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.”
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!
