Zechariah 1-4

Zechariah 1

¹In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, hath a word of Jehovah been unto Zechariah, son of Berechiah, son of Iddo, the prophet, saying:

²‘Jehovah was wroth against your fathers -- wrath!

³And thou hast said unto them, Thus said Jehovah of Hosts, turn back unto Me, An affirmation of Jehovah of Hosts, And I turn back unto you, said Jehovah of Hosts.

⁴Ye shall not be as your fathers, To whom the former prophets called, saying: Thus said Jehovah of Hosts, Turn back I pray you, From your evil ways and from your evil doings, And they did not hearken, Nor attend to Me -- an affirmation of Jehovah.

⁵Your fathers -- where are they? And the prophets -- to the age do they live?

⁶Only, My words, and My statutes, That I commanded My servants the prophets, Have they not overtaken your fathers, And they turn back and say: As Jehovah of Hosts designed to do to us, According to our ways, and according to our doings, So He hath done to us?'

⁷On the twenty and fourth day of the eleventh month, (it is the month of Sebat,) in the second year of Darius, hath a word of Jehovah been unto Zechariah, son of Berechiah, son of Iddo, the prophet, saying:

⁸I have seen by night, and lo, one riding on a red horse, and he is standing between the myrtles that are in the shade, and behind him are horses, red, bay, and white.

⁹And I say, ‘What are these, my lord?' And the messenger who is speaking with me saith unto me, ‘I -- I do shew thee what these are.'

¹⁰And the one who is standing between the myrtles doth answer and say, ‘These are they whom Jehovah hath sent to walk up and down in the land.'

¹¹And they answer the messenger of Jehovah who is standing between the myrtles, and say, ‘We have walked up and down in the land, and lo, all the land is sitting still, and at rest.'

¹²And the messenger of Jehovah answereth and saith, ‘Jehovah of Hosts! till when dost Thou not pity Jerusalem, and the cities of Judah, that Thou hast abhorred these seventy years?'

¹³And Jehovah answereth the messenger, who is speaking with me, good words, comfortable words.

¹⁴And the messenger who is speaking with me, saith unto me, ‘Call, saying: Thus said Jehovah of Hosts: I have been zealous for Jerusalem, and for Zion with great zeal.

¹⁵And with great wrath I am wroth against the nations who are at ease, For I was a little wroth, and they assisted -- for evil.

¹⁶Therefore, thus said Jehovah: I have turned to Jerusalem with mercies, My house is built in it, An affirmation of Jehovah of Hosts, And a line is stretched over Jerusalem.

¹⁷Again call, saying: Thus said Jehovah of Hosts, Again do my cities overflow from good, And Jehovah hath again comforted Zion, And He hath fixed again on Jerusalem.'

¹⁸And I lift up mine eyes, and look, and lo, four horns.

¹⁹And I say unto the messenger who is speaking with me, ‘What are these?' And he saith unto me, ‘These are the horns that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.'

²⁰And Jehovah doth shew me four artizans.

²¹And I say, ‘What are these coming in to do?' And He speaketh, saying: ‘These are the horns that have scattered Judah, so that no one hath lifted up his head, and these come in to trouble them, to cast down the horns of the nations who are lifting up a horn against the land of Judah -- to scatter it.'

Zechariah 2

¹And I lift up mine eyes, and look, and lo, a man, and in his hand a measuring line.

²And I say, ‘Whither are thou going?' And he saith unto me, ‘To measure Jerusalem, to see how much is its breadth, and how much its length.'

³And lo, the messenger who is speaking with me is going out, and another messenger is going out to meet him,

⁴and he saith unto him, ‘Run, speak unto this young man, saying: Unwalled villages inhabit doth Jerusalem, From the abundance of man and beast in her midst.

⁵And I -- I am to her -- an affirmation of Jehovah, A wall of fire round about, And for honour I am in her midst.

⁶Ho, ho, and flee from the land of the north, An affirmation of Jehovah, For, as the four winds of the heavens, I have spread you abroad, An affirmation of Jehovah.

⁷Ho, Zion, be delivered who art dwelling with the daughter of Babylon.

⁸For thus said Jehovah of Hosts: After honour He hath sent me unto the nations who are spoiling you, For he who is coming against you, Is coming against the daughter of His eye.

