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.”
Alla la moolu ñanta muru la a kaŋ ne
1 Mansa Dariyusi la mansayaa sanji fulanjaŋo kari seyinjaŋo kono le, Yaawe* la kumoo naata Annabilayi Jakariya kaŋ, Berekiya dinkewo, Ido mamariŋo.
2 Yaawe ko Jakariya ye ko, “N kamfaabaata ali mumuñolu kamma le. 3 Wo kamma la, a fo moolu ye ko, Yaawe Alihawaa Maariyo* ye ñiŋ ne fo ko: Ali muru naŋ n kaŋ, m fanaa si muru ali kaŋ. 4 Ali kana ke ko ali mumuñolu. Annabiyomu foloolu ye nte Yaawe Alihawaa Maariyo la kumoo bankee ì ye le, fo ì si ì koo dii kuu kuruŋ kewo la, aniŋ ì la sila kuruŋolu. Bari ì maŋ i lamoyi n na sako ka ì hakiloo tu n na kumoolu to. 5 Ali wo mumuñolu lee, ì be mintoo le? Ali la annabiyomoolu duŋ, muna ì tuta baluuriŋ ne baŋ fo fawu? 6 Muna n na kumakaŋo aniŋ n na dandalaaroo, ŋa meŋ duŋ annabiyomoolu daa, n na dookuulaalu, fo a maŋ boyi ali mumuñolu kaŋ baŋ? Bituŋ ì naata tuubi, ì kumata ko: ‘Yaawe Alihawaa Maariyo ye ǹ joo ǹ kebaaroo le la aniŋ ǹ na sila kuruŋolu, a ye a ke ǹ na le ko, a ye a nata ñaameŋ.’ ”
Jeri foloo: Suutiyolu
7 Mansa Dariyusi la mansayaa sanji fulanjaŋo kari taŋ niŋ kilinjaŋo, ì ka a fo meŋ ye Sebati karoo, a tili muwaŋ niŋ naaninjaŋo, Yaawe la kumoo naata Annabilayi Jakariya kaŋ, Berekiya diŋo, Ido mamariŋo. Bituŋ a ko: 8 Suutoo ŋa jeroo ke jaharaŋo kono. Ñiŋ jeroo kono, ŋa kewo le je n ñaatiliŋo la, a be suu wuleŋo kaŋ, a be looriŋ miritali yiroolu kono wulumbaŋo kono. A kooma, suu koyi tiyolu be looriŋ jee, suu wuleŋ tiyolu, aniŋ mennu be ko wuluyeloo.
9 Malaayikoo le be nuŋ jee, meŋ be diyaamu kaŋ n ye, ŋa wo ñininkaa ko, “M maarii, ñiŋ suutiyolu duŋ?” A ye n jaabi ko, “M be a yitandi la i la le, ì mu meŋ ti.” 10 Bituŋ kewo meŋ be looriŋ miritali yiroolu kono ko n ye ko, “Yaawe ye ñinnu le kii ka duniyaa bee taamaŋ-taamaŋ.”
11 Wo to le ì ye i dantee Yaawe la malaayikoo ye, meŋ be looriŋ miritali yiroolu kono ko, “Ǹ taata duniyaa karoo bee la le, ŋà duniyaa bee tara tenkundiŋ, a be deyiriŋ tek.” 12 Bituŋ Yaawe la malaayikoo ko, “Yaawe Alihawaa Maariyo, i tarata kamfaariŋ Yerusalaamu niŋ Yahuuda saatewolu kamma le ñiŋ sanji taŋ woorowuloo kono. Janniŋ waati jumaa le duŋ i be wo bo la ì kaŋ, i ye i la hiinoo yitandi ì la?”
13 Bituŋ Yaawe ye hiinanteeyaa kumoo niŋ jusuñaburaŋ kumoolu fo malaayikoo ye, meŋ be diyaamu kaŋ n ye. 14 Wo to le, ñiŋ malaayikoo ko n ye ko: “Ñiŋ kumoo kankulaa, Yaawe Alihawaa Maariyo ye meŋ fo. A ko, ‘Yerusalaamu niŋ Siyoni* Konkoo la kuwo mu n ye suulakuu baa le ti. 15 M be kamfaariŋ bankoolu kamma le kendeke, mennu be siikuuriŋ tankoo kono. Kaatu ŋa ì taa le ka n na moolu jarabi n na kamfaa kaŋ, bari itolu ye ì mantoora jawuke le fo a tambita. 16 Wo kamma la, n niŋ hiinoo be muru la naŋ Yerusalaamu le, n na Buŋo ye lookuu, aduŋ sumandirilaŋ juloo be saba la Yerusalaamu saatewo kunto le ka jee fanaa lookuu.’ Yaawe Alihawaa Maariyo le ye a fo.”
17 Malaayikoo tententa ka a fo n ye ko, “Ñiŋ kumoo fanaa kankulaa, Yaawe Alihawaa Maariyo ye meŋ fo. A ko, ‘Neemoo be woyi la n na saatewolu kono le. Yerusalaamu be ke la n na tomboŋ saatewo le ti kotenke, aduŋ m be Siyoni Konkoo moolu maakoyi la le.’ ”
Jeri fulanjaŋo: Binoolu aniŋ tunkannaalu
18 Ŋa n kuŋo wuli, ŋa bina naani je n ñaatiliŋo la. 19 Bituŋ ŋa malaayikoo ñininkaa kotenke meŋ niŋ m be diyaamu kaŋ ko, “Ñinnu mu muŋ ne ti?” A ye n jaabi ko, “Ñiŋ binoolu le mu bankoolu ti, mennu ye Yahuuda, Banisirayila aniŋ Yerusalaamu janjaŋ.”
20 Bituŋ Yaawe ye tunkannaa naani yitandi n na.
21 Ŋa ñininkaaroo ke ko, “Ñinnu ka naa muŋ ne la?” A ye n jaabi ko, “Ñiŋ tunkannaalu naata le ka bankoolu silandi, ka ì juru, ka ì semboo tiñaa, kaatu ì ye Yahuuda moolu janjandi le, fo ì maŋ semboo soto kotenke.”
