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 Jehovah unto Zechariah the prophet, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, saying,

²Jehovha akatsamwira madzibaba enyu zvikuru.

²Jehovah hath been very wroth with your fathers.

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

³And thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Return unto me, saith Jehovah of hosts, and I will return unto you, saith Jehovah 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 cried, saying, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Turn ye now from your evil ways, and from your evil doings; but they did not hearken nor attend unto me, saith Jehovah.

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 overtake your fathers? And they turned and said, Like as Jehovah 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 Shebat, in the second year of Darius, came the word of Jehovah unto Zechariah the prophet, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, 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 low valley; and behind him were red, bay, and white horses.

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

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

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 Jehovah 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 Jehovah 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?

¹²And the angel of Jehovah answered and said, Jehovah of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which thou hast had indignation these seventy years?

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

¹³And Jehovah answered the angel that talked with me good words, comforting words.

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

¹⁴And the angel that talked with me said unto me, Cry, saying, Thus saith Jehovah 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 wroth exceedingly with the nations that are at ease; for I was but a little wroth, 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 Jehovah: I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies: my house shall be built in it, saith Jehovah of hosts, and the line shall be stretched forth upon Jerusalem.

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

¹⁷Cry further, saying, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: My cities shall yet overflow with prosperity, and Jehovah shall yet comfort Zion, and shall yet choose Jerusalem.

¹⁸Zvino ndakarinzira meso angu ndikatarira, ndikaona nyanga ina.

¹⁸And I lifted 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 are these? And he said to me, These are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.

²⁰Jehovha akandiratidza vapfuri vana.

²⁰And Jehovah shewed me four craftsmen.

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.

²¹And I said, What come these to do? And he spoke, saying, Those are the horns which scattered Judah, so that no man lifted up his head; but these are come to affright them, to cast out the horns of the nations, which lifted up the horn against the land of Judah to scatter it.