⁹For lo, I am waving my hand against them, And they have been a spoil to their servants. And ye have known that Jehovah of Hosts hath sent me.

¹⁰Singe, and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, For lo, I am coming, and have dwelt in thy midst, An affirmation of Jehovah.

¹¹And joined have been many nations unto Jehovah in that day, And they have been to Me for a people, And I have dwelt in thy midst, And thou hast known that Jehovah of Hosts hath sent me unto thee.

¹²And Jehovah hath inherited Judah, His portion on the holy ground, And He hath fixed again on Jerusalem.

¹³Hush, all flesh, because of Jehovah, For He hath been roused up from His holy habitation!'

Zechariah 3

¹And he sheweth me Joshua the high priest standing before the messenger of Jehovah, and the Adversary standing at his right hand, to be an adversary to him.

²And Jehovah saith unto the Adversary: ‘Jehovah doth push against thee, O Adversary, Yea, push against thee doth Jehovah, Who is fixing on Jerusalem, Is not this a brand delivered from fire?'

³And Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and is standing before the messenger.

⁴And he answereth and speaketh unto those standing before him, saying: ‘Turn aside the filthy garments from off him.' And he saith unto him, ‘See, I have caused thine iniquity to pass away from off thee, so as to clothe thee with costly apparel.'

⁵He also said, ‘Let them set a pure diadem on his head. And they set the pure diadem on his head, and clothe him with garments. And the messenger of Jehovah is standing,

⁶and the messenger of Jehovah doth protest to Joshua, saying:

⁷‘Thus said Jehovah of Hosts: If in My ways thou dost walk, And if My charge thou dost keep, Then also thou dost judge My house, And also thou dost keep My courts, And I have given to thee conductors among these standing by.

⁸Hear, I pray thee, Joshua, the high priest, Thou and thy companions sitting before thee, (For men of type are they,) For lo, I am bringing in My servant -- a Shoot.

⁹For lo, the stone that I put before Joshua, On one stone are seven eyes, Lo, I am graving its graving, An affirmation of Jehovah of Hosts, And I have removed the iniquity of that land in one day.

¹⁰In that day -- an affirmation of Jehovah of Hosts, Ye do call, each unto his neighbour, Unto the place of the vine, And unto the place of the fig-tree!'

Zechariah 4

¹And the messenger who is speaking with me doth turn back, and stir me up as one who is stirred up out of his sleep,

²and he saith unto me, ‘What art thou seeing?' And I say, ‘I have looked, and lo, a candlestick of gold -- all of it, and its bowl is on its top, and its seven lamps are upon it, and twice seven pipes are to the lights that are on its top,

³and two olive-trees are by it, one on the right of the bowl, and one on its left.'

⁴And I answer and speak unto the messenger who is speaking with me, saying, ‘What are these, my lord?'

⁵And the messenger who is speaking with me answereth and saith unto me, ‘Hast thou not known what these are?' And I say, ‘No, my lord.'

⁶And he answereth and speaketh unto me, saying: ‘This is a word of Jehovah unto Zerubbabel, saying: Not by a force, nor by power, But -- by My Spirit, said Jehovah of Hosts.

⁷Who art thou, O great mountain Before Zerubbabel -- for a plain! And he hath brought forth the top-stone, Cries of Grace, grace -- are to it.'

⁸And there is a word of Jehovah to me, saying,

⁹Hands of Zerubbabel did found this house, And his hands do finish it, And thou hast known that Jehovah of Hosts Hath sent me unto you.

¹⁰For who trampled on the day of small things, They have rejoiced, And seen the tin weight in the hand of Zerubbabel, These seven are the eyes of Jehovah, They are going to and fro in all the land.'

¹¹And I answer and say unto him, ‘What are these two olive-trees, on the right of the candlestick, and on its left?'

¹²And I answer a second time, and say unto him, ‘What are the two branches of the olive trees that, by means of the two golden pipes, are emptying out of themselves the oil?'

¹³And he speaketh unto me, saying, ‘Hast thou not known what these are?' And I say, ‘No, my lord.'

¹⁴And he saith, ‘These are the two sons of the oil, who are standing by the Lord of the whole earth.'