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.”
Aicinājums tautai atgriezties
1 Ķēniņa Dārija otrā valdīšanas gada astotajā mēnesī pār pravieti Zahariju, Berehjas dēlu, Ido dēlu, nāca Kunga vārds: 2 “Kungs ir dusmot sadusmojis uz jūsu tēviem! 3 Tad saki tiem, tā saka Pulku Kungs:
atgriezieties pie manis,
saka Pulku Kungs,
un es atgriezīšos pie jums! –
saka pulku Kungs.
4 Neesiet kā jūsu tēvi, kuriem jau senie pravieši sludināja: tā saka Pulku Kungs: atgriezieties taču no savām ļaunajām gaitām un ļaunajiem darbiem! – bet tie neklausījās un nepaklausīja man, saka Kungs.
5 Jūsu tēvi – kur viņi?
Un vai pravieši mūžam dzīvo?
6 Taču mani vārdi un likumi,
ko es saviem kalpiem praviešiem pavēlēju, –
vai tad tie neskāra jūsu tēvus,
ka viņi atgriezās un sacīja:
kā Pulku Kungs nodomāja mums darīt –
pēc mūsu gaitām un darbiem! –
tā viņš mums izdarīja!”
Pirmais redzējums: jātnieks zem mirtēm
7 Ķēniņa Dārija otrā valdīšanas gada vienpadsmitā – šebāta – mēneša divdesmit ceturtajā dienā pār pravieti Zahariju, Berehjas dēlu, Ido dēlu, nāca Kunga vārds: 8 “Naktī es skatījos, un redzi – kāds vīrs jāj sarkanā zirgā, tad apstājas gravā starp mirtēm, un aiz viņa zirgi – sarkani, bēri un balti. 9 Tad es teicu: kas tie tādi, mans kungs? – Un eņģelis, kas runāja ar mani, teica: es tev parādīšu, kas tie tādi. 10 Bet vīrs, kas stāvēja starp mirtēm, atbildēja: šie ir tie, kurus Kungs sūtījis pārstaigāt zemi. 11 Un tie atbildēja Kunga eņģelim, kas stāvēja starp mirtēm: mēs esam pārstaigājuši zemi, un redzi – visa zeme dus klusumā. 12 Tad Kunga eņģelis teica: Pulku Kungs, cik ilgi tu vēl neapžēlosies par Jeruzālemi un Jūdas pilsētām, uz kurām esi dusmojis šos septiņdesmit gadus? 13 Eņģelim, kas ar mani runāja, Kungs atbildēja laipnus un mierinošus vārdus, 14 un eņģelis, kas ar mani runāja, teica: sauc un saki, tā saka Pulku Kungs:
es esmu greizsirdīgs uz Jeruzālemi,
un uz Ciānu man liela greizsirdība!
15 Lielās dusmās es dusmoju
uz laiskajām tautām –
kamēr es nieku vien dusmoju,
tie turējās arvien uz ļaunu,
16 tādēļ tā saka Kungs:
ar žēlsirdību es atgriezīšos Jeruzālemē,
tur man uzcels namu,
saka Pulku Kungs,
mērauklu nostieps pār Jeruzālemi!
17 Sauc atkal un saki,
tā saka Pulku Kungs:
manas pilsētas atkal pārplūdīs labumiem,
Kungs atkal mierinās Ciānu,
atkal izraudzīs Jeruzālemi!
