{1:1} In mense octavo in anno secundo Darii regis, factum est verbum Domini ad Zachariam, filium Barachiæ filii Addo, prophetam, dicens:
{1:1} In the eighth month, in the second year of king Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, the prophet, saying:
{1:2} Iratus est Dominus super patres vestros iracundia.
{1:2} The Lord has become angry over the resentful anger of your fathers.
~ The cases of the words ‘patres vestros iracundia’ do not match the cases of the corresponding words in translation because English grammar expresses this meaning in a different way. In English, ‘of your fathers’ would seen to be a translation of the genitive case, but in Latin the fathers are the object of the verb referring to anger, so the case is accusative.
{1:3} Et dices ad eos: Hæc dicit Dominus exercituum: Convertimini ad me, ait Dominus exercituum: et convertar ad vos, dicit Dominus exercituum.
{1:3} And you shall say to them: Thus says the Lord of hosts: Turn to me, says the Lord of hosts, and I will turn to you, says the Lord of hosts.
{1:4} Ne sitis sicut patres vestri, ad quos clamabant prophetæ priores, dicentes: Hæc dicit Dominus exercituum: Convertimini de viis vestris malis, et de cogitationibus vestris pessimis: et non audierunt, neque attenderunt ad me, dicit Dominus.
{1:4} Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets cried out, saying: Thus says the Lord of hosts: Turn from your evil ways and from your wicked thoughts. But they did not heed, and neither did they pay attention to me, says the Lord.
{1:5} Patres vestri ubi sunt? et prophetæ numquid in sempiternum vivent?
{1:5} Your fathers, where are they? And will the prophets live unceasingly?
{1:6} Verumtamen verba mea, et legitima mea, quæ mandavi servis meis prophetis, numquid non comprehenderunt patres vestros, et conversi sunt, et dixerunt: Sicut cogitavit Dominus exercituum facere nobis secundum vias nostras, et secundum adinventiones nostras fecit nobis.
{1:6} Yet truly my words and my lawfulness, which I entrusted to my servants the prophets, were indeed comprehended by your fathers, and so they were converted, and they said: Just as the Lord of hosts decided to do to us, according to our ways and according to our inventions, so has he done to us.
~ The word ‘legitima’ refers to ‘lawful authority’ or ‘lawfulness.’ Notice that in Latin, the word ‘numquid’ is used, making this verse a kind of rhetorical question. But the translation uses ‘indeed’ to indicate the same meaning, without forming a question, because a rhetorical question would not be fitting in the English of this verse.
{1:7} In die vigesima et quarta undecimi mensis Sabath, in anno secundo Darii, factum est verbum Domini ad Zachariam filium Barachiæ, filii Addo, prophetam, dicens:
{1:7} On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, which is called Shevat, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, the prophet, saying:
{1:8} Vidi per noctem, et ecce vir ascendens super equum rufum, et ipse stabat inter myrteta, quæ erant in profundo: et post eum equi rufi, varii, et albi.
{1:8} I saw by night, and behold, a man riding on a red horse, and he stood among the myrtle trees, which were in the chasm. And behind him were horses: red, speckled, and white.
~ The phrase ‘in profundo’ has the word ‘profundo’ as a nouns, referring to the abyss, or the depths, or the chasm. In other words, they were not on the earth, but were in an other-worldly place, waiting.
~ Notice that these are the same as the four horses in the Book of Revelation.
{1:9} Et dixi: Quid sunt isti, domine mi? Et dixit ad me Angelus, qui loquebatur in me: Ego ostendam tibi quid sint hæc.
{1:9} And I said, “What are these, my lord?” And the angel, who was speaking with me, said to me, “I will reveal to you what these are.”
~ The word ‘lord’ is not capitalized because the prophet was speaking to the Angel, and then he said to the Angel, ‘my lord.’ He was not addressing God directly.
{1:10} Et respondit vir, qui stabat inter myrteta, et dixit: Isti sunt, quos misit Dominus ut perambulent terram.
{1:10} And the man that stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, “These are they, whom the Lord has sent in order to walk through the earth.”
{1:11} Et responderunt Angelo Domini, qui stabat inter myrteta, et dixerunt: Perambulavimus terram, et ecce omnis terra habitatur, et quiescit.
{1:11} And those who stood among the myrtle trees answered the angel of the Lord, and they said, “We have walked through the earth, and behold, all the earth is inhabited and is at rest.”
{1:12} Et respondit angelus Domini, et dixit: Domine exercituum usquequo tu non misereberis Ierusalem, et urbium Iuda, quibus iratus es? iste iam septuagesimus annus est.
{1:12} And the angel of the Lord answered and said, “Lord of hosts, how long will you not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, with which you have been angry? This is now the seventieth year.”
