Zekaria 8
1 Neno la Yahwe wa majeshi likanijia kusema,
And the word of the Lord of armies came to me, saying,
2 “Yahwe wa majeshi asema hivi: Nina huzuni kwa ajili ya Sayuni kwa wivu mkuu na ninamaumivu kwa hasira nyingi!
These are the words of the Lord of armies: I am angry about the fate of Zion, I am angry about her with great wrath.
3 Yahwe wa majeshi asema hivi: Nitairudia Sayuni nami nitakaa kati ya Yerusalemu, kwa kuwa Yerusalemu itaitwa mji wa kweli na mlima wa Yahwe wa majeshi utaitwa Mlima Mtakatifu!
This is what the Lord has said: I have come back to Zion, and will make my living-place in Jerusalem: and Jerusalem will be named The town of good faith; and the mountain of the Lord of armies The holy mountain.
4 Yahwe wa majeshi asema hivi: Kwa mara nyingine tena kutakuwa na vikongwe katika mitaa ya Yerusalemu, na kila mtu ataitaji mkongojo mkononi mwake kwa vile alivyo mzee.
This is what the Lord of armies has said: There will again be old men and old women seated in the open spaces of Jerusalem, every man with his stick in his hand because he is so old.
5 Pia mitaa ya mji itajazwa na vijana wa kiume na kike wachezao.
And the open spaces of the town will be full of boys and girls playing in its open spaces.
6 Yahwe wa majeshi asema hivi: ikiwa jambo laonekana haliwezekani katika macho ya masalia ya watu hawa katika siku hizo, je haliwezekani pia machoni pangu? - asema Yahwe.
This is what the Lord of armies has said: If this is a wonder to the rest of this people, is it a wonder to me? says the Lord of armies.
7 Yahwe wa majeshi asema hivi: Tazama, nipo tayari kuwaokoa watu wangu kutoka nchi ya mawio na ya machweo ya jua!
This is what the Lord of armies has said: See, I will be the saviour of my people from the east country, and from the west country;
8 Kwa maana nitawarudisha tena, nao wataishi ndani ya Yerusalemu, hivyo watakuwa watu wangu tena, nami nitakuwa Mungu wao katika kweli na utakatifu!
And I will make them come and be living in Jerusalem and they will be to me a people and I will be to them a God, in good faith and in righteousness.
9 Yahwe wa majeshi asema hivi: Ninyi mnaoendelea kusikia maneno yaleyale yaliyotoka katika vinywa vya manabii msingi wa nyumba yangu ulipowekwa - hii nyumba yangu, Yahwe wa majeshi: Itieni nguvu mikono yenu ili hekalu lijengwe.
This is what the Lord of armies has said: Let your hands be strong, you who are now hearing these words from the mouths of the prophets, that is to say, in the days when the base of the house of the Lord of armies has been put in place for the building of the house, that is the Temple.
10 Kwani kabla ya siku hizo hakuna mazao yaliyokusanywa na yeyote ndani yake, hakukuwa na faida siyo kwa mtu hata mnyama, na hakukuwa na amani kutoka kwa adui kwa kila aliyekwenda au kuja. Nilimfanya kila mtu kuwa kinyume cha mwenzake.
For before those days there was no payment for a man's work, or for the use of a beast, and there was no peace for him who went out or him who came in, because of the attacker: for I had every man turned against his neighbour.
11 Lakini sasa haitakuwa kama mwanzo, nitakuwa pamoja na masalia ya watu hawa - asema Yahwe wa majeshi.
But now I will not be to the rest of this people as I was in the past, says the Lord of armies.
12 Kwani mbegu za amani zitapandwa; mzabibu unaokua utatoa matunda yake na nchi itatoa mazao yake; anga zitatoa umande, kwa maana nitawapa masalia ya watu hawa kumilki haya yote.
For I will let the seed of peace be planted; the vine will give her fruit and the land will give her increase and the heavens will give their dew; and I will give to the rest of this people all these things for their heritage.
13 Ulikuwa mfano wa laana kwa mataifa mengine, enyi nyumba ya Yuda na nyumba ya Israeli. Hivyo nitawaokoa nanyi mtakuwa baraka. Msiogope; haya mikono yenu itiwe nguvu!
And it will come about that, as you were a curse among the nations, O children of Judah and children of Israel, so I will give you salvation and you will be a blessing: have no fear and let your hands be strong.
14 Kwa maana Yahwe wa majeshi asema hivi: Kama nilivyopanga kuwatenda mabaya babu zenu walipochokoza hasira yangu - asema Yahwe wa majeshi - na wala sikujuta,
For this is what the Lord of armies has said: As it was my purpose to do evil to you when your fathers made me angry, says the Lord of armies, and my purpose was not changed:
15 ndivyo nitakavyoazimia kuutenda mema tena Yerusalemu na nyumba ya Yuda katika siku hizi! Msiogope!
So in these days it is again my purpose to do good to Jerusalem and to the children of Judah: have no fear.
16 Haya ndiyo mambo mnayopaswa kufanya: Kasemeni kweli, kila mtu na jirani yake. Hukumuni kwa haki, usawa na amani katika malango yenu.
These are the things which you are to do: Let every man say what is true to his neighbour; and let your judging give peace in your towns.
17 Na asiwepo miongoni mwenu anayeazimu uovu moyoni mwake dhidi ya jirani yake, wala kuvutwa na viapo vya uongo; kwani haya yote ndiyo mambo ninayoyachukia! - asema Yahwe.”
Let no one have any evil thought in his heart against his neighbour; and have no love for false oaths: for all these things are hated by me, says the Lord.
18 Kisha neno la Yahwe wa majeshi likanijia kusema,
And the word of the Lord of armies came to me, saying,
19 “Yahwe wa majeshi asema hivi: Mifungo ya mwezi wa nne, mwezi wa tano, mwezi wa saba na mwezi wa kumi itakuwa nyakati za furaha ya kila aina, kwa nyumba ya Yuda! Kwa hiyo pendeni kweli na amani!
This is what the Lord of armies has said: The times of going without food in the fourth month and in the fifth and the seventh and the tenth months, will be for the people of Judah times of joy and happy meetings; so be lovers of good faith and of peace.
20 Yahwe wa majeshi asema hivi: Watu watakuja tena, hata wanaoishi miji mingine.
This is what the Lord of armies has said: It will again come about that when peoples and those living in great towns come,
21 Watu wa mji mmoja watakwenda mji mwingine na kusema, “Haya twendeni haraka mbele ya Yahwe tukaombe na kumtafuta Yahwe wa majeshi! Sisi wenyewe tunakwenda pia.
And the people of one town go to another and say, Let us certainly go with a request for grace from the Lord, and to give worship to the Lord of armies, then I will go with you.
22 Watu wengi na mataifa yenye nguvu yatakuja kumtafuta Yahwe wa majeshi huko Yerusalemu na kuomba upendeleo kwa Yahwe!
And great peoples and strong nations will come to give worship to the Lord of armies in Jerusalem and to make requests for grace from the Lord.
23 Yahwe wa majeshi asema hivi: Katika siku hizo watu kumi kutoka katika kila lugha na taifa watashika upindo wa kanzu zenu na kusema, “Haya sisi nasi tutakwenda pamoja nanyi, kwani tumesikia kwamba Mungu yu pamoja nayi!”
This is what the Lord of armies has said: In those days, ten men from all the languages of the nations will put out their hands and take a grip of the skirt of him who is a Jew, saying, We will go with you, for it has come to our ears that God is with you.
