Omnis autem cognatio ejus et omnis generatio ejus in bona vita et in sancta conversatione permansit, ita ut accepti essent tam Deo quam hominibus, et cunctis habitantibus in terra.

It was in the second year of Darius’ reign, and the eighth month of it, that a message from the Lord came to the prophet Zacharias, son of Barachias, son of Addo. And thus it ran:

In the eighth month, in the second year of king Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zacharias the son of Barachias, the son of Addo, the prophet, saying:

In mense octavo, in anno secundo Darii regis, factum est verbum Domini ad Zachariam filium Barachiæ filii Addo prophetam, dicens:

Beyond question, your fathers incurred the Lord’s displeasure;

The Lord hath been exceeding angry with your fathers.

Iratus est Dominus super patres vestros iracundia.

and now this word thou must proclaim from the Lord of hosts, Come back to me, he bids you, and I, he promises, will come back to your side.

And thou shalt say to them: Thus saith the Lord of hosts: Turn ye to me, saith the Lord of hosts: and I will turn to you, saith the Lord of hosts.

Et dices ad eos: Hæc dicit Dominus exercituum: Convertimini ad me, ait Dominus exercituum, et convertar ad vos, dicit Dominus exercituum.

Prophets there were long since, that warned those fathers of yours in his name, they should turn away from ill living and rebellious thoughts; yet neither heed nor hearing, he says, would they give me; not for you to follow their example.

Be not as your fathers, to whom the former prophets have cried, saying: Thus saith the Lord of hosts: Turn ye from your evil ways, and from your wicked thoughts: but they did not give ear, neither did they hearken to me, saith the Lord.

Ne sitis sicut patres vestri, ad quos clamabant prophetæ priores, dicentes: Hæc dicit Dominus exercituum: Convertimini de viis vestris malis, et de cogitationibus vestris pessimis: et non audierunt, neque attenderunt ad me, dicit Dominus.

Gone, the men of an earlier day; prophets that spoke to them might not live on for ever,

Your fathers, where are they? and the prophets, shall they live always?

Patres vestri, ubi sunt? et prophetæ numquid in sempiternum vivent?

but warning of mine, promise of mine, entrusted to the prophets that were my true servants, live on yet. See how the fulfilment of them overtook your fathers, till at last they must needs repent, must acknowledge the Lord of hosts had not threatened them, sinners and rebels, in vain!

But yet my words, and my ordinances, which I gave in charge to my servants the prophets, did they not take hold of your fathers, and they returned, and said: As the Lord of hosts thought to do to us according to our ways, and according to our devices, so he hath done to us.

Verumtamen verba mea, et legitima mea, quæ mandavi servis meis prophetis, numquid non comprehenderunt patres vestros, et conversi sunt, et dixerunt: Sicut cogitavit Dominus exercituum facere nobis secundum vias nostras, et secundum adinventiones nostras, fecit nobis?

Then, on the twenty-fourth day of Sabath, which is the eleventh month, word came from the Lord afresh, and once more it came to Zacharias, son of Barachias, son of Addo.

In the four and twentieth day of the eleventh month which is called Sabath, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zacharias the son of Barachias, the son of Addo, the prophet, saying:

In die vigesima et quarta undecimi mensis Sabath, in anno secundo Darii, factum est verbum Domini ad Zachariam filium Barachiæ filii Addo prophetam, dicens:

A vision appeared to me in the night, of one that was mounted on a sorrel horse, at a stand among the myrtle-trees, down in the Valley; and never a horse in all his company but was sorrel, roan or white.

I saw by night, and behold a man riding upon a red horse, and he stood among the myrtle trees, that were in the bottom: and behind him were horses, red, speckled, and white.

Vidi per noctem, et ecce vir ascendens super equum rufum, et ipse stabat inter myrteta, quæ erant in profundo, et post eum equi rufi, varii, et albi.

Scarce had I asked, My Lord, what be these? when the angel that inspired me promised he would shew me the meaning of it;

And I said: What are these, my Lord? and the angel that spoke in me, said to me: I will shew thee what these are:

Et dixi: Quid sunt isti, domine mi? Et dixit ad me angelus qui loquebatur in me: Ego ostendam tibi quid sint hæc.

and with that, my answer came from him who stood among the myrtle-trees, These have gone out on the Lord’s errand, patrolling the earth.

And the man that stood among the myrtle trees answered, and said: These are they, whom the Lord hath sent to walk through the earth.