~ The 70th year, in the context of Daniel’s 490 years, is the year 2018 A.D. The sufferings of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse occur from 2010 through 2018. The year 2019 is the 2000th anniversary of the Crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ (A.D. 19). In that year, 2019, the sufferings of the four horsemen (namely, World War 3, civil disorder and violence, the famine, and death from a variety of causes) will begin to quiet down. Then, from A.D. 2019 to 2023, these particular sufferings will diminish and end.
{1:13} Et respondit Dominus angelo, qui loquebatur in me verba bona, verba consolatoria.
{1:13} And the Lord answered the angel, who had been speaking with me, good words, consoling words.
{1:14} Et dixit ad me angelus, qui loquebatur in me: Clama, dicens: Hæc dicit Dominus exercituum: Zelatus sum Ierusalem, et Sion zelo magno.
{1:14} And the angel, who was speaking with me, said to me: Cry out, saying: Thus says the Lord of hosts: I have been zealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great zeal.
{1:15} Et ira magna ego irascor super gentes opulentas: quia ego iratus sum parum, ipsi vero adiuverunt in malum.
{1:15} And, with a great anger, I am angry with the wealthy nations. Though I had been angry a little, truly they advanced further in evil.
{1:16} Propterea hæc dicit Dominus: Revertar ad Ierusalem in misericordiis: et domus mea ædificabitur in ea, ait Dominus exercituum: et perpendiculum extendetur super Ierusalem.
{1:16} Because of this, thus says the Lord: I will be turned back, towards Jerusalem, with mercies; and my house will be built upon this, says the Lord of hosts. And the building line will be extended over Jerusalem.
{1:17} Adhuc, clama dicens: Hæc dicit Dominus exercituum: Adhuc affluent civitates meæ bonis: et consolabitur adhuc Dominus Sion, et eliget adhuc Ierusalem.
{1:17} Until then, cry out saying: Thus says the Lord of hosts: Until then, my cities will flow with good things, and, until then, the Lord will comfort Zion, and, until then, he will single out Jerusalem.
{1:18} Et levavi oculos meos, et vidi: et ecce quattuor cornua.
{1:18} And I lifted up my eyes, and I saw. And behold: four horns.
{1:19} Et dixi ad angelum, qui loquebatur in me: Quid sunt hæc? Et dixit ad me: Hæc sunt cornua, quæ ventilaverunt Iudam, et Israel, et Ierusalem.
{1:19} And I said to the angel, who was speaking with me, “What are these?” And he said to me, “These are the horns that have winnowed Judah and Israel and Jerusalem.”
{1:20} Et ostendit mihi Dominus quattuor fabros.
{1:20} And the Lord showed me four workmen.
{1:21} Et dixi: Quid isti veniunt facere? Qui ait, dicens: Hæc sunt cornua, quæ ventilaverunt Iudam per singulos viros, et nemo eorum levavit caput suum: et venerunt isti deterrere ea, ut deiiciant cornua Gentium, quæ levaverunt cornu super terram Iuda ut dispergerent eam.
{1:21} And I said, “What have these come to do?” He spoke, saying, “These are the horns that have winnowed Judah, through every single man, and none of them lifted up his head. And these have come to frighten them away, so as to cast down the horns of the Gentiles, which have lifted up a horn over the land of Judah, so as to scatter it.”
~ The four horns are the four kingdoms into which the great monarch’s kingdom (established in A.D. 2040) will be divided (after his kingdom, in the latter part of the 21st century). These four are less holy than the great monarch’s kingdom, and they begin a continual decrease in holiness and wisdom, and a continual increase in sin and deceit, that finally, hundreds of years later, results in the kingdom of the Antichrist (the horn lifted over Judah).
{2:1} Et levavi oculos meos, et vidi: et ecce vir, et in manu eius funiculus mensorum.
{2:1} And I lifted up my eyes, and I saw, and behold, a man, and in his hand was a measuring line.
{2:2} Et dixi: Quo tu vadis? Et dixit ad me: Ut metiar Ierusalem, et videam quanta sit latitudo eius, et quanta longitudo eius.
{2:2} And I said, “Where are you going?” And he said to me, “To measure Jerusalem, so that I may see how great its width and how great its length may be.”
{2:3} Et ecce angelus, qui loquebatur in me, egrediebatur, et angelus alius egrediebatur in occursum eius.
{2:3} And behold, the angel, who had been speaking with me, departed, and another angel went out to meet him.
{2:4} Et dixit ad eum: Curre, loquere ad puerum istum, dicens: Absque muro habitabitur Ierusalem præ multitudine hominum, et iumentorum in medio eius.
{2:4} And he said to him: Hurry, speak to this young man, saying: Jerusalem will be inhabited without walls, because of the multitude of men and beasts of burden in its midst.
~ In the modern context, the phrase ‘beasts of burden’ could be taken to refer to motor vehicles.
{2:5} Et ego ero ei, ait Dominus, murus ignis in circuitu: et in gloria ero in medio eius.
{2:5} And I will be to it, says the Lord, a wall of fire all around. And in glory, I will be in its midst.
