Translated by Tammie Wanta from the edition of Alexander Sperber, ed., The Bible in Aramaic (4 vols. in 5; Leiden: Brill, 1959-73), 3:477-99.  For the text of Targum Jonathan to Zechariah, click here.

 

Chapter 1

1. In the eighth month of the second year of Darius, a prophetic message came to Zechariah bar Berechiah bar Iddo the prophet from before the Lord, saying:

2. Wrath came upon your ancestors from before the Lord because they incited His anger.

3. You will say to them: ‘Thus says the Lord of Hosts: "Return to My cultic service, says the Lord of Hosts, and I Myself will turn to show favor to you, says the Lord of Hosts.

4. Do not be like your ancestors to whom the previous prophets prophesied, saying: Thus says the Lord of Hosts: Turn away now from your wicked ways and evil doings! But they did not accept (this reproof), and they gave no heed to My word, says the Lord.

5. Where are your ancestors? And if you should reply, "The prophets, did they abide forever?", it is true that the prophets did not live forever;

6. However, My words and My statutes which I commanded My servants the prophets—did they not overtake your ancestors?’ Then they answered, saying: "In accordance with what the Lord of Hosts had planned to do to us—corresponding to our ways and our deeds—so has He done to us!"’

7. On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, which is the month Shebat, of the second year of Darius, a prophetic message came to Zechariah bar Berechiah bar Iddo the prophet from before the Lord, saying:

8. I had a vision during the night. Behold, I saw a man mounted on a red horse, and he was stationed among the myrtle trees of Babylon, and behind him were red, gray, and white horses.

9. I said, ‘My Lord, who are these?’ The angel who was speaking with me said to me, ‘I shall show you who they are!’

10. The man who was stationed among the myrtle trees answered, saying: ‘The Lord has dispatched them to travel about upon the earth.’

11. They answered the angel of the Lord who was stationed among the myrtle trees and said: ‘We have traveled about the earth, and behold, the whole earth remains calm and peaceful.’

12. The angel of the Lord responded and said: ‘O Lord of Hosts! How long will You not extend mercy to Jerusalem and to the cities of the House of Judah? For You have brought a curse upon them for this seventy years!’

13. The Lord answered the angel who was speaking with me (with) good words, words of consolation.

14. The angel who was speaking with me addressed me: ‘Prophesy, saying, thus says the Lord of Hosts: I have finished collecting the indemnity for Jerusalem and (I feel) great passion for Zion.

15. But I am extremely angry with the nations who are at ease with no concern, for I was angry with My people briefly, but they (i.e., the nations) have joined together to do evil.

16. Therefore thus says the Lord: I will extend mercy to Jerusalem. My Temple, My dwelling place, will be rebuilt within it, says the Lord of Hosts. And the measuring line will be extended by those rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem.

17. Again prophesy, saying, thus says the Lord of Hosts: Once again the cities of My people will be filled with good things; once again the Lord will console Zion; and He will again favor Jerusalem.’

Chapter 2

1. And I lifted up my eyes and I looked, and behold!  Four kingdoms!

2. And I said to the angel who was speaking with me, “Who are these?” And he said to me, “These are the kingdoms that scattered the people of Judah and Israel and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.”

 3. And the LORD showed me four craftsmen.

 4. And I said, “What are these coming to do?”  And He spoke saying, “These are the kingdoms that scattered the people of Judah and did not allow anyone to walk with elevated stature, and these are coming to terrify them--to shatter the kingdoms of the nations that lifted up a weapon against the land of the house of Judah to cause her exile.

 5. And I lifted up my eyes and I looked, and behold!  A man!  And in his hand was the line of measurement.

 6. And I said, “Where are you going?” And he said to me, “To measure Jerusalem—to see what is its width and what is its length.”

 7. And behold!  The angel who was speaking with me went out, and another angel went out to meet him.

 8. And he said to him, “Run!  Speak to that young man saying: ‘Jerusalem will dwell open unwalled on account of the multitude of people and the cattle inside her.

 9. And My Memra will be for her, says the LORD, just like a wall of fire surrounding her all around, and as a glorious thing I will cause My Shekinah to dwell in her midst.

 10. Call together the ones who are scattered and say to them: ‘Gather yourselves together from the land of the north, says the Lord, for just like the four winds of the heavens I have scattered you, says the Lord.’

 11. Call together the congregation of Zion and say to her: ‘Escape and come—you who are living in the province of Babylon!’

 12. For thus says the Lord of Hosts: ‘After the glory which was planned to come upon you, he sent me against the nations that rob you, for the one that hurts you is as if he extends his hand to strike the balls of his eyes.

 13. For behold!  I am lifting high the strike of My might, and they will become spoil for those that served them, so you will know that the Lord of Hosts sent me.

 14. Be glad and rejoice, O congregation of Zion, for behold!  I will reveal myself and I will cause My Shekinah to dwell in your midst,’ says the Lord.

 15. And many nations will be added to the people of the Lord at that time, and they will be before Me as one people, and I will cause My Shekinah to dwell in your midst, and you will know that the Lord of Hosts sent me to prophesy to you.

 16. And the Lord will bequeath to those of the house of Judah their portion of the holy land, and He will again be pleased with Jerusalem.