Et respondit vir qui stabat inter myrteta, et dixit: Isti sunt quos misit Dominus ut perambulent terram.

And to him, now, the angel of the myrtle-wood, those others made their report: All earth we have patrolled, said they, and everywhere is safety, everywhere is rest.

And they answered the angel of the Lord, that stood among the myrtle trees, and said: We have walked through the earth, and behold all the earth is inhabited, and is at rest.

Et responderunt angelo Domini, qui stabat inter myrteta, et dixerunt: Perambulavimus terram, et ecce omnis terra habitatur, et quiescit.

Ah, Lord of hosts, my angel monitor said, wilt thou never relent, never take pity upon Jerusalem and the towns of Juda? Here be seventy years come and gone.

And the angel of the Lord answered, and said: O Lord of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem, and on the cities of Juda, with which thou hast been angry? this is now the seventieth year.

Et respondit angelus Domini, et dixit: Domine exercituum, usquequo tu non misereberis Jerusalem, et urbium Juda, quibus iratus es? iste jam septuagesimus annus est.

And with that, the Lord answered him; gracious his words were, gracious and full of comfort.

And the Lord answered the angel, that spoke in me, good words, comfortable words.

Et respondit Dominus angelo qui loquebatur in me verba bona, verba consolatoria.

Cry it abroad, now, my monitor said to me, this message from the Lord of hosts: Jealous, right jealous my love for Sion’s hill,

And the angel that spoke in me, said to me: Cry thou, saying: Thus saith the Lord of hosts: I am zealous for Jerusalem, and Sion with a great zeal.

Et dixit ad me angelus qui loquebatur in me: Clama, dicens: Hæc dicit Dominus exercituum: Zelatus sum Jerusalem et Sion zelo magno,

deep, full deep my anger against the heathen that are so well content! I would have punished Jerusalem but lightly, it was these drove home the blow.

And I am angry with a great anger with the wealthy nations: for I was angry a little, but they helped forward the evil.

et ira magna ego irascor super gentes opulentas, quia ego iratus sum parum, ipsi vero adjuverunt in malum.

And now, the Lord says, I am for Jerusalem again, bringing pardon with me; temple shall be built there for the Lord of hosts, Jerusalem shall see mason’s plummet busy once again.

Therefore thus saith the Lord: I will return to Jerusalem in mercies: my house shall be built in it, saith the Lord of hosts: and the building line shall be stretched forth upon Jerusalem.

Propterea hæc dicit Dominus: Revertar ad Jerusalem in misericordiis, et domus mea ædificabitur in ea, ait Dominus exercituum, et perpendiculum extendetur super Jerusalem.

And this, too: A promise from the Lord of hosts! Yonder towns shall yet overflow with riches; Sion shall yet receive comfort, Jerusalem be the city of my choice.

Cry yet, saying: Thus saith the Lord of hosts: My cities shall yet flow with good things: and the Lord will yet comfort Sion, and he will yet choose Jerusalem.

Adhuc clama, dicens: Hæc dicit Dominus exercituum: Adhuc affluent civitates meæ bonis, et consolabitur adhuc Dominus Sion, et eliget adhuc Jerusalem.

Then I looked up, and what saw I? Here were four horns;

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

Et levavi oculos meos, et vidi, et ecce quatuor cornua.

and when I asked my guide what they should be, he told me, Upon these horns, Juda and Israel and Jerusalem were tossed about.

And I said to the angel that spoke in me: What are these? And he said to me: These are the horns that have scattered Juda, and Israel, and Jerusalem.

Et dixi ad angelum qui loquebatur in me: Quid sunt hæc? Et dixit ad me: Hæc sunt cornua quæ ventilaverunt Judam, et Israël, et Jerusalem.

After that, the Lord sent me another vision of four blacksmiths;

And the Lord shewed me four smiths.

Et ostendit mihi Dominus quatuor fabros.

What errand, said I, have these? Why, said he, yonder horns made such havoc of Juda till now, never a man might lift his head; what should be the blacksmiths’ errand but to turn them back? Polled they must be henceforward, the heathen folk that once tossed Juda to the winds.

And I said: What come these to do? and he spoke, saying: These are the horns which have scattered Juda every man apart, and none of them lifted up his head: and these are come to fray them, to cast down the horns of the nations, that have lifted up the horn upon the land of Juda to scatter it.