who was standing among the myrtle-trees, and said, We have gone to and fro through the earth, —and lo! all the earth, resteth and is quiet.

12 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?

Then the messenger of Yahweh responded, and said, O Yahweh of hosts! How long wilt, thou, not have compassion upon Jerusalem, and the cities of Judah, —against which thou hast had indignation these seventy years?

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

And Yahweh answered the messenger who was speaking with me, in words that were pleasant, —words that were consoling,

14 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.

Then the messenger who was speaking with me, said unto me, Proclaim thou, saying, Thus, saith Yahweh of hosts, I am jealous for Jerusalem, and for Zion, with a great jealousy;

15 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.

And, with a great displeasure, am I displeased with the careless nations, —in that, when, I, was displeased (for) a little, then, they, helped forward the calamity,

16 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.

Wherefore, Thus, saith Yahweh, I have returned to Jerusalem, with compassions, My house, shall be built therein, declareth Yahweh of hosts, and, a line, shall be stretched forth over Jerusalem.

17 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.

Further, proclaim thou, saying, Thus, saith Yahweh of hosts, Yet, shall my cities overflow with blessing! So will Yahweh yet, have compassion, upon Zion, and yet make choice of Jerusalem.

18 And lifting up my eyes I saw four horns.

Then lifted I up mine eyes and looked, —and lo! Four Horns.

19 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.

And I said unto the messenger who was speaking with me, What are these? And he said unto me, These, are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.

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

Then Yahweh shewed me Four Craftsmen.

21 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.

And I said, What are these coming in to do? And he spake, saying, These, are the horns which have scattered Judah, so that no man lifted up his head, but these [others] have come in to put them in fear, to cast down the horns of the nations, the which have lifted up the horn against the land of Judah to scatter her.