Zechariah

1 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 Yahweh was sore displeased with your fathers:

3 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 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 to times age-abiding do they live?

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

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

19 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 Then Yahweh shewed me Four Craftsmen.

21 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.