The prophet exhorts the people to return to God, and declares his visions, by which he puts them in hopes of better times.

 1 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 Barachiae filii Addo prophetam, dicens :

 2 The Lord hath been exceeding angry with your fathers.
Iratus est Dominus super patres vestros iracundia.

 3 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 : Haec dicit Dominus exercituum : Convertimini ad me, ait Dominus exercituum, et convertar ad vos, dicit Dominus exercituum.

 4 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 prophetae priores, dicentes : Haec dicit Dominus exercituum : Convertimini de viis vestris malis, et de cogitationibus vestris pessimis : et non audierunt, neque attenderunt ad me, dicit Dominus.

 5 Your fathers, where are they? and the prophets, shall they live always?
Patres vestri, ubi sunt? et prophetae numquid in sempiternum vivent?

 6 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, quae 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?

 7 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 Barachiae filii Addo prophetam, dicens :

 8 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, quae erant in profundo, et post eum equi rufi, varii, et albi.

 9 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 haec.

 10 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.

 11 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.

 12 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.

 13 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.

 14 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 : Haec dicit Dominus exercituum : Zelatus sum Jerusalem et Sion zelo magno,

 15 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.

 16 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 haec dicit Dominus : Revertar ad Jerusalem in misericordiis, et domus mea aedificabitur in ea, ait Dominus exercituum, et perpendiculum extendetur super Jerusalem.

 17 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 : Haec dicit Dominus exercituum : Adhuc affluent civitates meae bonis, et consolabitur adhuc Dominus Sion, et eliget adhuc Jerusalem.

 18 And I lifted up my eyes, and saw: and behold four horns.
Et levavi oculos meos, et vidi, et ecce quatuor cornua.

 19 And I said to the angel that spoke to 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 haec? Et dixit ad me : Haec sunt cornua quae ventilaverunt Judam, et Israel, et Jerusalem.

 20 And the Lord shewed me four smiths.
Et ostendit mihi Dominus quatuor fabros.

 21 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.
Et dixi : Quid isti veniunt facere? Qui ait, dicens : Haec sunt cornua quae ventilaverunt Judam per singulos viros, et nemo eorum levavit caput suum : et venerunt isti deterrere ea, ut dejiciant cornua gentium, quae levaverunt cornu super terram Juda ut dispergerent eam.