בַּחֹדֶשׁ הַשְּׁמִינִי בִּשְׁנַת שְׁתַּיִם לְדָרְיָוֶשׁ הָיָה דְבַר־ה' אֶל־זְכַרְיָה בֶּן־בֶּרֶכְיָה בֶּן־עִדּוֹ הַנָּבִיא לֵאמֹר׃

In the eighth month, Heshvan, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord was with Zechariah, son of Berekhya, son of Ido, the prophet, saying:

קָצַף ה' עַל־אֲבוֹתֵיכֶם קָצֶף

The Lord was enraged with your fathers. Their city was destroyed, and they were exiled.

וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵהֶם כֹּה אָמַר ה' צְבָאוֹת שׁוּבוּ אֵלַי נְאֻם ה' צְבָאוֹת וְאָשׁוּב אֲלֵיכֶם אָמַר ה' צְבָאוֹת

Nevertheless, say to them, the Jewish people: So said the Lord of hosts: Return to Me – the utterance of the Lord of hosts – and I will return to you, said the Lord of hosts. Let us renew the love between us. You take a step toward Me and I will take one toward you.

אַל־תִּהְיוּ כַאֲבֹתֵיכֶם אֲשֶׁר קָרְאוּ־אֲלֵיהֶם הַנְּבִיאִים הָרִאשֹׁנִים לֵאמֹר כֹּה אָמַר ה' צְבָאוֹת שׁוּבוּ נָא מִדַּרְכֵיכֶם הָרָעִים וּמַעַלְלֵיכֶם הָרָעִים וְלֹא שָׁמְעוּ וְלֹא־הִקְשִׁיבוּ אֵלַי נְאֻם־ה'

Do not be like your fathers, to whom the earlier prophets, before the destruction of the First Temple, called, saying: So said the Lord of hosts: Return now from your evil ways, and from your evil exploits; but they did not heed and they did not listen to Me – the utterance of the Lord.

אֲבוֹתֵיכֶם אַיֵּה־הֵם! וְהַנְּבִאִים הַלְעוֹלָם יִחְיוּ!

Your fathers, where are they? They died, they were exiled, and they are no more; their sins did not help them. Next the verse states a contrary question, which was perhaps posed by the prophet’s audience in response to his query: And the prophets, would they live forever? Admittedly, our fathers died, but are the prophets who spoke to them still alive? They too passed away! What difference is there between them?

אַךְ דְּבָרַי וְחֻקַּי אֲשֶׁר צִוִּיתִי אֶת־עֲבָדַי הַנְּבִיאִים הֲלוֹא הִשִּׂיגוּ אֲבֹתֵיכֶם וַיָּשׁוּבוּ וַיֹּאמְרוּ כַּאֲשֶׁר זָמַם ה' צְבָאוֹת לַעֲשׂוֹת לָנוּ כִּדְרָכֵינוּ וּכְמַעֲלָלֵינוּ כֵּן עָשָׂה אִתָּנוּ

Zechariah replies in God’s name: The prophets themselves have indeed died, but My words and My statutes that I commanded My servants the prophets, didn’t they overtake your fathers? The prophecies of divine retribution that the prophets related to your fathers were fulfilled. They, your fathers, repented and they said: Just as the Lord of hosts devised to do to us, in accordance with our ways and in accordance with our exploits, so He did to us. Your fathers came to realize and acknowledge that the statements of the prophets were true, and that their effect was everlasting.

בְּיוֹם עֶשְׂרִים וְאַרְבָּעָה לְעַשְׁתֵּי־עָשָׂר חֹדֶשׁ הוּא־חֹדֶשׁ שְׁבָט בִּשְׁנַת שְׁתַּיִם לְדָרְיָוֶשׁ הָיָה דְבַר־ה' אֶל־זְכַרְיָה בֶּן־בֶּרֶכְיָהוּ בֶּן־עִדּוֹא הַנָּבִיא לֵאמֹר׃

On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, which is the month of Shevat, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord was with Zechariah, son of Berekhyahu, son of Ido, the prophet, saying:

רָאִיתִי הַלַּיְלָה וְהִנֵּה־אִישׁ רֹכֵב עַל־סוּס אָדֹם וְהוּא עֹמֵד בֵּין הַהֲדַסִּים אֲשֶׁר בַּמְּצֻלָה וְאַחֲרָיו סוּסִים אֲדֻמִּים שְׂרֻקִּים וּלְבָנִים

I saw the night, and behold, I saw a man riding upon a red horse, and he was standing among the myrtles that were sprouting in the deep place, an irrigated valley, so that the myrtles grew well; and behind him there were three groups of horses: red, sorrel, a darkish red, or multicolored, and white.