{2:6} O, o fugite de terra Aquilonis, dicit Dominus: quoniam in quattuor ventos cæli dispersi vos, dicit Dominus.
{2:6} O, O flee from the land of the North, says the Lord, for I have scattered you into the four winds of heaven, says the Lord.
~ This verse refers to the division of the great monarch’s kingdom into four lesser kingdoms. One of these four is the kingdom of the North, which becomes, hundreds of years later, the kingdom where the Antichrist rises to power. The kingdom of the North is Europe.
{2:7} O Sion, fuge quæ habitas apud filiam Babylonis:
{2:7} O Zion, flee, you who dwell with the daughter of Babylon.
{2:8} quia hæc dicit Dominus exercituum: Post gloriam misit me ad Gentes, quæ spoliaverunt vos: qui enim tetigerit vos, tangit pupillam oculi mei:
{2:8} For thus says the Lord of hosts: After the glory, he has sent me to the Gentiles, which have despoiled you. For he who touches you, touches the pupil of my eye.
{2:9} quia ecce ego levo manum meam super eos, et erunt prædæ his, qui serviebant sibi: et cognoscetis quia Dominus exercituum misit me.
{2:9} For behold, I lift up my hand over them, and they will be a prey to those who had served them. And you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me.
{2:10} Lauda, et lætare filia Sion: quia ecce ego venio, et habitabo in medio tui, ait Dominus.
{2:10} Sing praise and rejoice, daughter of Zion. For behold, I approach, and I will dwell in your midst, says the Lord.
{2:11} Et applicabuntur gentes multæ ad Dominum in die illa, et erunt mihi in populum, et habitabo in medio tui: et scies quia Dominus exercituum misit me ad te.
{2:11} And many nations will be joined to the Lord in that day, and they will be my people, and I will dwell in your midst. And you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you.
{2:12} Et possidebit Dominus Iudam partem suam in terra sanctificata: et eliget adhuc Ierusalem.
{2:12} And the Lord will possess his portion, Judah, in the sanctified land, and still he will single out Jerusalem.
~ The word ‘eliget’ can mean ‘to choose’ or ‘to single out.’ If there are two fitting ways to translate a word, and if most translations choose the one, I will choose the other, so as to make more meaning and clarity available to the readers of the Bible.
{2:13} Sileat omnis caro a facie Domini: quia consurrexit de habitaculo sancto suo.
{2:13} Let all flesh be silent before the face of the Lord: for he has arisen from his holy dwelling place.
~ The prefix ‘con’ intensifies the verb in Latin; the prefix ‘a’ intensifies the verb in English; hence ‘consurrexit’ becomes ‘has arisen,’ rather than ‘has risen.’
{3:1} Et ostendit mihi Dominus Iesum sacerdotem magnum stantem coram angelo Domini: et Satan stabat a dextris eius ut adversaretur ei.
{3:1} And the Lord revealed to me: Jesus the high priest, standing in the sight of the angel of the Lord. And Satan stood before his right hand, so as to be his adversary.
~ Many translations change the name of the high priest from the time of Zechariah to ‘Joshua.’ However, keeping the name as it is in Latin, ‘Jesus,’ clarifies a level of meaning of this passage whereby the Jesus of Zechariah’s time foreshadows Jesus the Messiah.
{3:2} Et dixit Dominus ad Satan: Increpet Dominus in te Satan: et increpet Dominus in te, qui elegit Ierusalem! numquid non iste torris est erutus de igne?
{3:2} And the Lord said to Satan, “May the Lord rebuke you, Satan! And may the Lord, who chose Jerusalem, rebuke you! Are you not a firebrand plucked from the fire?”
~ The Lord can only say, ‘The Lord rebuke you,’ because it is the Lord Jesus Christ who is saying, ‘The Lord God the Father rebuke you.’
{3:3} Et Iesus erat indutus vestibus sordidis: et stabat ante faciem angeli.
{3:3} And Jesus was clothed with filthy garments. And he stood before the face of an angel.
{3:4} Qui respondit, et ait ad eos, qui stabant coram se, dicens: Auferte vestimenta sordida ab eo. Et dixit ad eum: Ecce abstuli a te iniquitatem tuam, et indui te mutatoriis.
{3:4} He answered and spoke to those who stood before him, saying, “Take away the filthy garments from him.” And he said to him, “Behold, I have taken away from you your iniquity, and I have clothed you with a change of clothing.”
{3:5} Et dixit: Ponite cidarim mundam super caput eius. Et posuerunt cidarim mundam super caput eius, et induerunt eum vestibus: et angelus Domini stabat.
{3:5} And he said, “Place a clean diadem on his head.” And they placed a clean diadem on his head, and they clothed him with garments. And the angel of the Lord remained standing.
~ The word ‘vestibus’ could also be rendered as ‘vestments,’ revealing an additional ecclesiastical meaning to the verse.
