< Zechariah 1 >

1 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:
Ɔbosome a ɛtɔ so nwɔtwe wɔ ɔhene Dario adedie afe a ɛtɔ so mmienu mu no, Awurade asɛm baa odiyifoɔ Sakaria a ɔyɛ Berekia babarima na ɔno nso yɛ Ido babarima nkyɛn sɛ:
2 The Lord was very angry with your forefathers.
“Awurade bo fuu mo tete agyanom.
3 So tell the people this: Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord Almighty.
Enti, ka kyerɛ nkurɔfoɔ no sɛ: Sei na Asafo Awurade seɛ: ‘Monsane mmra me nkyɛn, na mɛsane aba mo nkyɛn,’ deɛ Asafo Awurade seɛ nie.
4 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.
Monnyɛ sɛ mo tete agyanom, a adiyifoɔ a wɔdii ɛkan no pae mu ka kyerɛɛ wɔn sɛ, ‘Sei na Asafo Awurade seɛ: Monnane mfiri mo akwammɔne ne nneyɛeɛ bɔne ho,’ nanso wɔantie no na wɔanyɛ aso amma no.
5 Where are your forefathers now? And the prophets, did they live forever?
Mo tete agyanom wɔ he seesei? Na adiyifoɔ no, wɔte ase daa anaa?
6 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.”
Na me nsɛm a menam mʼasomfoɔ adiyifoɔ so kaeɛ no, amma mo tete agyanom no so anaa? “Afei wɔnuu wɔn ho na wɔkaa sɛ, ‘Asafo Awurade ayɛ yɛn deɛ ɛfata yɛn akwan ne nneyɛeɛ, sɛdeɛ ɔyɛɛ nʼadwene sɛ ɔbɛyɛ no.’”
7 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:
Na ɛda a ɛtɔ so aduonu ɛnan wɔ ɔbosome a ɛtɔ so dubaako a wɔfrɛ no Sebat, wɔ ɔhene Dario adedie afe a ɛtɔ so mmienu so no, Awurade asɛm baa odiyifoɔ Sakaria a ɔyɛ Ido babarima Berekia babarima no nkyɛn.
8 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.
Anadwo no menyaa anisoadehunu, mehunuu ɔbarima bi a ɔte ɔpɔnkɔ kɔkɔɔ so wɔ mʼanim! Na ɔgyina ohwam nnua bi ntam wɔ bɔnhwa tiaa a emu dɔ mu. Na apɔnkɔ kɔkɔɔ, nnodoeɛ ne fitaa wɔ nʼakyi.
9 I asked him, “My lord, what are these?” The angel I was talking to replied, “I will show you.”
Mebisaa sɛ, “Yeinom ase ne sɛn, me wura?” Ɔbɔfoɔ a ɔne me rekasa no buaa sɛ, “Mɛkyerɛ wo adekodeɛ a wɔyɛ.”
10 The man who was there among the myrtle trees said, “These are the ones the Lord has sent out to patrol the earth.”
Enti, ɔbarima a ɔgyina ohwam nnua ntam mu no kyerɛɛ aseɛ sɛ, “Wɔyɛ wɔn a Awurade asoma wɔn sɛ wɔnkɔ ewiase afanan nyinaa no.”
11 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.”
Na wɔbɛka kyerɛɛ Awurade ɔbɔfoɔ a ɔgyina ohwam nnua no mu no sɛ, “Yɛakyin afa asase no so nyinaa, na yɛhunuu sɛ ewiase nyinaa wɔ ahomegyeɛ ne asomdwoeɛ.”
12 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?”
Afei, Awurade ɔbɔfoɔ no kaa sɛ, “Asafo Awurade, ɛnkɔsi da bɛn na wobɛyi wʼahummɔborɔ afiri Yerusalem ne Yuda nkuro a wo bo afu wɔn mfirinhyia aduɔson yi so?”
13 So the Lord replied to the angel I was talking to with kind and comforting words.
Enti, Awurade kaa abodwosɛm ne awerɛkyekyesɛm kyerɛɛ ɔbɔfoɔ a ɔne me kasaeɛ no.
14 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,
Afei ɔbɔfoɔ a ɔne me rekasa no kaa sɛ, “Pae mu ka saa asɛm yi: Yei ne deɛ Asafo Awurade seɛ: ‘Metwe Yerusalem ne Sion ho ninkunu yie,
15 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.
nanso, me bo afu aman a wɔn aso mu adwo wɔn no. Na anka me bo mfu wɔn bebree, nanso wɔmaa Israel amanehunu no boroo so.’
16 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.
“Enti, deɛ Awurade seɛ nie: ‘Mɛsane abɛhunu Yerusalem mmɔbɔ, na ɛhɔ na wɔbɛsane asi me fie. Na wɔbɛtwe susu ahoma mu wɔ Yerusalem so,’ deɛ Asafo Awurade seɛ nie.
17 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.
“Kɔ so pae mu ka sɛ, sei na Asafo Awurade seɛ: ‘Nnepa bɛbu so wɔ me nkuro yi so bio, na Awurade bɛkyekye Sion werɛ bio, na wafa Yerusalem.’”
18 Then I looked and saw four animal horns.
Afei, memaa mʼani so, na mehunuu mmɛn ɛnan!
19 “What are these?” I asked the angel I was talking to. “These are the horns that scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem,” he replied.
Mebisaa ɔbɔfoɔ a ɔne me rekasa no sɛ, “Yeinom yɛ ɛdeɛn?” Ɔbuaa me sɛ, “Saa mmɛn yi na ɛbɔɔ Yuda, Israel ne Yerusalem peteeɛ no.”
20 Then the Lord showed me four craftsmen.
Na Awurade kyerɛɛ me adwumfoɔ ɛnan.
21 “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.”
Mebisaa sɛ, “Ɛdeɛn na yeinom rebɛyɛ?” Ɔbuaa sɛ, “Mmɛn ɛnan no bɔɔ Yuda petee a obiara antumi amma ne tiri so, nanso adwumfoɔ yi aba sɛ wɔrebɛhunahuna wɔn, na woatutu aman no mmɛn a wɔmemaa so tiaa Yudaman na wɔbɔɔ nnipa no peteeɛ no.”

< Zechariah 1 >