1 ف ِي الشَّهْرِ الثّامِنِ مِنَ السَّنَةِ الثّانِيَةِ لِحُكمِ دارْيُوسَ، مَلِكِ فارِسَ، أتَتْ رِسالَةٌ مِنَ اللهِ إلَى زَكَرِيّا بْنِ بَرَخِيَّا بْنِ عِدُّو النَّبِيِّ. تَقُولُ الرِّسالَةُ:

In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the Lord to Zechariah son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, the prophet, saying,

2 غ َضِبَ اللهُ جِدّاً عَلَى آبائِكُمْ.

The Lord was very angry with your fathers.

3 و َلِذا عَلَيكَ أنْ تَقُولَ لَهُمْ: ‹هَذا هُوَ ما يَقُولُهُ اللهُ القَدِيرُ: «ارجِعُوا إلَيَّ، يَقُولُ اللهُ القَدِيرُ، فَأرجِعَ إلَيكُمْ، يَقُولُ اللهُ القَدِيرُ.»

Therefore say to them, Thus says the Lord of hosts: Return to Me, says the Lord of hosts, and I will return to you; it is the utterance of the Lord of hosts.

4 « لا تَكُونُوا كَآبائِكُمُ الَّذِينَ قالَ لَهُمُ الأنبِياءُ قَدِيماً: ‹يَقُولُ اللهُ القَدِيرُ ارجِعُوا عَنْ مُمارَساتِكُمُ الشِّرِّيرَةِ وَأعمالِكُمُ الشِّرِّيرَةِ.› وَلَكِنَّهُمْ لَمْ يَسْتَمِعُوا وَلَمْ يُصْغُوا إلَيَّ،» يَقُولُ اللهُ.

Be not as your fathers to whom the former prophets cried, Thus says the Lord of hosts: Return now from your evil ways and your evil doings; but they would not hear or listen to Me, says the Lord.

5 « أينَ آباؤكُمُ الآنَ؟ وَهَلْ يَحيا الأنبِياءُ إلَى الأبَدِ؟

Your fathers, where are they? And the prophets, do they live forever?

6 ك َلامِي وَفَرائِضْي الَّتِي أمَرْتُ خُدّامِي الأنبِياءَ بِإعلانِها، ألَمْ تَكُنْ قَدْ وَصَلَتْ آباءَكُمْ؟ لَكِنَّهُمْ رَجِعُوا إلِيَّ وَقالُوا: ‹لَقَدْ صَنَعَ اللهُ القَدِيرُ بِنا بِحَسَبِ كَلامِهِ، فَعاقَبَنا عَلَى أعْمالِنا وَسُلُوكِنا.›» الخُيولُ الأربَعة

But My words and My statutes, which I commanded My servants the prophets, did they not overtake and take hold of your fathers? So they repented and said, As the Lord of hosts planned and purposed to do to us, according to our ways and according to our doings, so has He dealt with us.

7 ف ِي اليَوْمِ الرّابِعِ وَالعِشْرِينَ مِنَ الشَّهْرِ الحادِي عَشَرَ – أي شَهْرِ شُباطَ – فِي السَّنَةِ الثّانِيَةِ مِنْ حُكْمِ دارْيُوسَ، أتَتْ رِسالَةٌ مِنَ اللهِ إلَى زَكَرِيّا بْنِ بَرَخِيَّا بْنِ عِدُّو النَّبِيِّ كَما يَلِي:

Upon the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, which is the month of Shebat, in the second year of the reign of Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, the prophet. Zechariah said,

8 ر َأيْتُ فِي رُؤى اللَّيلِ فارِساً يَرْكَبُ فَرَساً أحمَرَ، وَيَقِفُ وَسَطَ شَجَرِ الآسِ فِي الوَادِي. وَرايْتُ خَلْفَهُ ثَلاثَةَ فُرْسانٍ عَلَى ثَلاثَةِ أفراسٍ: أحمَرَ وَأشقَرَ وَأبيضَ.

I saw in the night and behold, a Man riding upon a red horse, and He stood among the myrtle trees that were in a low valley or bottom, and behind Him there were horses, red, bay or flame-colored, and white.

9 ف َقُلْتُ: «مَنْ هَؤلاءِ يا سَيِّدِي؟» فَقالَ لِي المَلاكُ الَّذِي كانَ يَتَكَلَّمُ مَعِي: «سَأُرِيكَ مَنْ هَؤلاءِ.»

Then said I, O my lord, what are these? And the angel who talked with me said, I will show you what these are.

10 ح ِينَئِذٍ قالَ الواقِفُ بَينَ شَجَرِ الآسِ: «هَؤُلاءِ هُمُ الَّذِينَ أرسَلَهُمُ اللهُ لِلتَّجَوُّلِ فِي الأرْضِ.»

And the Man who stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, These are they whom the Lord has sent to walk to and fro through the earth and patrol it.

11 ث ُمَّ قالُوا هُمْ لِمَلاكِ اللهِ الواقِفِ وَسَطَ الآسِ: «كُنّا نَتَجَوَّلُ في الأرْضِ، وَإذا الأرْضُ كُلُّها تَحيا فِي هُدُوءٍ وَسَلامٍ.»