{3:6} Et contestabatur angelus Domini Iesum, dicens:
{3:6} And the angel of the Lord contested with Jesus, saying:
{3:7} Hæc dicit Dominus exercituum: Si in viis meis ambulaveris, et custodiam meam custodieris: tu quoque iudicabis domum meam, et custodies atria mea, et dabo tibi ambulantes de his, qui nunc hic assistunt.
{3:7} Thus says the Lord of hosts: If you will walk in my ways and keep my charge, you likewise will judge my house and will keep my courts, and I will give you some of those who now attend here to walk with you.
{3:8} Audi Iesu sacerdos magne, tu et amici tui, qui habitant coram te, quia viri portendentes sunt: ecce enim ego adducam servum meum Orientem.
{3:8} Listen, Jesus the high priest, you and your friends, who dwell before you, who have been portending to men. For behold, I will lead my servant to the East.
{3:9} Quia ecce lapis, quem dedi coram Iesu: super lapidem unum septem oculi sunt: ecce ego cælabo sculpturam eius, ait Dominus exercituum: et auferam iniquitatem terræ illius in die una.
{3:9} For behold, the stone that I have bestowed before Jesus. Upon one stone, there are seven eyes. Behold, I will carve its engraving, says the Lord of hosts. And I will take away the iniquity of that land in one day.
{3:10} In die illa, dicit Dominus exercituum, vocabit vir amicum suum subter vitem, et subter ficum.
{3:10} On that day, says the Lord of hosts, every man will call his friend from under the vine and from under the fig tree.
{4:1} Et reversus est angelus, qui loquebatur in me, et suscitavit me, quasi virum, qui suscitatur de somno suo.
{4:1} And the angel who had been speaking with me returned, and he awakened me, like a man who is awakened from his sleep.
{4:2} Et dixit ad me: Quid tu vides? Et dixi: Vidi, et ecce candelabrum aureum totum, et lampas eius super caput ipsius, et septem lucernæ eius super illud: et septem infusoria lucernis, quæ erant super caput eius.
{4:2} And he said to me, “What do you see?” And I said, “I looked, and behold, a candlestick entirely in gold, and its lamp was at its top, and seven oil lamps of it were upon it, and there were seven funnels for the oil lamps that were at its top.
~ The ‘infusoria’ are for pouring oil into the lamp, hence the translation is ‘funnels.’
{4:3} Et duæ olivæ super illud: una a dextris lampadis, et una a sinistris eius.
{4:3} And there were two olive trees upon it: one to the right of the lamp, and one to its left.”
{4:4} Et respondi, et aio ad angelum, qui loquebatur in me, dicens: Quid sunt hæc, domine mi?
{4:4} And I answered and spoke to the angel who was speaking with me, saying, “What are these, my lord?”
{4:5} Et respondit angelus, qui loquebatur in me, et dixit ad me: Numquid nescis quid sunt hæc? Et dixi: Non, domine mi.
{4:5} And the angel who was speaking with me answered, and he said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” And I said, “No, my lord.”
{4:6} Et respondit, et ait ad me, dicens: Hoc est verbum Domini ad Zorobabel, dicens: Non in exercitu, nec in robore, sed in spiritu meo, dicit Dominus exercituum.
{4:6} And he answered and spoke to me, saying: This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel, saying: Not by an army, nor by might, but in my spirit, says the Lord of hosts.
{4:7} Quis tu mons magne coram Zorobabel? in planum: et educet lapidem primarium, et exæquabit gratiam gratiæ eius.
{4:7} What are you, great mountain, in the sight of Zerubbabel? You are among the plains. And he will lead out the primary stone, and he will give equal grace to its grace.
{4:8} Et factum est verbum Domini ad me, dicens:
{4:8} And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
{4:9} Manus Zorobabel fundaverunt domum istam, et manus eius perficient eam: et scietis quia Dominus exercituum misit me ad vos.
{4:9} The hand of Zerubbabel has founded this house, and his hands will complete it. And you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you.
~ These words about Zerubbabel are also about the great monarch, who will build the primary Church, the center of worship in the Church, in Jerusalem, and who will also build in Rome a new Vatican City, the center of authority in the Church. And the one will have equal grace to the other.
{4:10} Quis enim despexit dies parvos? et lætabuntur, et videbunt lapidem stanneum in manu Zorobabel. Septem isti oculi sunt Domini, qui discurrunt in universam terram.
{4:10} For who has despised the little days? And they will rejoice and will see the silver and lead stone in the hand of Zerubbabel. These are the seven eyes of the Lord, which roam quickly through all the earth.
~ The word ‘stanneum’ refers to an alloy of silver and lead. It is often translated as ‘tin’ because tin has long been used to make various alloys of metal. In the modern context, it might be translated as ‘metal alloy.’ The Challoner Douay-Rheims interprets this to refer to a plum line, used for building. I think it has a broader meaning, or several levels of meaning.
