Et dispersi eos per omnia regna quæ nesciunt: et terra desolata est ab eis, eo quod non esset transiens et revertens: et posuerunt terram desiderabilem in desertum.

And the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying:

This word, too, came from him:

Et factum est verbum Domini exercituum, dicens:

Thus saith the Lord of hosts: I have been jealous for Sion with a great jealousy, and with a great indignation have I been jealous for her.

A message from the Lord of hosts! Great ruth have I for Sion, and sore it grieves me.

Hæc dicit Dominus exercituum: Zelatus sum Sion zelo magno, et indignatione magna zelatus sum eam.

Thus saith the Lord of hosts: I am returned to Sion, and I will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called The city of truth, and the mountain of the Lord of hosts, The sanctified mountain.

To Sion I will return, so runs his promise, and make in Jerusalem my home; The loyal city, men shall call her, and that mountain where dwells the Lord of hosts, The holy mountain.

Hæc dicit Dominus exercituum: Reversus sum ad Sion, et habitabo in medio Jerusalem: et vocabitur Jerusalem civitas veritatis, et mons Domini exercituum mons sanctificatus.

Thus saith the Lord of hosts: There shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem: and every man with his staff in his hand through multitude of days.

This, too: Trust me, there shall yet be aged folk in the streets of Jerusalem, men and women both, that go staff in hand, they are so bowed with years;

Hæc dicit Dominus exercituum: Adhuc habitabunt senes et anus in plateis Jerusalem, et viri baculus in manu ejus præ multitudine dierum.

And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls, playing in the streets thereof.

thronged they shall be, those streets, with boys and girls at play in the open.

Et plateæ civitatis complebuntur infantibus et puellis, ludentibus in plateis ejus.

Thus saith the Lord of hosts: If it seem hard in the eyes of the remnant of this people in those days: shall it be hard in my eyes, saith the Lord of hosts?

And this: Hard to believe? So now they find it, poor remnant of a people; but should I, the Lord of hosts, find it hard to perform?

Hæc dicit Dominus exercituum: Si videbitur difficile in oculis reliquiarum populi hujus in diebus illis, numquid in oculis meis difficile erit? dicit Dominus exercituum.

Thus saith the Lord of hosts: Behold I will save my people from the land of the east, and from the land of the going down of the sun.

And this, too: See if I do not rescue my people from the east country and the west,

Hæc dicit Dominus exercituum: Ecce ego salvabo populum meum de terra orientis et de terra occasus solis.

And I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God in truth and in justice.

bring them back to dwell here, in the midst of Jerusalem; they my people, and I their God, in troth and loyalty either to other bound.

Et adducam eos, et habitabunt in medio Jerusalem: et erunt mihi in populum, et ego ero eis in Deum, in veritate et in justitia.

Thus saith the Lord of hosts: Let your hands be strengthened, you that hear in these days these words by the mouth of the prophets, in the day that the house of the Lord of hosts was founded, that the temple might be built.

A message from the Lord of hosts! Take courage, then, you that still hold fast by the commands the prophets gave you, when the foundations of yonder house were a-laying, and the Lord of hosts had no temple yet.

Hæc dicit Dominus exercituum: Confortentur manus vestræ, qui auditis in his diebus sermones istos per os prophetarum, in die qua fundata est domus Domini exercituum, ut templum ædificaretur.

For before those days there was no hire for men, neither was there hire for beasts, neither was there peace to him that came in, nor to him that went out,because of the tribulation: and I let all men go every one against his neighbour.

Before that time, labour went unrewarded, for man and beast; so hard pressed were you, none might come or go in safety; every man, in those days, I left at his neighbour’s mercy.

Siquidem ante dies illos merces hominum non erat, nec merces jumentorum erat: neque introëunti, neque exeunti erat pax præ tribulatione: et dimisi omnes homines, unumquemque contra proximum suum.

But now I will not deal with the remnant of this people according to the former days, saith the Lord of hosts.

But now, says the Lord of hosts, this remnant of my people shall enjoy better fortune;

Nunc autem non juxta dies priores ego faciam reliquiis populi hujus, dicit Dominus exercituum,

But there shall be the seed of peace: the vine shall yield her fruit, and the earth shall give her increase, and theheavens shall give their dew: and I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things.

a happier seed-time is theirs. Its fruit the vineyard shall yield, the land its harvest, heaven its rain, and all for this remnant to enjoy.

sed semen pacis erit: vinea dabit fructum suum, et terra dabit germen suum, et cæli dabunt rorem suum: et possidere faciam reliquias populi hujus universa hæc.