And the men on the horses answered the Angel of the Lord Who stood among the myrtle trees and said, We have walked to and fro through the earth and behold, all the earth sits at rest.

12 ف َقالَ مَلاكُ اللهِ: «أيُّها الإلَهُ القَدِيرُ، إلَى مَتَى لا تَرْحَمُ مَدينَةَ القُدْسِ وَمُدُنَ يَهُوذا الَّتِي غَضِبْتَ عَلَيها مُدَّةَ السَّبْعِينَ سَنَةً الأخِيرَةَ؟»

Then the Angel of the Lord said, O Lord of hosts, how long will You not have mercy and lovingkindness for Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, against which You have had indignation these seventy years ?

13 ف َكَلَّمَ اللهُ المَلاكَ الَّذِي كانَ يَتَكَلَّمُ مَعِي، وَقالَ لَهُ كَلاماً طَيِّباً وَمُعَزِّياً.

And the Lord answered the angel who talked with me with gracious and comforting words.

14 ث ُمَّ طَلَبَ مِنِّي المَلاكُ الَّذِي كانَ يَتَكَلَّمُ مَعِي أنْ أُعلِنَ ما يَلِي: هَذا هُوَ ما يَقُولُهُ اللهُ القَدِيرُ: «غِرْتُ عَلَى مَدينَةِ القُدْسِ وَصِهْيَوْنَ كَثِيراً.

So the angel who talked with me said to me, Cry out, Thus says the Lord of hosts: I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy.

15 غ َضِبْتُ جِدّاً عَلَى الأُمَمِ المُسْتَرِيحَةِ المُطمَئِنَّةِ. غَضِبْتُ قَلِيلاً عَلَى شَعبِي، وَلَكِنَّهُمْ جَعَلُوا مُعاناةَ شَعبِي أشَدَّ.»

And I am very angry with the nations that are at ease; for while I was but a little displeased, they helped forward the affliction and disaster.

16 ل ِذَلِكَ، هَذا هُوَ ما يَقُولُهُ اللهُ: «رَجِعْتُ إلَى القُدْسِ بِالرَّحْمَةِ. سَيُعادُ بِناءُ بَيتِي فِيها،» يَقُولُ اللهُ القَدِيرُ. «سَيُمَدُّ خَيْطُ البِناءِ عَلَى مَدينَةِ القُدْسِ لِتَحدِيدِ أسْوارِها.»

Therefore thus says the Lord: I have returned to Jerusalem with compassion (lovingkindness and mercy). My house shall be built in it, says the Lord of hosts, and a measuring line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem.

17 و َقالَ المَلاكُ أيضاً: «هَذا هُوَ ما يَقُولُهُ اللهُ القَدِيرُ: ‹سَتَفِيضُ مُدُنِي بِالخَيْرِ ثانِيَةً، وَسَيُعَزِّي اللهُ صِهْيَوْنَ مِنْ جَدِيدٍ، وَمَرَّةً أُخْرَى سَيَدعُو مَدينَةَ القُدْسِ مَدِينَتَهُ الخاصَّةَ.›» القُرُونُ الأربَعَةُ وَالصُّنّاعُ الأربَعَة

Cry yet again, saying, Thus says the Lord of hosts: My cities shall yet again overflow with prosperity, and the Lord shall yet comfort Zion and shall yet choose Jerusalem.

18 ث ُمَّ رَفَعْتُ عَينَيَّ وَرَأيتُ أربَعَةَ قُرُونٍ.

Then I lifted up my eyes and saw, and behold, four horns.

19 ف َقُلْتُ لِلمَلاكِ الَّذِي كانَ يَتَكَلَّمُ مَعِي: «ما هَذِهِ القُرُونُ؟» فَقالَ لِي: «هَذِهِ هِيَ القُرُونُ الَّتِي شَتَّتَتْ يَهُوذا وَإسْرائِيلَ وَالقُدْسَ.»

And I said to the angel who talked with me, What are these? And he answered me, These are the horns or powers which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.

20 ث ُمَّ أرانِي اللهُ أربَعَةَ صُنّاعٍ.

Then the Lord showed me four smiths or workmen.

21 ف َقُلْتُ: «ما العَمَلُ الَّذِي أتَى لِأجلِهِ هَؤُلاءِ الصُّنّاعُ؟» فَقالَ لِي: «القُرُونُ هِيَ الأُمَمُ الَّتِي شَتَّتَتْ يَهُوذا كَي لا يَتَمَكَّنَ أحَدٌ مِنْهُمْ أنْ يَرْفَعَ رَأْسَهُ. وَقَدْ أتَى هَؤُلاءِ الصُّنّاعُ لِيُرْعِبُوا وَيَطرُدُوا قُرُونَ الأُمَمِ الَّتِي رَفَعَتْ ذاتَها عَلَى أرْضِ إسْرائِيلَ لِكَي تُشَتِّتَ شَعبَها.»

Then said I, What are these coming to do? And he said, These are the horns or powers that scattered Judah so that no man lifted up his head. But these smiths or workmen have come to terrorize them and cause them to be panic-stricken, to cast out the horns or powers of the nations who lifted up their horn against the land of Judah to scatter it.