¹Nomwedzi worusere, negore rechipiri raDhariusi, shoko raJehovha rakasvika kuna Zekariya, mwanakomana waBherekia, mwanakomana womuporofita Idho, richiti,

¹In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the LORD unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying,

²Jehovha akatsamwira madzibaba enyu zvikuru.

²The LORD hath been sore displeased with your fathers.

³Naizvozvo chiti kwavari Zvanzi naJehovha wehondo , Dzokerai kwandiri, ndizvo zvinotaura Jehovha wehondo neni ndichadzokera kwamuri, ndizvo zvinotaura Jehovha wehondo.

³Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye unto me, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the LORD of hosts.

⁴Regai kuva samadzibaba enyu, nekuti vaporofita vokutanga vakadanidzira kwaari, vachiti, zvanzi naJehovha wehondo, Dzokai, zvino panzira dzenyu dzakaipa napazvakaipa zvenyu zvamunoita; asi havana kunzwa kana kunditeerera, ndizvo zvinotaura Jehovha.

⁴Be ye not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets have cried, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye now from your evil ways, and from your evil doings: but they did not hear, nor hearken unto me, saith the LORD.

⁵Madzibaba enyu aripiko? Naivo vaporofita vangararama nokusingaperi here?

⁵Your fathers, where are they? and the prophets, do they live for ever?

⁶Asi mashoko angu nemitemo yangu, zvandakaraira varanda vangu, ivo vaporofita, hazvina kubata madzibaba enyu here? Ivo vakadzoka, vakati, Jehovha wehondo sezvaakafunga kutiitira, zvakafanira mabasa edu nezvakafanira zvatakaita, ndizvo zvaakatiitira.

⁶But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not take hold of your fathers? and they returned and said, Like as the LORD of hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways, and according to our doings, so hath he dealt with us.

⁷Nezuva ramakumi namana romwedzi wegumi nomumwe, uri mwedzi weShabhati, negore rechipiri raDhariusi, shoko raJehovha rakasvika kuna Zekariya mwanakomana waBherekia, mwanakomana womuporofita Idho, richiti,

⁷Upon the four and twentieth day of the eleventh month, which is the month Sebat, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the LORD unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying,

⁸Ndakatarira usiku, ndikaona murume akatasva bhiza dzvuku, akamira pakati pemiti yemimirite yaiva mumupata; shure kwake kwakanga kunamabhiza matsvuku namashora namachena.

⁸I 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 there red horses, speckled, and white.

⁹Ipapo ndikati, Nhai, ishe wangu, zvinyiko izvi? Mutumwa akanga achitaurirana neni akati kwandiri, Ndichakuratidza kuti izvi zvinyi.

⁹Then said I, O my lord, what are these? And the angel that talked with me said unto me, I will shew thee what these be.

¹⁰Murume akanga amire pakati pemiti yemimirite akapindura, akati, Ava ndivo vakatumwa naJehovha kupota-pota nenyika yose.

¹⁰And the man that stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, These are they whom the LORD hath sent to walk to and fro through the earth.

¹¹Ivo vakapindura mutumwa waJehovha akanga amire pakati pemiti yemimirite, vakati, Takapota-pota nenyika yose, wane nyika yose inyerere ichizorora.

¹¹And they answered the angel of the LORD that stood among the myrtle trees, and said, We have walked to and fro through the earth, and, behold, all the earth sitteth still, and is at rest.

¹²Ipapo mutumwa waJehovha wakapindura, akati, Aiwa, Jehovha wehondo, mucharamba musinganzwiri nyasha Jerusaremu namaguta aJudha amakatsamwira makore ano ana makumi manomwe kusvikira riniko?

¹²Then 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 Judah, against which thou hast had indignation these threescore and ten years?

¹³Ipapo Jehovha akapindura mutumwa akanga achitaurirana neni, mashoko akanaka anonyaradza.

¹³And the LORD answered the angel that talked with me with good words and comfortable words.

¹⁴Ipapo mutumwa, akanga achitaurirana neni, akati kwandiri, Danidzira, uti, Zvanzi naJehovha wehondo, ndine godo pamusoro peJerusaremu, godo guru.

¹⁴So the angel that communed with me said unto me, Cry thou, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy.

¹⁵Ndakatsamwira kwazvo ndudzi dzavanhu dzakazorora, nekuti ndakanga ndakatsamwa zvishoma, asi ivo vakanyanyisa kuipa.

¹⁵And I am very sore displeased with the heathen that are at ease: for I was but a little displeased, and they helped forward the affliction.

¹⁶Naizvozvo zvanzi naJehovha, Ndakadzokera Jerusaremu ndine nyasha zhinji; imba yangu ichavakwamo ndizvo zvinotaura Jehovha wehondo uye rwonzi rwokuyera ruchatambanudzirwa pamusoro peJerusaremu.

¹⁶Therefore thus saith the LORD; I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies: my house shall be built in it, saith the LORD of hosts, and a line shall be stretched forth upon Jerusalem.

¹⁷Danidzirazve, uti, Zvanzi naJehovha wehondo, Maguta angu achapa fuma mufarozve, uye Jehovha achangonyaradza Ziyoni, achazvisanangurirazve Jerusaremu.

¹⁷Cry yet, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; My cities through prosperity shall yet be spread abroad; and the LORD shall yet comfort Zion, and shall yet choose Jerusalem.

¹⁸Zvino ndakarinzira meso angu ndikatarira, ndikaona nyanga ina.

¹⁸Then lifted I up mine eyes, and saw, and behold four horns.

¹⁹Ipapo ndikati kumutumwa, wakange achitaurirana neni, Zvinyiko izvi? Akandipindura, akati, Ndidzo nyanga dzakaparadzira Judha naIsiraeri neJerusaremu.

¹⁹And I said unto the angel that talked with me, What be these? And he answered me, These are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.

²⁰Jehovha akandiratidza vapfuri vana.

²⁰And the LORD shewed me four carpenters.

²¹Ipapo ndikati, Ava vauya kuzobateiko? Iye akataura, akati, Ndidzo nyanga dzakaparadzira Judha, kusvikira kusino munhu akasimudza musoro wake; asi ava vauya kuzovatyisa, kuwisira pasi nyanga dzendudzi dzavanhu dzakasimudzira nyika yaJudha runyanga rwavo vachida kuvaparadzira.

²¹Then said I, What come these to do? And he spake, saying, These are the horns which have scattered Judah, so that no man did lift up his head: but these are come to fray them, to cast out the horns of the Gentiles, which lifted up their horn over the land of Judah to scatter it.