 17. All the evil ones have met their end from before the Lord, for He has revealed Himself from His holy dwelling place.

Chapter Three

1. And he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and the Accuser [or ‘Sin’ (?)] standing at his right hand to be an adversary to him. 

 2. And the Lord said to the adversary, “The Lord rebukes you, O Adversary! The Lord who is pleased to make his Shekinah dwell in Jerusalem rebukes you!  Is this not a brand which has escaped the burning?

 3.  Joshua had sons who had taken wives who were not fit for the priesthood, and he was standing before the angel.

 4. And he spoke up and said to the ones who were serving before him, saying, “Speak to him and let him drive out the wives who are not fit for the priests from his house.” And he said to him, “Look!  I have removed your sin from you and I have clothed you with purities.”

5. And I said, “Set a clean turban on his head.” And they set a clean turban on his head, and made him take a wife who was fit for the priest, and the angel of the Lord was standing [there].

 6. And the angel of the Lord bore testified to Joshua saying:

 7.  “Thus says the Lord of Hosts: ‘If you walk before me on the paths that are firm, and if you keep the charge of my Memra, and also judge those who serve in my holy house, and also keep my courts, then at the bringing of the dead to life I will bring you to life, and I will give you feet to walk among these seraphim.’

8. Hear now, High Priest Joshua, you and your companions sitting before you—Behold! They are worthy men to have these miracles performed for them.  For behold!  I will bring my servant the Messiah and he will be revealed!

9. For behold! The stone that I have set before Joshua—upon the one stone are seven seeing eyes (?).  Behold! I will reveal its facets,” says the Lord of Hosts, “and I will remove the sin of that land in one day.

 10. At that time, says the Lord of Hosts, you will summon each person to his/her neighbor under the fruit of his vines and under the fruit of his fig trees.

 Chapter Four

1. And the angel who was speaking with me turned and roused me up just like a man who was roused up from his sleep.

2. And he said to me, “What are you seeing?” And I said, “I’m looking, and behold! A lampstand all of gold, and a bowl on top of it, and its seven lamps were upon it—seven! And  seven (things/pipes) which had oil emptying from them to the lamps which were on its top,

 3. and two olive trees are beside it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.”

4. And I spoke up to the angel who was speaking with me, saying: “What are these, my lord?”

5. And the angel who was speaking with me answered and said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” And I said, “No, my lord.”

6. And he spoke up and answered me saying, “This is the message of the Lord for Zerubbabel: ‘Not by strength and not by might, but through my Word,’ says the Lord of Hosts.”

7. “What are you thinking?  O Foolish Kingdom!  Are you not like a plain before Zerubbabel?  He shall reveal His messiah, whose name has been said from before time, and he shall rule over all the kingdoms.”

8. And there was a prophetic message from before the Lord to me, saying:

9. “The hands of Zerubbabel began to build this house and his hands will finish it.  And you shall know that the Lord of Hosts sent me to prophesy to you.

10. For who is that one who has despised that day on account of the building—for it is small?  Will he not turn again and rejoice when he sees the stone of weight in the hand of Zerubbabel—seven rows like these?  The works of the people and all the earth are revealed before the Lord.”

11. And I spoke up and said to him, “What two olive trees are these on the right of the lampstand and on its left?”

12. I spoke up a second time and I said to him, “What are the branches of the two olive trees located beside the two bowls that have gold emptying from them to the lamps?”

13. And he spoke to me saying, “Do you not know what these are?”  And I said, “No, my Lord.”

14. And he said: “These are the two great ones standing before the Lord of all the earth.”      

Chapter Five

1. And I turned and I lifted up my eyes, and behold! A flying scroll!

2. And he said to me, “What are you seeing?” And I said, “I see a flying scroll—its length is 20 cubits and its width is 10 cubits.”

3. And he said to me, “This is the curse that is destined to go out over the face of all the land. For anyone who is called “thief” and “liar” is on this side—he is scourged, and anyone swearing falsely by my name is on this side—he is scourged.

4. ‘I have sent it out,’ says the Lord of Hosts, ‘and it will enter into the house of the thief and the house of the house of the one swearing by my name falsely. And it shall lodge in the midst of his house and it will destroy it—both its wood and its stones.’”

5. And the angel who was speaking with me went out and said to me, ‘Lift up your eyes now and see who these exiles are.’

6. And I said, ‘Who are they?’  And he said, ‘These are the people who have been buying and selling using a false measure.’ And he said, ‘Behold!  They are going to be exposed before all the inhabitants of the earth.’

7. And behold!  The peoples were quick.  They took them into exile quickly, and other peoples came and settled in their place because they had been buying and selling with false measure.

8. And he said, ‘Because of this they were convicted and went into exile—because they had been buying and selling with false measure—and other peoples came and settled in their place.’

9. And I lifted up my eyes, and I looked, and behold!  Two provinces going into exile before the kingdoms of the earth, and the quick-peoples were taking them into exile quickly—as fast as an eagle flying.  They were causing the people who were buying and selling with false measure to be taken into exile among the kingdom of the peoples of the earth beneath all of the heavens.

10. And I said to the angel who was speaking with me, ‘Where are they taking into exile the people who were buying and selling with false measure?’

11. And he said to me, ‘To prepare a place for them in the province of Babylon.  And they will be detained and be delayed there until their time arrives.’

 

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