Zechariah 1
1 [I am] Zechariah, a prophet, the son of Berekiah and grandson of Iddo. When Darius [had been the emperor of Persia] for almost two years, during November [of that year], Yahweh gave me this message:
| בַּחֹדֶשׁ הַשְּׁמִינִי בִּשְׁנַת שְׁתַּיִם לְדָרְיָוֶשׁ הָיָה דְבַר־יְהֹוָה אֶל־זְכַרְיָה בֶּן־בֶּרֶכְיָה בֶּן־עִדּוֹ הַנָּבִיא לֵאמֹֽר׃ |
2 “I was very angry with your ancestors.
| קָצַף יְהֹוָה עַל־אֲבֽוֹתֵיכֶם קָֽצֶף׃ |
3 So tell this to the people: [I, ] the Commander of the armies of angels, say, ‘Return to me, and [if you do that], I will [help] you again.
| וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵהֶם כֹּה אָמַר יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת שׁוּבוּ אֵלַי נְאֻם יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת וְאָשׁוּב אֲלֵיכֶם אָמַר יְהֹוָה צְבָאֽוֹת׃ |
4 Do not be like your ancestors. [Other] prophets, who have now died, [continually] proclaimed to your ancestors that they should stop doing the evil things that they were continually doing. But they refused to pay attention to what I said.
| אַל־תִּהְיוּ כַאֲבֹֽתֵיכֶם אֲשֶׁר קָרְאֽוּ־אֲלֵיהֶם הַנְּבִיאִים הָרִֽאשֹׁנִים לֵאמֹר כֹּה אָמַר יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת שׁוּבוּ נָא מִדַּרְכֵיכֶם הָרָעִים (ומעליליכם) [וּמַֽעַלְלֵיכֶם] הָֽרָעִים וְלֹא שָׁמְעוּ וְלֹֽא־הִקְשִׁיבוּ אֵלַי נְאֻם־יְהֹוָֽה׃ |
5 Your ancestors [have died and are now in their graves] [RHQ]. And the prophets did not [RHQ] live forever, [either].
| אֲבֽוֹתֵיכֶם אַיֵּה־הֵם וְהַנְּבִאִים הַלְעוֹלָם יִֽחְיֽוּ׃ |
6 But I punished [IDM] [the people for disobeying] the commands and the decrees which I commanded my servants the prophets [to tell to the people]. Then they (repented/turned away from their evil behavior) and said, ‘The Commander of the armies of angels has done to us what we deserved for our evil behavior, just like he said that he would do.’”
| אַךְ ׀ דְּבָרַי וְחֻקַּי אֲשֶׁר צִוִּיתִי אֶת־עֲבָדַי הַנְּבִיאִים הֲלוֹא הִשִּׂיגוּ אֲבֹתֵיכֶם וַיָּשׁוּבוּ וַיֹּאמְרוּ כַּאֲשֶׁר זָמַם יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת לַעֲשׂוֹת לָנוּ כִּדְרָכֵינוּ וּכְמַעֲלָלֵינוּ כֵּן עָשָׂה אִתָּֽנוּ׃ |
7 [Three months later], on February 15, Yahweh gave [another] message to me.
| בְּיוֹם עֶשְׂרִים וְאַרְבָּעָה לְעַשְׁתֵּֽי־עָשָׂר חֹדֶשׁ הוּא־חֹדֶשׁ שְׁבָט בִּשְׁנַת שְׁתַּיִם לְדָרְיָוֶשׁ הָיָה דְבַר־יְהֹוָה אֶל־זְכַרְיָה בֶּן־בֶּרֶכְיָהוּ בֶּן־עִדּוֹא הַנָּבִיא לֵאמֹֽר׃ |
8 During the night [I had a vision. In the vision] I saw an [angel] who was on a red horse. He was in a narrow valley among some myrtle trees. Behind him were [angels on] red, brown, and white horses.
| רָאִיתִי ׀ הַלַּיְלָה וְהִנֵּה־אִישׁ רֹכֵב עַל־סוּס אָדֹם וְהוּא עֹמֵד בֵּין הַהֲדַסִּים אֲשֶׁר בַּמְּצֻלָה וְאַחֲרָיו סוּסִים אֲדֻמִּים שְׂרֻקִּים וּלְבָנִֽים׃ |
9 I asked the angel who had been talking to me, “Sir, who are those [angels on the horses]?” He replied, “I will show you who they are.”
| וָאֹמַר מָה־אֵלֶּה אֲדֹנִי וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלַי הַמַּלְאָךְ הַדֹּבֵר בִּי אֲנִי אַרְאֶךָּ מָה־הֵמָּה אֵֽלֶּה׃ |
10 Then the [angel] who had been under the myrtle trees explained. [He said, ] “They are the [angels] whom Yahweh sent [to (patrol/see what is happening in)] the [entire] world.”
| וַיַּעַן הָאִישׁ הָעֹמֵד בֵּין־הַהֲדַסִּים וַיֹּאמַר אֵלֶּה אֲשֶׁר שָׁלַח יְהֹוָה לְהִתְהַלֵּךְ בָּאָֽרֶץ׃ |
11 Then those angels reported to the angel who was [there] among the myrtle trees, “We have traveled throughout the world, and we have found out that [the army of the emperor of Persia has conquered nations] throughout the world, [and that] those nations are now (helpless/unable to resist his army).”
