撒迦利亞書 1
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Traditional)
呼喚人民歸向耶和華
1 大流士王二年八月,耶和華對易多的孫子、比利迦的兒子撒迦利亞先知說: 2 「耶和華曾對你們的祖先大發怒氣。 3 因此,你要告訴百姓,萬軍之耶和華說,『你們要歸向我,我就回到你們那裡。這是萬軍之耶和華說的。 4 不要像你們的祖先一樣。以前的先知曾呼喚他們要聽從萬軍之耶和華的話,改邪歸正,停止作惡,他們卻置若罔聞,不予理會。這是耶和華說的。 5 現在你們的祖先在哪裡呢?那些先知能活到永遠嗎? 6 然而,我吩咐我僕人——眾先知的訓言和律例豈不應驗在你們祖先的頭上了嗎?後來他們悔改了,說,萬軍之耶和華按著我們的所作所為報應了我們,正如祂所言。』」
有關騎士的異象
7 大流士王二年十一月,即細罷特月二十四日,耶和華的話傳給了易多的孫子、比利迦的兒子撒迦利亞先知。 8 我在夜間看到異象,見有人騎著一匹紅馬,站在谷中的番石榴樹林間,後面有紅馬、棕馬和白馬騎士。 9 我就問:「主啊,這是什麼意思?」那位跟我說話的天使說:「我會告訴你這是什麼意思。」 10 站在番石榴樹林間的那位對我說:「這些是耶和華派來巡視大地的。」 11 其他騎士向站在番石榴樹林間的那位耶和華的天使報告說:「我們已經巡視了大地,到處都安寧平靜。」
12 耶和華的天使說:「萬軍之耶和華啊,你向耶路撒冷和猶大的城邑發怒已經七十年了,還要多久你才會憐憫他們呢?」 13 耶和華用仁慈、安慰的話回答那位與我說話的天使。
14 那位天使對我說:「你要宣告,萬軍之耶和華說,『我對耶路撒冷,對錫安充滿了火熱的愛。 15 我對安逸的列國充滿憤怒,因為我只是對我的子民稍微不滿,列國卻大肆禍害他們。』 16 因此,耶和華說,『我必懷著憐憫的心回到耶路撒冷,我的殿必在那裡重建,必有準繩丈量耶路撒冷。這是萬軍之耶和華說的。』 17 你還要宣告,萬軍之耶和華說,『我的城邑必再次繁榮昌盛,耶和華必再次安慰錫安,揀選耶路撒冷。』」
有關角和工匠的異象
18 我又舉目觀看,見有四個角。 19 於是,我問與我說話的天使:「這是什麼?」他回答說:「這些是驅散猶大、以色列和耶路撒冷的角。」 20 耶和華又讓我看見四個工匠。 21 於是我問:「他們來做什麼?」他說:「這些角驅散了猶大,以致無人能抬頭,但這些工匠是來威嚇列國,並打掉他們用來攻擊和驅散猶大的角。」
Zechariah 1
New English Translation
Introduction
1 In the eighth month of Darius’[a] second year,[b] the Lord’s message came to the prophet Zechariah,[c] son of Berechiah son of Iddo:
2 “The Lord was very angry with your ancestors.[d] 3 Therefore say to the people:[e] The Lord of Heaven’s Armies[f] says, ‘Turn[g] to me,’ says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, ‘and I will turn to you,’ says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 4 Do not be like your ancestors, to whom the former prophets called out, saying, ‘This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has said, “Turn now from your evil wickedness.”’ But they would by no means obey me, says the Lord. 5 As for your ancestors, where are they? And did the prophets live forever? 6 But have my words and statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, not outlived your fathers?[h] Then they paid attention[i] and confessed, ‘The Lord of Heaven’s Armies has indeed done what he said he would do to us, because of our sinful ways.’”
The Introduction to the Visions
7 On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, the month Shebat, in Darius’ second year,[j] the Lord’s message came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berechiah son of Iddo:
The Content of the First Vision
8 I was attentive that night and saw a man seated[k] on a red horse that stood among some myrtle trees[l] in the ravine. Behind him were red, sorrel,[m] and white horses.
