וָאֶשָּׂא אֶת־עֵינַי וָאֵרֶא וְהִנֵּה אַרְבַּע קְרָנוֹת

I lifted up my eyes and I saw a prophetic vision, and behold, there were four horns, similar to the large battering rams used for breaching walls.

וָאֹמַר אֶל־הַמַּלְאָךְ הַדֹּבֵר בִּי מָה אֵלֶּה וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלַי אֵלֶּה הַקְּרָנוֹת אֲשֶׁר זֵרוּ אֶת־יְהוּדָה אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵל וִירוּשָׁלִָם

I said to the angel that spoke with me: What are these? What is the significance of these horns? He said to me: These are the horns that scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem. The ramming, smashing horns symbolize the enemies of Israel.

וַיַּרְאֵנִי ה' אַרְבָּעָה חָרָשִׁים

The Lord then showed me four craftsmen who work with hard materials.

וָאֹמַר מָה אֵלֶּה בָאִים לַעֲשׂוֹת וַיֹּאמֶר לֵאמֹר אֵלֶּה הַקְּרָנוֹת אֲשֶׁר־זֵרוּ אֶת־יְהוּדָה כְּפִי אִישׁ לֹא נָשָׂא רֹאשׁוֹ וַיָּבֹאוּ אֵלֶּה לְהַחֲרִיד אֹתָם לְיַדּוֹת אֶת־קַרְנוֹת הַגּוֹיִם הַנֹּשְׂאִים קֶרֶן אֶל־אֶרֶץ יְהוּדָה לְזָרוֹתָהּ

I said: What are these coming to do? He said, saying, in these words: These are the horns that scattered Judah, so that no man could raise his head. The horns that you saw devastated and oppressed the land, until nobody dared raise his head. These craftsmen came to terrify them, to shock and break the horns, to cast down and remove the horns of the nations that raise a horn against the land of Judah to scatter it.

וָאֶשָּׂא עֵינַי וָאֵרֶא וְהִנֵּה־אִישׁ וּבְיָדוֹ חֶבֶל מִדָּה

I lifted my eyes, and I saw, and behold, a man walking with a measuring line in his hand. He was holding a long rope used for measuring areas of land.

וָאֹמַר אָנָה אַתָּה הֹלֵךְ וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלַי לָמֹד אֶת־יְרוּשָׁלִַם לִרְאוֹת כַּמָּה־רָחְבָּהּ וְכַמָּה אָרְכָּהּ

I said: Where are you going? He said to me: To measure Jerusalem, to see how much is its width, and how much is its length. Jerusalem is undergoing a process of reconstruction, and I am going to prepare the plans for the building of the city.

וְהִנֵּה הַמַּלְאָךְ הַדֹּבֵר בִּי יֹצֵא וּמַלְאָךְ אַחֵר יֹצֵא לִקְרָאתוֹ

Behold, the angel that spoke with me, who had told me where he was headed, emerges, and another angel emerges toward him,

וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָו רֻץ דַּבֵּר אֶל־הַנַּעַר הַלָּז לֵאמֹר פְּרָזוֹת תֵּשֵׁב יְרוּשָׁלִַם מֵרֹב אָדָם וּבְהֵמָה בְּתוֹכָהּ

and the sender of the angel says to him: Run, speak to this young man, this servant, the measurer. Alternatively, the angel that went out instructed the angel that spoke to the prophet to speak to “this young man,” a somewhat disparaging reference to Zechariah himself, saying: Jerusalem will be settled unwalled due to the multitude of men and animals within it. Jerusalem will not be contained, but will grow and spread out.

וַאֲנִי אֶהְיֶה־לָּהּ נְאֻם־ה' חוֹמַת אֵשׁ סָבִיב וּלְכָבוֹד אֶהְיֶה בְתוֹכָהּ

Instead of a wall, the city will have another means of protection, for I will be for it – the utterance of the Lord – a wall of fire to defend Jerusalem all around, and I will be in its midst for glory.

הוֹי הוֹי וְנֻסוּ מֵאֶרֶץ צָפוֹן נְאֻם־ה' כִּי כְּאַרְבַּע רוּחוֹת הַשָּׁמַיִם פֵּרַשְׂתִּי אֶתְכֶם נְאֻם־ה'

Woe, woe, a call of persuasion, designed to spur the listeners into action; flee, leave quickly, not necessarily due to a threat, from Babylonia, the land of the north, and return to your land – the utterance of the Lord – for I have spread you like the four directions of the heavens – the utterance of the Lord. You are scattered throughout all corners of the world.

הוֹי צִיּוֹן הִמָּלְטִי יוֹשֶׁבֶת בַּת בָּבֶל

Woe, the exiled Zion, escape, she who dwells with the daughter, the population, of Babylon.

כִּי כֹה אָמַר ה' צְבָאוֹת אַחַר כָּבוֹד שְׁלָחַנִי אֶל־הַגּוֹיִם הַשֹּׁלְלִים אֶתְכֶם כִּי הַנֹּגֵעַ בָּכֶם נֹגֵעַ בְּבָבַת עֵינוֹ

For so said the Lord of hosts: In pursuit of glory, for the sake of your glory; alternatively, God provided me with the strength, and thereby also with the honor, and He sent me to the nations that plunder you, and my task is to warn them: For one who touches you, Israel, in order to harm you, it is as though he touches the pupil of his own eye. This very act will cause its own punishment.

כִּי הִנְנִי מֵנִיף אֶת־יָדִי עֲלֵיהֶם וְהָיוּ שָׁלָל לְעַבְדֵיהֶם וִידַעְתֶּם כִּי־ה' צְבָאוֹת שְׁלָחָנִי

For behold, I will wave My hand over them, the nations who persecute you, and they will be spoils for their servants, the Jews. And when you see these events coming to pass, you will know that the Lord of hosts sent me.

רָנִּי וְשִׂמְחִי בַּת־צִיּוֹן כִּי הִנְנִי־בָא וְשָׁכַנְתִּי בְתוֹכֵךְ נְאֻם־ה'

Sing and rejoice, daughter of Zion, for here I come and I will dwell in your midst – the utterance of the Lord.

וְנִלְווּ גוֹיִם רַבִּים אֶל־ה' בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא וְהָיוּ לִי לְעָם וְשָׁכַנְתִּי בְתוֹכֵךְ וְיָדַעַתְּ כִּי־ה' צְבָאוֹת שְׁלָחַנִי אֵלָיִךְ

Many nations will accompany the Lord on that day, and they will become My people together with you, and I will dwell in your midst, and when you see that, you will know that the Lord of hosts sent me, Zechariah, to prophesy to you.

וְנָחַל ה' אֶת־יְהוּדָה חֶלְקוֹ עַל אַדְמַת הַקֹּדֶשׁ וּבָחַר עוֹד בִּירוּשָׁלִָם

The Lord will bequeath his portion to Judah on the sacred land, as He will restore to Judah its inheritance, and He will again choose Jerusalem.

הַס כָּל בָּשָׂר מִפְּנֵי ה' כִּי נֵעוֹר מִמְּעוֹן קָדְשׁוֹ

Hush, all flesh, before the Lord, for He is already roused from His abode of sanctity, the heavens, to save you and dwell among you.