The Lord Calls His People to Return to Him
1 In the eighth month of the second year that Darius was emperor of Persia, the Lord gave this message to the prophet Zechariah, the son of Berechiah and grandson of Iddo. 2 The Lord Almighty told Zechariah to say to the people, “I, the Lord, was very angry with your ancestors, 3 but now I say to you, ‘Return to me, and I will return to you. 4 Do not be like your ancestors. Long ago the prophets gave them my message, telling them not to live evil, sinful lives any longer. But they would not listen to me or obey me. 5 Your ancestors and those prophets are no longer alive. 6 Through my servants the prophets I gave your ancestors commands and warnings, but they disregarded them and suffered the consequences. Then they repented and acknowledged that I, the Lord Almighty, had punished them as they deserved and as I had determined to do.’”
The Prophet's Vision of the Horses
7 In the second year that Darius was emperor, on the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month (the month of Shebat), the Lord gave me a message in a vision at night. 8 I saw someone riding a red horse. He had stopped among some myrtle trees in a valley, and behind him were other horses—red, dappled, and white. 9 I asked him, “Sir, what do these horses mean?”
He answered, “I will show you what they mean. 10 The Lord sent them to go and inspect the earth.”
11 They reported to the angel: “We have been all over the world and have found that the whole world lies helpless and subdued.”
12 Then the angel said, “Almighty Lord, you have been angry with Jerusalem and the cities of Judah for seventy years now. How much longer will it be before you show them mercy?”
13 The Lord answered the angel with comforting words, 14 and the angel told me to proclaim what the Lord Almighty had said: “I have a deep love and concern for Jerusalem, my holy city, 15 and I am very angry with the nations that enjoy quiet and peace. For while I was holding back my anger against my people, those nations made the sufferings of my people worse. 16 So I have come back to Jerusalem to show mercy to the city. My Temple will be restored, and the city will be rebuilt.”
17 The angel also told me to proclaim: “The Lord Almighty says that his cities will be prosperous again and that he will once again help Jerusalem and claim the city as his own.”
The Vision of the Horns
18 In another vision I saw four ox horns. 19 I asked the angel that had been speaking to me, “What do these horns mean?”
He answered, “They stand for the world powers that have scattered the people of Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.”
20 Then the Lord showed me four workers with hammers. 21 I asked, “What have they come to do?”
He answered, “They have come to terrify and overthrow the nations that completely crushed the land of Judah and scattered its people.”
Muhona ma isana otjiwaṋa tje kutja tji kotoke ku ye
1 Momueze outjahambondatu wombura oitjavari Darius tja ri ombara ya Persie, Muhona otja yandja ombuze komuprofete Sakaria, omuzandu wa Berekja, omuzandu wa Ido. 2 Muhona Omunamasaaehe wa raera Sakaria kutja a tje nai kotjiwaṋa: “Ami, ngu mbi ri Muhona, mba ṱire omazenge tjinene nooiho mukururume, 3 nungwari nambano ami me tja nai ku eṋe: ‘Kotokeye ku ami, nami me kotoka ku eṋe! 4 Amu kara otja ooiho mukururume. Rukuru ovaprofete ve ve pere ombuze yandje yokutja ave ha uhara amave hupu mourunde na mouvi rukwao. Nungwari owo kave puratenene nu kave karere nonḓuviro ku ami. 5 Ooiho mukururume novaprofete mbo kave tji nomuinyo. 6 Ami mba yandja omarakiza nomaronga kooiho mukururume novinyo vyovakarere vandje, imba ovaprofete, nungwari owo ve ve nyengura; notji va hihamisirwa oviṋa mbi. Nowo otji va tanauka nave tjiwa kutja ami, ngu mbi ri Muhona Omunamasaaehe, mbe ve verere otja pu va sokuverwa, notja pu mba tyere okutjita nao.’ ”
Otjirimunikise tjomuprofete tjoukambe
7 Mombura oitjavari Darius tja ri ombara, meyuva oritjamirongo vivari na yane komueze outjamurongo na umwe, omueze Sebat, Muhona we ndji pa ombuze motjirimunikise mouṱuku. 8 Ami mba muna omuengeri wa Muhona a kavire kokakambe okasazu. Eye wa kuramene mokati komimbango momukutu, nu kongotwe ye kwa ri oukambe oukwao, ousazu noupawe nouvapa. 9 Ami mba pura omuengeri ngwi e tja: “Muhona, oukambe mbwi mau hee tjike?”
Eye wa zira a tja: “Ami me ku raisire kutja oukambe mbwi mau hee tjike. 10 Muhona we u hinda kutja owo u kahore ehi.”
11 Oukambe mbwi arire tji wa hepura komuengeri au tja: “Eṱe twa ryanga mouye auhe, nu twa muna kutja owo wa mwina nu u ri morusuvo.”
12 Nomuengeri wa tja nai: “Muhona Omunamasaaehe, ove wa pindike na Jerusalem novihuro vyehi ra Juda oure wozombura omirongo hambombari. Ma rire oure mbu ṱa pi komurungu ngunda au hiye vi ṱira otjari?”
13 Muhona wa zira omuengeri nomambo omawa nomahuhumiṋe, 14 nomuengeri we ndji raera kutja mbi serekarere imbi Muhona Omunamasaaehe mbya hungira, indu tja tja: “Ami mbi norusuvero orunene nongendo kOjerusalem, otjihuro tjandje otjiyapuke, 15 nungwari mba pindika tjinene noviwaṋa, mbya hirimana mohange. Ami ngunda amba tjaere omazenge wandje kotjiwaṋa tjandje, oviwaṋa mbyo tjandje mavi takavarisire ko omihihamo kotjiwaṋa tjandje. 16 Ami opu mba kotokera kOjerusalem okutjiṱira ondjenda. Ondjuwo yandje mai tungururwa, notjihuro matji yarurwa ko.”
17 Omuengeri we ndji raera kutja mbi zuvarise rukwao nai: “Muhona Omunamasaaehe ma tja ovihuro vye mavi rire ovaṋingandu rukwao, nokutja eye ma vatere Jerusalem rukwao, nu me rityere otjihuro hi okurira otje omuini.”
Otjirimunikise tjozonya
18 Motjirimunikise tjarwe ami mba muna ozonya ine zonduwombe. 19 Ami mba pura nai komuengeri ngwaa hungire kuna ami: “Ozonya nḓa maze hee tjike?”
Eye wa zira nai: “Ozo maze kuramenepo omahi omanamasa mouye, nga rimba otjiwaṋa tja Juda notja Israel novature va Jerusalem.”
20 Muhona we ndji raisira ovahambure vane. 21 Ami mba pura nai: “Ovarumendu mba ve ya okuungura tjike?”
Omuengeri wa zira a tja: “Owo ve ya okutirisa nokunakaura oviwaṋa mbye ya okuṱukuṱura ehi ra Juda nokurimba ovandu varo.”