| וַֽיַּעֲנוּ אֶת־מַלְאַךְ יְהֹוָה הָֽעֹמֵד בֵּין הַהֲדַסִּים וַיֹּאמְרוּ הִתְהַלַּכְנוּ בָאָרֶץ וְהִנֵּה כׇל־הָאָרֶץ יֹשֶׁבֶת וְשֹׁקָֽטֶת׃ |
12 Then the angel asked, “Commander of the armies of angels, how long will you continue to not be merciful to Jerusalem and the [other] towns in Judah? You have been angry with them for 70 years!”
| וַיַּעַן מַלְאַךְ־יְהֹוָה וַיֹּאמַר יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת עַד־מָתַי אַתָּה לֹֽא־תְרַחֵם אֶת־יְרוּשָׁלַ͏ִם וְאֵת עָרֵי יְהוּדָה אֲשֶׁר זָעַמְתָּה זֶה שִׁבְעִים שָׁנָֽה׃ |
13 [So] Yahweh spoke kindly to the angel who had talked to me, saying things that comforted/encouraged him.
| וַיַּעַן יְהֹוָה אֶת־הַמַּלְאָךְ הַדֹּבֵר בִּי דְּבָרִים טוֹבִים דְּבָרִים נִחֻמִֽים׃ |
14 Then the angel who had been talking with me said to me, “Proclaim this [to the people of Jerusalem]: The Commander of the armies of angels says that he is very concerned about [the people who live on] Zion [Hill] and [in the other parts of] Jerusalem.
| וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלַי הַמַּלְאָךְ הַדֹּבֵר בִּי קְרָא לֵאמֹר כֹּה אָמַר יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת קִנֵּאתִי לִירוּשָׁלַ͏ִם וּלְצִיּוֹן קִנְאָה גְדוֹלָֽה׃ |
15 But he is very angry with the nations that are [proud and feel] safe. He was only a little bit angry [with the people of Judah], but [he is very angry with the surrounding nations because] they caused [the people of Judah to experience] complete disaster.
| וְקֶצֶף גָּדוֹל אֲנִי קֹצֵף עַל־הַגּוֹיִם הַשַּֽׁאֲנַנִּים אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי קָצַפְתִּי מְּעָט וְהֵמָּה עָזְרוּ לְרָעָֽה׃ |
16 Therefore, this is what he says: ‘I will again be merciful to [the people of] Jerusalem, and they will rebuild my temple. Men will measure [all the land in] the city [before they start rebuilding the houses].’
| לָכֵן כֹּֽה־אָמַר יְהֹוָה שַׁבְתִּי לִירוּשָׁלַ͏ִם בְּֽרַחֲמִים בֵּיתִי יִבָּנֶה בָּהּ נְאֻם יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת (וקוה) [וְקָו] יִנָּטֶה עַל־יְרוּשָׁלָֽ͏ִם׃ |
17 The Commander of the armies of angels [also] said this: ‘Tell the people that [the people in] my towns [in Judah] will soon be very prosperous again, and I will encourage [the people of] Jerusalem, and their city will again be my chosen [city].’”
| עוֹד ׀ קְרָא לֵאמֹר כֹּה אָמַר יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת עוֹד תְּפוּצֶנָה עָרַי מִטּוֹב וְנִחַם יְהֹוָה עוֹד אֶת־צִיּוֹן וּבָחַר עוֹד בִּירוּשָׁלָֽ͏ִם׃ |
18 Then I looked up, and I saw in front of me four [animal] horns.
| וָאֶשָּׂא אֶת־עֵינַי וָאֵרֶא וְהִנֵּה אַרְבַּע קְרָנֽוֹת׃ |
19 I asked the angel who had been speaking to me, “What are those [horns]?” He replied, “Those horns [represent the armies that] forced [the people of] Jerusalem and [other places in] Judah and Israel to go [to other countries].”
| וָאֹמַר אֶל־הַמַּלְאָךְ הַדֹּבֵר בִּי מָה־אֵלֶּה וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלַי אֵלֶּה הַקְּרָנוֹת אֲשֶׁר זֵרוּ אֶת־יְהוּדָה אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵל וִירוּשָׁלָֽ͏ִם׃ |
20 Then Yahweh showed me four (craftsmen/men who make things from metal).
| וַיַּרְאֵנִי יְהֹוָה אַרְבָּעָה חָרָשִֽׁים׃ |
21 I asked, “What are those men coming to do?” He replied, “[The armies represented by] those horns caused [the people of] Judah to be scattered, with the result that they suffered greatly. But the craftsmen have come to cause those who attacked [IDM] Judah to be terrified and crushed.”
| וָאֹמַר מָה אֵלֶּה בָאִים לַֽעֲשׂוֹת וַיֹּאמֶר לֵאמֹר אֵלֶּה הַקְּרָנוֹת אֲשֶׁר־זֵרוּ אֶת־יְהוּדָה כְּפִי־אִישׁ לֹא־נָשָׂא רֹאשׁוֹ וַיָּבֹאוּ אֵלֶּה לְהַחֲרִיד אֹתָם לְיַדּוֹת אֶת־קַרְנוֹת הַגּוֹיִם הַנֹּשְׂאִים קֶרֶן אֶל־אֶרֶץ יְהוּדָה לְזָרוֹתָֽהּ׃ |