The Interpretation of the First Vision
9 Then I asked one nearby, “What are these, sir?” The angelic messenger[n] who replied to me said, “I will show you what these are.” 10 Then the man standing among the myrtle trees spoke up and said, “These are the ones whom the Lord has sent to walk about[o] on the earth.” 11 The riders then agreed with the angel of the Lord,[p] who was standing among the myrtle trees, “We have been walking about on the earth, and now everything is at rest and quiet.” 12 The angel of the Lord then asked, “O Lord of Heaven’s Armies,[q] how long before you have compassion on Jerusalem and the other cities of Judah that you have been so angry with for these seventy years?”[r] 13 The Lord then addressed good, comforting words to the angelic messenger who was speaking to me. 14 Turning to me, the messenger then said, “Cry out that the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says, ‘I am very much moved[s] for Jerusalem and for Zion. 15 But I am greatly displeased with the nations that take my grace for granted.[t] I was a little displeased with them, but they have only made things worse for themselves.
The Oracle of Response
16 “‘Therefore,’ this is what the Lord has said, ‘I have become compassionate[u] toward Jerusalem and will rebuild my temple[v] in it,’ says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. ‘Once more a surveyor’s measuring line will be stretched out over Jerusalem.’ 17 Speak up again with the message of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies: ‘My cities will once more overflow with prosperity, and once more the Lord will comfort Zion and validate his choice of Jerusalem.’”
Vision Two: The Four Horns
18 (2:1)[w] Once again I looked and this time I saw four horns. 19 So I asked the angelic messenger[x] who spoke with me, “What are these?” He replied, “These are the horns[y] that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.” 20 Next the Lord showed me four blacksmiths.[z] 21 I asked, “What are these going to do?” He answered, “These horns are the ones that have scattered Judah so that there is no one to be seen.[aa] But the blacksmiths have come to terrify Judah’s enemies[ab] and cut off the horns of the nations that have thrust themselves against the land of Judah in order to scatter its people.”[ac]
Footnotes
- Zechariah 1:1 sn Darius is Darius Hystaspes, king of Persia from 522-486 b.c.
- Zechariah 1:1 sn The eighth month of Darius’ second year was late October—late November, 520 b.c., by the modern (Julian) calendar. This is two months later than the date of Haggai’s first message to the same community (cf. Hag 1:1).
- Zechariah 1:1 sn Both Ezra (5:1; 6:14) and Nehemiah (12:16) speak of Zechariah as a son of Iddo only. A probable explanation is that Zechariah’s actual father Berechiah had died and the prophet was raised by his grandfather Iddo. The “Zechariah son of Barachiah” of whom Jesus spoke (Matt 23:35; Luke 11:51) was probably the martyred prophet by that name who may have been a grandson of the priest Jehoiada (2 Chr 24:20-22).
- Zechariah 1:2 tn Heb “fathers” (so KJV, NAB); NIV “forefathers” (also in vv. 4, 5).
- Zechariah 1:3 tn Heb “to them”; the referent (the people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Zechariah 1:3 sn The epithet Lord of Heaven’s Armies occurs frequently as a divine title throughout Zechariah (53 times total). This name (יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת, yehvah tsevaʾot), traditionally translated “Lord of hosts” (so KJV, NAB, NASB; cf. NIV, NLT “Lord Almighty”; NCV, CEV “Lord All-Powerful”), emphasizes the majestic sovereignty of the Lord, an especially important concept in the postexilic world of great human empires and rulers. For a thorough study of the divine title, see T. N. D. Mettinger, In Search of God, 123-57.
- Zechariah 1:3 tn The Hebrew verb שׁוּב (shuv) is common in covenant contexts. To turn from the Lord is to break the covenant and to turn to him (i.e., to repent) is to renew the covenant relationship (cf. 2 Kgs 17:13).
- Zechariah 1:6 tc BHS suggests אֶתְכֶם (ʾetkhem, “you”) for the MT אֲבֹתֵיכֶם (ʾavotekhem, “your fathers”) to harmonize with v. 4. In v. 4 the ancestors would not turn but in v. 6 they appear to have done so. The subject in v. 6, however, is to be construed as Zechariah’s own listeners.
- Zechariah 1:6 tn Heb “they turned” (so ASV). Many English versions have “they repented” here; cf. CEV “they turned back to me.”
- Zechariah 1:7 sn The twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month…in Darius’ second year was February 15, 519 b.c.
- Zechariah 1:8 tn Heb “riding,” but since this verb in English is usually associated with horses in motion rather than standing still, the translation uses “seated.” Cf. NAB “the driver of a red horse.”
- Zechariah 1:8 tc The LXX presupposes הֶהָרִים (heharim, “mountains”) rather than the MT הַהֲדַסִּים (hahadassim, “myrtles”), probably because of reference to the ravine. The MT reading is preferred and is followed by most English versions.