{4:11} Et respondi, et dixi ad eum: Quid sunt duæ olivæ istæ ad dexteram candelabri, et ad sinistram eius?
{4:11} And I responded and said to him, “What are these two olive trees to the right of the candlestick, and to its left?”
{4:12} Et respondi secundo, et dixi ad eum: Quid sunt duæ spicæ olivarum, quæ sunt iuxta duo rostra aurea, in quibus sunt suffusoria ex auro?
{4:12} And I responded a second time and said to him, “What are the two olive branches, which are next to the two golden ridges, in which are the pouring spouts of gold?”
~ The word ‘rostra’ refers to a beak-like protrusion or an edging, or rim, or ridge on something.
{4:13} Et ait ad me, dicens: Numquid nescis quid sunt hæc? Et dixi: Non, domine mi.
{4:13} And he spoke to me, saying, “Do you not know what these are?” And I said, “No, my lord.”
{4:14} Et dixit: Isti sunt duo filii olei, qui assistunt Dominatori universæ terræ.
{4:14} And he said, “These are the two sons of oil, who attend before the Sovereign of all the earth.”
~ The phrase ‘universæ terræ’ could also be taken to refer to the whole universe, not merely to the whole earth.
{5:1} Et conversus sum, et levavi oculos meos: et vidi, et ecce volumen volans.
{5:1} And I turned and lifted up my eyes. And I saw, and behold, a book flying.
{5:2} Et dixit ad me: Quid tu vides? Et dixi: Ego video volumen volans: longitudo eius viginti cubitorum, et latitudo eius decem cubitorum.
{5:2} And he said to me, “What do you see?” And I said, “I see a book flying. Its length is twenty cubits, and its width is ten cubits.”
{5:3} Et dixit ad me: Hæc est maledictio, quæ egreditur super faciem omnis terræ: quia omnis fur, sicut ibi scriptum est, iudicabitur: et omnis iurans, ex hoc similiter iudicabitur.
{5:3} And he said to me, “This is the curse that goes forth over the face of the whole earth. For every thief will be judged, just as it has been written there, and everyone who swears by this, will be judged in like manner.”
~ The Bible contains curses against those who depart from its teachings and transgress against its laws. The Book that flies through the world is the Bible. Those who break the ten commandments, as in the example of the thief, will be punished according to its words. And everyone who swears to live by the Bible will be judged by it.
{5:4} Educam illud, dicit Dominus exercituum: et veniet ad domum furis, et ad domum iurantis in nomine meo mendaciter: et commorabitur in medio domus eius, et consumet eam, et ligna eius, et lapides eius.
{5:4} I will bring it forth, says the Lord of hosts, and it will approach to the house of the thief, and to the house of him who swears falsely by my name, and it will remain in the midst of his house and will consume it, with its wood and its stones.
{5:5} Et egressus est angelus, qui loquebatur in me: et dixit ad me: Leva oculos tuos, et vide quid est hoc, quod egreditur.
{5:5} And the angel had departed, who was speaking with me. And he said to me, “Lift up your eyes, and see what this is, that goes forth.”
{5:6} Et dixi: Quid nam est? Et ait: Hæc est amphora egrediens. Et dixit: Hæc est oculus eorum in universa terra.
{5:6} And I said, “What, then, is it?” And he said, “This is a container going forth.” And he said, “This is their eye in all the earth.”
{5:7} Et ecce talentum plumbi portabatur, et ecce mulier una sedens in medio amphoræ.
{5:7} And behold, a talent of lead was being carried; and behold, one woman sitting in the middle of the container.
{5:8} Et dixit: Hæc est impietas. Et proiecit eam in medio amphoræ, et misit massam plumbeam in os eius.
{5:8} And he said, “This is impiety.” And he cast her into the middle of the container, and he sent the weight of lead into its mouth.
{5:9} Et levavi oculos meos, et vidi: et ecce duæ mulieres egredientes, et spiritus in alis earum, et habebant alas quasi alas milvi: et levaverunt amphoram inter terram, et cælum.
{5:9} And I lifted up my eyes and I saw. And behold, two women were departing, and a spirit was in their wings, and they had wings like the wings of a kite, and they lifted up the container between earth and heaven.
{5:10} Et dixi ad angelum, qui loquebatur in me: Quo istæ deferunt amphoram?
{5:10} And I said to the angel who was speaking with me, “Where are they taking the container?”
{5:11} Et dixit ad me: Ut ædificetur ei domus in terra Sennaar, et stabiliatur, et ponatur ibi super basem suam.
{5:11} And he said to me, “To a house that may be built for it in the land of Shinar, and so that it may be established and set there upon its own base.”
{6:1} Et conversus sum, et levavi oculos meos, et vidi: et ecce quattuor quadrigæ egredientes de medio duorum montium: et montes, montes ærei.
{6:1} And I turned, and I lifted up my eyes and I saw. And behold, four four-horse chariots went out from the middle of two mountains. And the mountains were mountains of brass.
