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.”
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.”