- Zechariah 1:8 sn The Hebrew שְׂרֻקִּים (seruqqim) means “red” (cf. NIV, NCV, NLT “brown”). English translations such as “speckled” (KJV) or “dappled” (TEV) are based on the reading of the LXX ψαροί (psaroi) that attempts to bring the color of this horse into conformity with those described in Zech 6:2-3. However, since these are two different and unrelated visions, this is a methodological fallacy.
- Zechariah 1:9 tn Heb “messenger” or “angel” (מַלְאָךְ, malʾakh). This being appears to serve as an interpreter to the prophet (cf. vv. 13, 14).
- Zechariah 1:10 sn The stem used here (Hitpael) with the verb “walk” (הָלַךְ, halakh) suggests the exercise of dominion (cf. Gen 13:17; Job 1:7; 2:2-3; Ezek 28:14; Zech 6:7). The Lord is here about to claim sovereignty over the nations. Cf. NAB, NASB, NRSV, NLT “to patrol”; TEV “to go and inspect.”
- Zechariah 1:11 sn The angel of the Lord is a special being who throughout the OT represents God himself and on occasion almost approaches divine hypostatization or incarnation (cf. Gen 18:2, 13, 17, 22; Exod 23:20-21; Josh 5:13-15; Judg 6:11-24; 13:2-20).
- Zechariah 1:12 sn Note that here the angel of the Lord is clearly distinct from the Lord who rules over all himself.
- Zechariah 1:12 sn The seventy years refers to the predicted period of Babylonian exile, a period with flexible beginning and ending points depending on the particular circumstances in view (cf. Jer 25:1; 28:1; 29:10; Dan 9:2). Here the end of the seventy years appears to be marked by the completion of the temple in 516 b.c., exactly seventy years after its destruction in 586.
- Zechariah 1:14 tn Heb “jealous for” (so KJV, ASV); NIV, NRSV “very jealous for”; CEV “very protective of.” The meaning is that Jerusalem/Zion is the special object of God’s grace and purposes. This results in his unusual protection of his people, a protection not accorded others with whom he does not have such a close relationship.
- Zechariah 1:15 tn Or “the nations that are at ease” (so ASV, NRSV). The Hebrew word in question is שַׁאֲנָן (shaʾanan) which has the idea of a careless, even arrogant attitude (see BDB 983 s.v. שַׁאֲנָן); cf. NAB “the complacent nations.” Here it suggests that the nations take for granted that God will never punish them just because he hasn’t already done so. Thus they presume on the grace and patience of the Lord. The translation attempts to bring out this nuance rather than the more neutral renderings of TEV “nations that enjoy quiet and peace” or NLT “enjoy peace and security.”
- Zechariah 1:16 tn Heb “I have turned in compassion.” This suggests that the Lord has responded to the “turning” (i.e., repentance) of the people (v. 6) and now, with great love and forgiveness, allows construction of the temple to proceed.
- Zechariah 1:16 tn Heb “house.”
- Zechariah 1:18 sn This marks the beginning of ch. 2 in the Hebrew text. Beginning with 1:18, the verse numbers through 2:13 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 1:18 ET = 2:1 HT, 1:19 ET = 2:2 HT, 1:20 ET = 2:3 HT, 1:21 ET = 2:4 HT, 2:1 ET = 2:5 HT, etc., through 2:13 ET = 2:17 HT. From 3:1 the verse numbers in the English Bible and the Hebrew Bible are again the same.
- Zechariah 1:19 tn See the note on the expression “angelic messenger” in v. 9.
- Zechariah 1:19 sn An animal’s horn is a common OT metaphor for military power (Pss 18:2; 75:10; Jer 48:25; Mic 4:13). The fact that there are four horns here (as well as four blacksmiths, v. 20) shows a correspondence to the four horses of v. 8 which go to four parts of the world, i.e., the whole world.
- Zechariah 1:20 tn Heb “craftsmen” (so NASB, NIV; KJV “carpenters”), a generic term which can mean “metalworker, smith, armorer” (HALOT 358 s.v. חָרָשׁ). “Blacksmiths” was chosen for the present translation because of its relative familiarity among contemporary English readers.sn The horns are perhaps made of iron, the strongest of all metals known to the ancient Near Eastern world, since military activity is implied in the context. Only blacksmiths can cut the horns off. If the horns represent oppressive nations, the blacksmiths must represent deliverers whom the Lord raises up, kings like Cyrus of Persia (cf. Isa 54:16).
- Zechariah 1:21 tn Heb “so that no man lifts up his head.”
- Zechariah 1:21 tn Heb “terrify them”; the referent (Judah’s enemies) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Zechariah 1:21 tn Heb “to scatter it.” The word “people” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
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