וָאֹמַר מָה־אֵלֶּה אֲדֹנִי וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלַי הַמַּלְאָךְ הַדֹּבֵר בִּי אֲנִי אַרְאֶךָּ מָה־הֵמָּה אֵלֶּה

I said to the angel who was conversing with me: What are these, my lord? The angel who spoke with me and responded to my questions said to me: I will show you what these are. On many occasions in this book, the prophet does not hear a direct prophecy, but rather an angel informs him of the word of God.

וַיַּעַן הָאִישׁ הָעֹמֵד בֵּין־הַהֲדַסִּים וַיֹּאמַר אֵלֶּה אֲשֶׁר שָׁלַח ה' לְהִתְהַלֵּךְ בָּאָרֶץ

The man standing among the myrtles responded and said: These, the horses and the rider, who was the angel appointed over them, are those messengers whom the Lord sent to walk through the earth.

וַיַּעֲנוּ אֶת־מַלְאַךְ ה' הָעֹמֵד בֵּין הַהֲדַסִּים וַיֹּאמְרוּ הִתְהַלַּכְנוּ בָאָרֶץ וְהִנֵּה כָל־הָאָרֶץ יֹשֶׁבֶת וְשֹׁקָטֶת

They, the horses, responded to the angel of the Lord that stood among the myrtles and they said: We walked through the earth, and behold, the entire earth is settled and serene. Upon their return from their inspection of the world, they reported that the world was quiet and peaceful.

וַיַּעַן מַלְאַךְ־ה' וַיֹּאמַר ה' צְבָאוֹת! עַד מָתַי אַתָּה לֹא־תְרַחֵם אֶת־יְרוּשָׁלִַם וְאֵת עָרֵי יְהוּדָה אֲשֶׁר זָעַמְתָּה זֶה שִׁבְעִים שָׁנָה!

The angel of the Lord responded in prayer and said: Lord of hosts, the entire world is dwelling in their places in peace; until when will You not have compassion on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, with which You have been furious and have exiled the people for these seventy years?

וַיַּעַן ה' אֶת־הַמַּלְאָךְ הַדֹּבֵר בִּי דְּבָרִים טוֹבִים דְּבָרִים נִחֻמִים

The Lord responded to the angel that spoke with me with affirmative words, words of comfort.

וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלַי הַמַּלְאָךְ הַדֹּבֵר בִּי קְרָא לֵאמֹר כֹּה אָמַר ה' צְבָאוֹת קִנֵּאתִי לִירוּשָׁלִַם וּלְצִיּוֹן קִנְאָה גְדוֹלָה

The angel that spoke with me said to me: Proclaim, you must announce the word of God, saying: So said the Lord of hosts: I am zealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with great zealousness, and I will react with this zealousness to all those who impinge upon their honor,

וְקֶצֶף גָּדוֹל אֲנִי קֹצֵף עַל־הַגּוֹיִם הַשַּׁאֲנַנִּים אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי קָצַפְתִּי מְעָט וְהֵמָּה עָזְרוּ לְרָעָה

and I am enraged with great rage at the nations that are at ease, for I was a little enraged with Israel, and I allowed their downfall in war, and yet they, the nations, contributed for evil. My account with Israel does not justify the great rejoicing of their surrounding enemies, their onslaught upon the ruins of Judah, and their despoiling of the corpses.

לָכֵן כֹּה־אָמַר ה' שַׁבְתִּי לִירוּשָׁלִַם בְּרַחֲמִים בֵּיתִי יִבָּנֶה בָּהּ נְאֻם ה' צְבָאוֹת וְקָו יִנָּטֶה עַל־יְרוּשָׁלִָם

Therefore, so said the Lord: I have returned to Jerusalem with compassion; My House will be built in it – the utterance of the Lord of hosts – and a protective line, or a builder’s line, will be extended over Jerusalem, to defend it all around, and enable the city to thrive.

עוֹד קְרָא לֵאמֹר כֹּה אָמַר ה' צְבָאוֹת עוֹד תְּפוּצֶנָה עָרַי מִטּוֹב וְנִחַם ה' עוֹד אֶת־צִיּוֹן וּבָחַר עוֹד בִּירוּשָׁלִָם

Again, proclaim another prophecy, saying: So said the Lord of hosts: My cities will again expand with prosperity, and the Lord will comfort Zion again, and will choose Jerusalem again.