{6:2} In quadriga prima equi rufi, et in quadriga secunda equi nigri,
{6:2} In the first chariot were red horses, and in the second chariot were black horses,
{6:3} et in quadriga tertia equi albi, et in quadriga quarta equi varii, et fortes.
{6:3} and in the third chariot were white horses, and in the fourth chariot were speckled horses, and they were strong.
~ All the horses were strong, not merely the speckled ones. The symbolism of the horses is that of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse. The white horses represent a war, ordained by God, in which a vast territory is conquered (World War 3). The red horses represent civil disorder and violence during the war. The black horses represent a famine. The speckled (varii) horses represent death from a variety of causes. There are four of each type of horse representing the four directions, for these events affect the whole world.
{6:4} Et respondi, et dixi ad angelum, qui loquebatur in me: Quid sunt hæc, domine mi?
{6:4} And I responded and said to the angel who was speaking with me, “What are these, my lord?”
{6:5} Et respondit angelus, et ait ad me: Isti sunt quattuor venti cæli, qui egrediuntur ut stent coram Dominatore omnis terræ.
{6:5} And the angel answered and said to me, “These are the four winds of heaven, which go forth to stand in the presence of the Sovereign of all the earth.”
{6:6} In qua erant equi nigri, egrediebantur in terram Aquilonis: et albi egressi sunt post eos: et varii egressi sunt ad terram Austri.
{6:6} The one with the black horses was departing into the land of the North, and the white went forth after them, and the speckled went forth towards the land of the South.
~ The speckled horses, representing death from a variety of causes, has a greater effect in the Southern Hemisphere. The War (white horses) and the Famine (black horses) have a greater effect in the Northern Hemisphere. The civil disorder and violence (red horses) have a great effect throughout the world.
{6:7} Qui autem erant robustissimi, exierunt, et quærebant ire, et discurrere per omnem terram. Et dixit: Ite, perambulate terram. Et perambulaverunt terram.
{6:7} Yet those who were the most strong, went out, and sought to go and to roam quickly through all the earth. And he said, “Go, walk throughout the earth.” And they walked throughout the earth.
~ The red horses are the most strong and they roam throughout the whole earth. The red horses represent civil disorder and violence.
{6:8} Et vocavit me, et locutus est ad me, dicens: Ecce qui egrediuntur in terram Aquilonis, requiescere fecerunt spiritum meum in terra Aquilonis.
{6:8} And he called me and spoke with me, saying, “Behold, those who go forth to the land of the North, have quieted my spirit in the land of the North.”
{6:9} Et factum est verbum Domini ad me, dicens:
{6:9} And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
{6:10} Sume a transmigratione ab Holdai, et a Tobia, et ab Idaia; et venies tu in die illa, et intrabis domum Iosiæ, filii Sophoniæ, qui venerunt de Babylone.
{6:10} From those of the captivity, take from Heldai, and from Tobijah, and from Jedaiah. You will approach in that day, and you will go into the house of Josiah, the son of Zephaniah, who came from Babylon.
~ The word ‘transmigratione’ could be translated as ‘transmigration,’ except that in English, the word captivity more clearly conveys the fact the Babylonian captivity was forced upon the Jews. The word ‘transmigration’ could be applied even to a voluntary movement of peoples.
{6:11} Et sumes aurum, et argentum: et facies coronas, et pones in capite Iesu filii Iosedec sacerdotis magni.
{6:11} And you will take gold and silver; and you will make crowns, and you will set them on the head of Jesus the son of Jehozadak, the high priest.
{6:12} Et loqueris ad eum, dicens: Hæc ait Dominus exercituum, dicens: ECCE VIR ORIENS NOMEN EIUS: et subter eum orietur, et ædificabit templum Domino.
{6:12} And you will speak to him, saying: Thus says the Lord of hosts, saying: Behold, a man; the Rising is his name. And under him, he will rise up, and he will build a temple to the Lord.
~ Or, ‘the East’ is his name. The sun rises in the East, so the word for rising and for East is the same. Since the rising of the sun in the East is a fact known to all, this correspondence between Rising and East is not merely a coincidence of the Latin language. The man named ‘the Rising’ or ‘the East’ is the one often called ‘the Angelic Shepherd.’ He is the Pope who is in office during the mid to late 2030’s (though his reign may begin earlier), and he has a long papacy lasting into the 2040’s and perhaps the 2050's.
{6:13} Et ipse extruet templum Domino: et ipse portabit gloriam, et sedebit, et dominabitur super solio suo: et erit sacerdos super solio suo, et consilium pacis erit inter illos duos.
{6:13} And he will raise a temple to the Lord. And he will carry the glory, and he will sit and rule upon his throne. And he will be a priest upon his throne, and a counsel of peace will be between the two of them.