And it shall come to pass, that as you were a curse among the Gentiles, O house of Juda, and house of Israel: so will I save you, and you shall be a blessing: fear not, let your hands be strengthened.

Breed of Juda, breed of Israel, by-words of misfortune once, when heathen folk fell to cursing their enemies; happy deliverance, they shall be names of blessing now! Your fears vanquish, go bravely on;

Et erit: sicut eratis maledictio in gentibus, domus Juda et domus Israël, sic salvabo vos, et eritis benedictio. Nolite timere; confortentur manus vestræ.

For thus saith the Lord of hosts: As I purposed to afflict you, when your fathers had provoked me to wrath, saith the Lord,

he, the Lord of hosts, gives you his warrant for it. Time was, says he, when your fathers had roused my anger, and I was ever planning mischief against you;

Quia hæc dicit Dominus exercituum: Sicut cogitavi ut affligerem vos, cum ad iracundiam provocassent patres vestri me, dicit Dominus,

And I had no mercy: so turning again I have thought in these days to dogood to the house of Juda, and Jerusalem: fear not.

no respite then! Today, for the good estate of Juda and Jerusalem plan I no less eagerly; vanquish your fears.

et non sum misertus: sic conversus cogitavi, in diebus istis, ut benefaciam domui Juda et Jerusalem. Nolite timere.

These then are the things, which you shall do: Speak ye truth every one to his neighbour: judge ye truth and judgment of peace in your gates.

And for your part, this do: deal honestly with your neighbours, give ever in your market-place the true, the salutary award;

Hæc sunt ergo verba quæ facietis: loquimini veritatem unusquisque cum proximo suo: veritatem et judicium pacis judicate in portis vestris.

And let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his friend: and love not a false oath: for all these are the things that I hate, saith the Lord.

harbour no ill thoughts one against another, nor set your hearts on the oath falsely sworn; every deed of wrong is hateful to me, the Lord says.

Et unusquisque malum contra amicum suum ne cogitetis in cordibus vestris, et juramentum mendax ne diligatis: omnia enim hæc sunt quæ odi, dicit Dominus.

And the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying:

And word came to me from the Lord of hosts, bidding me say this in his name:

Et factum est verbum Domini exercituum ad me, dicens:

Thus saith the Lord of hosts: The fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth shall be to the house of Juda, joy, and gladness, and great solemnities: only love ye truth and peace.

Fasts you kept ever, when three months of the year, or four, six months or nine were gone, shall be all rejoicing and gladness for the men of Juda now, all high festival, will you but love true dealing and peaceful ways.

Hæc dicit Dominus exercituum: Jejunium quarti, et jejunium quinti, et jejunium septimi, et jejunium decimi erit domui Juda in gaudium et lætitiam et in solemnitates præclaras. Veritatem tantum et pacem diligite.

Thus saith the Lord of hosts, until people come, and dwell in many cities,

This promise I give you from the Lord of hosts: What alien throngs, from what far cities, shall make pilgrimage yet!

Hæc dicit Dominus exercituum, usquequo veniant populi et habitent in civitatibus multis:

And the inhabitants go one to another, saying: Let us go, and entreat the face of the Lord, and let us seek the Lord of hosts: I also will go.

And ever, as fresh towns they reach, says pilgrim, Come with us, and welcome; court we the divine favour, to the Lord of hosts repair we; says townsman, Go with you I will.

et vadant habitatores, unus ad alterum, dicentes: Eamus, et deprecemur faciem Domini, et quæramus Dominum exercituum: vadam etiam ego.

And many peoples, and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, and to entreat the face of the Lord.

No nation so populous, no kingdom so strong, but shall betake itself to Jerusalem, to find the Lord of hosts and court his divine favour.

Et venient populi multi, et gentes robustæ, ad quærendum Dominum exercituum in Jerusalem, et deprecandam faciem Domini.

Thus saith the Lord of hosts: In those days, wherein ten men of all languages of the Gentiles shall take hold, and shall hold fast the skirt of one that is a Jew, saying: We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.

This, too: A time is coming, when there is never a man of Jewish blood but shall have ten Gentiles at his heels, and no two of the same speech; clinging all at once to the skirts of him, and crying, Your way is ours! The tale has reached us, how God is there to protect you.