Zechariah - Chapter 2

Translation and Transliteration of

Listen to this chapter in Hebrew:

1I looked up, and I saw four horns.

אוָאֶשָּׂא אֶת־עֵינַי וָאֵרֶא וְהִנֵּה אַרְבַּע קְרָנוֹת׃

2I asked the angel who talked with me, “What are those?” “Those,” he replied, “are the horns that tossed Yehuda, Yisrael, and Yerushalayim.”

בוָאֹמַר אֶל־הַמַּלְאָךְ הַדֹּבֵר בִּי מָה־אֵלֶּה וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלַי אֵלֶּה הַקְּרָנוֹת אֲשֶׁר זֵרוּ אֶת־יְהוּדָה אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵל וִירוּשָׁלָם׃

3Then Hashem showed me four smiths.

גוַיַּרְאֵנִי יְהֹוָה אַרְבָּעָה חָרָשִׁים׃

4“What are they coming to do?” I asked. He replied: “Those are the horns that tossed Yehuda, so that no man could raise his head; and these men have come to throw them into a panic, to hew down the horns of the nations that raise a horn against the land of Yehuda, to toss it.”

דוָאֹמַר מָה אֵלֶּה בָאִים לַעֲשׂוֹת וַיֹּאמֶר לֵאמֹר אֵלֶּה הַקְּרָנוֹת אֲשֶׁר־זֵרוּ אֶת־יְהוּדָה כְּפִי־אִישׁ לֹא־נָשָׂא רֹאשׁוֹ וַיָּבֹאוּ אֵלֶּה לְהַחֲרִיד אֹתָם לְיַדּוֹת אֶת־קַרְנוֹת הַגּוֹיִם הַנֹּשְׂאִים קֶרֶן אֶל־אֶרֶץ יְהוּדָה לְזָרוֹתָהּ׃

5I looked up, and I saw a man holding a measuring line.

הוָאֶשָּׂא עֵינַי וָאֵרֶא וְהִנֵּה־אִישׁ וּבְיָדוֹ חֶבֶל מִדָּה׃

6“Where are you going?” I asked. “To measure Yerushalayim,” he replied, “to see how long and wide it is to be.”

ווָאֹמַר אָנָה אַתָּה הֹלֵךְ וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלַי לָמֹד אֶת־יְרוּשָׁלַ ִם לִרְאוֹת כַּמָּה־רָחְבָּהּ וְכַמָּה אָרְכָּהּ׃

7But the angel who talked with me came forward, and another angel came forward to meet him.

זוְהִנֵּה הַמַּלְאָךְ הַדֹּבֵר בִּי יֹצֵא וּמַלְאָךְ אַחֵר יֹצֵא לִקְרָאתוֹ׃

8The former said to him, “Run to that young man and tell him: “Yerushalayim shall be peopled as a city without walls, so many shall be the men and cattle it contains.

חוַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָו רֻץ דַּבֵּר אֶל־הַנַּעַר הַלָּז לֵאמֹר פְּרָזוֹת תֵּשֵׁב יְרוּשָׁלַ ִם מֵרֹב אָדָם וּבְהֵמָה בְּתוֹכָהּ׃

9And I Myself—declares Hashem—will be a wall of fire all around it, and I will be a glory inside it.

טוַאֲנִי אֶהְיֶה־לָּהּ נְאֻם־יְהֹוָה חוֹמַת אֵשׁ סָבִיב וּלְכָבוֹד אֶהְיֶה בְתוֹכָהּ׃

10“Away, away! Flee from the land of the north—says Hashem—though I swept you [there] like the four winds of heaven—declares Hashem.”

יהוֹי הוֹי וְנֻסוּ מֵאֶרֶץ צָפוֹן נְאֻם־יְהֹוָה כִּי כְּאַרְבַּע רוּחוֹת הַשָּׁמַיִם פֵּרַשְׂתִּי אֶתְכֶם נְאֻם־יְהֹוָה׃

11Away, escape, O Tzion, you who dwell in Fair Babylon!

יאהוֹי צִיּוֹן הִמָּלְטִי יוֹשֶׁבֶת בַּת־בָּבֶל׃

12For thus said the lord of Hosts—He who sent me after glory—concerning the nations that have taken you as spoil: “Whoever touches you touches the pupil of his own eye.

יבכִּי כֹה אָמַר יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת אַחַר כָּבוֹד שְׁלָחַנִי אֶל־הַגּוֹיִם הַשֹּׁלְלִים אֶתְכֶם כִּי הַנֹּגֵעַ בָּכֶם נֹגֵעַ בְּבָבַת עֵינוֹ׃

13For I will lift My hand against them, and they shall be spoil for those they enslaved.”—Then you shall know that I was sent by the lord of Hosts.

יגכִּי הִנְנִי מֵנִיף אֶת־יָדִי עֲלֵיהֶם וְהָיוּ שָׁלָל לְעַבְדֵיהֶם וִידַעְתֶּם כִּי־יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת שְׁלָחָנִי׃

14Shout for joy, Fair Tzion! For lo, I come; and I will dwell in your midst—declares Hashem.

ידרָנִּי וְשִׂמְחִי בַּת־צִיּוֹן כִּי הִנְנִי־בָא וְשָׁכַנְתִּי בְתוֹכֵךְ נְאֻם־יְהֹוָה׃

15In that day many nations will attach themselves to Hashem and become His people, and He will dwell in your midst. Then you will know that I was sent to you by the lord of Hosts.

טווְנִלְווּ גוֹיִם רַבִּים אֶל־יְהֹוָה בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא וְהָיוּ לִי לְעָם וְשָׁכַנְתִּי בְתוֹכֵךְ וְיָדַעַתְּ כִּי־יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת שְׁלָחַנִי אֵלָיִךְ׃

16Hashem will take Yehuda to Himself as His portion in the Holy Land, and He will choose Yerushalayim once more.

v'-na-KHAL a-do-NAI et y'-hu-DAH khel-KO AL ad-MAT ha-KO-desh u-va-KHAR OD bee-ru-sha-LA-im

טזוְנָחַל יְהֹוָה אֶת־יְהוּדָה חֶלְקוֹ עַל אַדְמַת הַקֹּדֶשׁ וּבָחַר עוֹד בִּירוּשָׁלָ ִם׃

2:16 And He will choose Yerushalayim once more

There are many explanations of the meaning of Yerushalayim (ירושלים), the Hebrew name for Jerusalem. According to the Sages, the name Yerushalayim comes from the words Yirah (יראה) and Shalem (שלם). Yirah is the Hebrew word for ‘awe’, and shalem means ‘complete’. Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach explained that the name Yerushalayim, therefore, means complete, self-effacing awe; completely submitting oneself to God. The holy city is special and beloved to man because God loves it so much. This is also how we relate to the entire Land of Israel. We love it because He loves it.