~ These two previous verses refer to the great monarch and the Angelic Shepherd, the great monarch rises to power under the guidance and after the Angelic Shepherd. The great monarch will build a Temple to the Lord, in Jerusalem, under the guidance of the Angelic Shepherd. The great monarch will sit on one throne and the Angelic Shepherd will sit on another (the throne of the papacy). And their will be peace and cooperation between them both:
~ “And you will speak to him, saying: Thus says the Lord of hosts, saying: Behold a man [the Angelic Shepherd], the Rising is his name. And under him [the Angelic Shepherd], he [the great monarch] will rise up, and he [the great monarch] will build a temple to the Lord.”
~ “And he [the great monarch] will raise a temple to the Lord. And he [the Angelic Shepherd] will carry the glory, and he [the great monarch] will sit and rule upon his throne. And he [the Angelic Shepherd] will be a priest upon his throne, and a counsel of peace will be between the two of them [the Angelic Shepherd & the great monarch].”
{6:14} Et coronæ erunt Helem, et Tobiæ, et Idaiæ, et Hem, filio Sophoniæ, memoriale in templo Domini.
{6:14} And the crowns will be to Heldai, and Tobijah, and Jedaiah, as well as to Hem, the son of Zephaniah, as a memorial in the temple of the Lord.
~ Notice that in Latin, the second and third of these four names are feminine (ending in ‘æ’). These four names represent the four leaders who rule after the great monarch, when his vast kingdom is divided into four parts. Two of the names are feminine because two of the four leaders will be women, even though it is contrary to God’s will for women to have such positions of leadership in society. The fourth name is the man who will rule over the kingdom of the South (Israel, the Middle East, Northern Africa), which is the southern-most part of the great monarch’s kingdom. He will be the holiest of the four leaders; his kingship is a memorial to the Temple of the Lord. He is called the ‘son of Zephaniah,’ yet he is not the son of the great monarch. Rather, he is like the great monarch; he takes after him as a son takes after his father.
{6:15} Et qui procul sunt, venient, et ædificabunt in templo Domini: et scietis quia Dominus exercituum misit me ad vos. Erit autem hoc, si auditu audieritis vocem Domini Dei vestri.
{6:15} And those who are far away, will approach, and will build in the temple of the Lord. And you will know that the Lord of hosts sent me to you. Yet this shall be only if, when hearing, you will have heeded the voice of the Lord your God.
{7:1} Et factum est in anno quarto Darii regis, factum est verbum Domini ad Zachariam, in quarta mensis noni, qui est Casleu.
{7:1} And it happened, in the fourth year of king Darius, that the word of the Lord came to Zechariah, on the fourth day of the ninth month, which is Kislev.
{7:2} Et miserunt ad domum Dei Sarasar, et Rogommelech, et viri, qui erant cum eo ad deprecandam faciem Domini:
{7:2} And Sharezer and Regemmelech, and the men who were with them, sent to the house of God, to entreat the face of the Lord,
{7:3} ut dicerent sacerdotibus domus Domini exercituum, et prophetis loquentes: numquid flendum est mihi in quinto mense, vel sanctificare me debeo, sicut iam feci multis annis?
{7:3} to speak to the priests of the house of the Lord of hosts and to the prophets, saying: “Must there be weeping with me in the fifth month, and must I sanctify myself, as I have now done for many years?”
{7:4} Et factum est verbum Domini exercituum ad me, dicens:
{7:4} And the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying:
{7:5} Loquere ad omnem populum terræ, et ad sacerdotes, dicens: Cum ieiunaretis, et plangeretis in quinto et septimo per hos septuaginta annos: numquid ieiunium ieiunastis mihi?
{7:5} Speak to all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying: Although you may have fasted and mourned in the fifth and the seventh month for these seventy years, did you indeed keep a fast unto me?
~ The repetition of ‘ieiunium ieiunastis’ (literally, ‘did you fast a fast’) intensifies the meaning, as in ‘did you really keep a fast unto me?’ The word ‘numquid’ implies that the answer is ‘no.’ Notice that the verbs ‘ieiunaretis, et plangeretis’ are subjunctive, which in this context indicates that there was not sufficient fasting and weeping. But in the next verse, the verbs referring to eating and drinking are indicative, not subjunctive. They were good at eating and drinking, but not so good with the fasting and weeping.
{7:6} et cum comedistis, et bibistis, numquid non vobis comedistis, et vobismetipsis bibistis?
{7:6} And when you did eat and drink, did you not eat for yourselves, and drink only for yourselves?
{7:7} Numquid non sunt verba, quæ locutus est Dominus in manu prophetarum priorum, cum adhuc Ierusalem habitaretur, ut esset opulenta, ipsa et urbes in circuitu eius, et ad Austrum, et in campestribus habitaretur?
{7:7} Are not these the words that the Lord has spoken by the hand of the former prophets, when Jerusalem was still inhabited, so that it would prosper, itself and the cities around it, and those inhabitants towards the South and in the plains?
