Turn to the Lord
1 I am the prophet Zechariah, the son of Berechiah and the grandson of Iddo.
In the eighth month of the second year that Darius was king of Persia, the Lord told me to say:
2-3 Israel, I, the Lord All-Powerful, was very angry with your ancestors. But if you people will return to me, I will turn and help you. 4 Don't be stubborn like your ancestors. They were warned by the earlier prophets to give up their evil and turn back to me, but they paid no attention.
5 Where are your ancestors now? Not even prophets live forever. 6 But my warnings and my words spoken by the prophets caught up with your ancestors. So they turned back to me and said, “Lord All-Powerful, you have punished us for our sins, just as you had planned.”
First Vision: Horses and Riders
7-8 On the twenty-fourth day of Shebat, which was the eleventh month of that same year, the Lord spoke to me in a vision during the night: In a valley among myrtle trees, I saw someone on a red horse, with riders on red, brown, and white horses behind him. 9 An angel was there to explain things to me, and I asked, “Sir, who are these riders?”
“I'll tell you,” the angel answered.
10 At once, the man standing among the myrtle trees said, “These are the ones the Lord has sent to find out what's happening on earth.”
11 Then the riders spoke to the Lord's angel, who was standing among the myrtle trees, and they said, “We have gone everywhere and have discovered that the whole world is at peace.”
12 At this, the angel said, “Lord All-Powerful, for 70 years you have been angry with Jerusalem and the towns of Judah. When are you ever going to have mercy on them?”
13 The Lord's answer was kind and comforting. 14 So the angel told me to announce:
I, the Lord All-Powerful, am very protective of Jerusalem. 15 For a while I was angry at the nations, but now I am furious, because they have made things worse for Jerusalem and are not the least bit concerned. 16 And so, I will have pity on Jerusalem. The city will be completely rebuilt, and my temple will stand again. 17 I also promise that my towns will prosper—Jerusalem will once again be my chosen city, and I will comfort the people of Zion.
Second Vision: Animal Horns
18 Next, I saw four animal horns. 19-21 The angel who was sent to explain was there, and so I asked, “What do these mean?”
His answer was, “These horns are the nations that scattered the people of Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem, and took away their freedom.”
Then the Lord showed me four blacksmiths, and I asked, “What are they going to do?”
He replied, “They are going to terrify and crush those horns.”
Omuwa ti ithana aantu ye, ya galukile kuye
1 Momwedhi omutihetatu gwomumvo omutiyali Darius sho a li omukwaniilwa gwaPersia, Omuwa okwa gandja elaka komuhunganeki Sakaria yaBerekia, omutekulu gwaIddo. 2 Omuwa Omunankondoawike okwa lombwele Sakaria, a lombwele iigwana a tye: “Ngame, Omuwa, onda li nda geele oohokulu, 3 ihe ngashingeyi otandi mu lombwele: ‘Galukileni kungame, nangame otandi galukile kune.’ 4 Inamu fa oohokulu. Aahunganeki oye ya lombwele nale oohapu dhandje, ye ethe oondjila dhawo oombwinayi niilonga yawo yaa fele. Ihe inaa pulakena ndje yo inaa vulika kungame. 5 Oohokulu naahunganeki mboka kaye ko we. 6 Aamati yandje aahunganeki oya gandja koohokulu omalombwelo nomalondodho gandje, ihe oye ga dhini noya monithwa iihuna. Nena oyi itedhulula noya tseya kutya ngame, Omuwa Omunankondoawike, onda li nde ya geele, ngaashi yi ilongele nonde shi utha, shi tye ngaaka.” 7 Momumvo omutiheyali sho Darius a li omukwaniilwa, mesiku etimilongo mbali netine lyomwedhi omutimulongo nogwotango (omwedhi Shebat) Omuwa okwa lombwele ndje memoniko uusiku. 8 Onda mono omuyengeli gwOmuwa a londa okakambe okatiligane. Okwa thikama mokati komiti omimirte molusilu, nokonima ye kwa li uukambe uukwawo — uutiligane, uukanga nuutokele. 9 Onde mu pula: “Tatekulu, uukambe mbuka otau holola shike?”
Okwa yamukula a ti: “Otandi ku ulukile shoka tau holola. 10 Omuwa okwe u tumu u ye u ka ndaadhe evi.” 11 Uukambe owa hokololele omuyengeli tau ti: “Otwe endagula akuhe notwa dhimbulula uuyuni auhe owa mwena nou na ombili.”
12 Nena omuyengeli okwa ti: “Omuwa Omunankondoawike, ongoye wa geele Jerusalem niilando yaJuda omimvo omilongo heyali ngashingeyi. Sigo uunake tashi kala ngawo inoo yi hololela esilohenda lyoye?”
13 Omuwa okwa hekeleke omuyengeli noohapu dho opala, 14 nomuyengeli okwa lombwele ndje, ndi uvithe shoka Omuwa Omunankondoawike a ti: “Ondi na ohole yomuule noshimpwiyu molwaJerusalem, oshilando shandje oshiyapuki, 15 nokandi na ombili nande niigwana mbyoka tayi nyanyukwa ya thuwa yi na ombili. Oshoka sho nda li nda geele aantu yandje, iigwana mbyoka oya gwedhele ko kuuwehame waantu yandje. 16 Onkee onda galukile kuJerusalem, ndi hololele oshilando esilohenda. Otempeli yandje otayi ka thikamekululwa, noshilando otashi ka tungululwa?”
17 Omuyengeli okwa lombwele ndje wo, ndi uvithe te ti: “Omuwa Omunankondoawike, ota ti kutya iilando ye otayi ka ninga iinelago ishewe noye ta ka kwatha natango Jerusalem notashi ka kala oshilando she mwene.”
Emoniko lyooniga
18 Memoniko ekwawo onda mono ooniga ne dhoondumetana. 19 Onda pula omuyengeli ngoka a li ta popitha ndje: “Ooniga ndhoka otadhi holola shike?”
20 Oye a yamukula: “Otadhi holola oonkondo dhuuyuni ndhoka dha halakanitha aantu yaJuda, Israel naJerusalem.”
21 Onda pula e te ti: “Aantu mbaka oye ya okuninga shike?”
Okwa yamukula a ti: “Oye ya okuhalutha nokudhenga iigwana mbyoka ya lyatagula evi lyaJuda noya halakanitha aantu yalyo.”