{7:8} Et factum est verbum Domini ad Zachariam, dicens:
{7:8} And the word of the Lord came to Zechariah, saying:
{7:9} Hæc ait Dominus exercituum, dicens: Iudicium verum iudicate, et misericordiam, et miserationes facite, unusquisque cum fratre suo.
{7:9} Thus says the Lord of hosts, saying: Judge with true judgment, and act with mercy and compassion, each and every one with his brother.
{7:10} Et viduam, et pupillum, et advenam, et pauperem nolite calumniari: et malum vir fratri suo non cogitet in corde suo.
{7:10} And do not find fault with the widow, and the orphan, and the newcomer, and the poor. And let not a man consider evil in his heart towards his brother.
{7:11} Et noluerunt attendere, et averterunt scapulam recedentem, et aures suas aggravaverunt ne audirent.
{7:11} But they were not willing to pay attention, and they turned aside their shoulder to depart, and they pressed upon their ears, so that they would not hear.
{7:12} Et cor suum posuerunt ut adamantem, ne audirent legem, et verba quæ misit Dominus exercituum in spiritu suo per manum prophetarum priorum: et facta est indignatio magna a Domino exercituum.
{7:12} And they set their heart like the hardest stone, so that they would not hear the law and the words that the Lord of hosts has sent with his Spirit by the hand of the former prophets. And so a great indignation came from Lord of hosts.
{7:13} Et factum est sicut locutus est, et non audierunt: sic clamabunt, et non exaudiam, dicit Dominus exercituum.
{7:13} And it happened, just as he had spoken, and they did not pay attention. So then, they shall cry out, and I will not heed, says the Lord of hosts.
{7:14} Et dispersi eos per omnia regna, quæ nesciunt: et terra desolata est ab eis, eo quod non esset transiens et revertens: et posuerunt terram desiderabilem in desertum.
{7:14} And I dispersed them throughout all the kingdoms that they did not know. And the land was left desolate behind them, so that no one was passing through or returning. And they made the desirable land into a deserted place.
{8:1} Et factum est verbum Domini exercituum, dicens:
{8:1} And the word of the Lord of hosts came, saying:
{8:2} Hæc dicit Dominus exercituum: Zelatus sum Sion zelo magno, et indignatione magna zelatus sum eam.
{8:2} Thus says the Lord of hosts: I have been zealous for Zion with a great zeal, and with a great indignation have I been zealous for her.
{8:3} Hæc dicit Dominus exercituum: Reversus sum ad Sion, et habitabo in medio Ierusalem: et vocabitur Ierusalem: Civitas Veritatis, et Mons Domini Exercituum Mons Sanctificatus.
{8:3} Thus says the Lord of hosts: I have been turned back towards Zion, and I will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. And Jerusalem will be called: “The City of Truth,” and “The Mountain of the Lord of Hosts, the Sanctified Mountain.”
{8:4} Hæc dicit Dominus exercituum: Adhuc habitabunt senes, et anus in plateis Ierusalem: et viri baculus in manu eius præ multitudine dierum.
{8:4} Thus says the Lord of hosts: Then elderly men and elderly women will dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, and every man will be with his walking stick in his hand, because of the multitude of days.
~ The word ‘baculus’ could be translated as ‘walking stick’ or ‘staff.’ The phrase ‘præ multitudine dierum’ explains why there will be so many elderly during that time; it is because people will live for a multitude of days. This is the time of the great monarch’s reign, during which people will live long and healthy lives.
{8:5} Et plateæ civitatis complebuntur infantibus, et puellis ludentibus in plateis eius.
{8:5} And the streets of the city will be filled with toddlers and children, playing in its streets.
{8:6} Hæc dicit Dominus exercituum: Si videbitur difficile in oculis reliquiarum populi huius in diebus illis, numquid in oculis meis difficile erit, dicit Dominus exercituum?
{8:6} Thus says the Lord of hosts: If it seems difficult in the eyes of the remnant of this people in those days, could it indeed be difficult in my eyes, says the Lord of hosts?
{8:7} Hæc dicit Dominus exercituum: Ecce ego salvabo populum meum de terra Orientis, et de terra Occasus solis.
{8:7} Thus says the Lord of hosts: Behold, I will save my people from the land of the East, and from the land of the setting of the sun.
~ The land of the rising sun (Orientis) is the East (perhaps China or Japan) and the land of the setting of the sun (Occasus) is the West (perhaps North America).
{8:8} Et adducam eos, et habitabunt in medio Ierusalem: et erunt mihi in populum, et ego ero eis in Deum in veritate, et in iustitia.
{8:8} And I will lead them, and they will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. And they will be my people, and I will be their God, in truth and in justice.
{8:9} Hæc dicit Dominus exercituum: Confortentur manus vestræ, qui auditis in his diebus sermones istos per os prophetarum in die, qua fundata est domus Domini exercituum, ut templum ædificaretur.
{8:9} Thus says the Lord of hosts: Let your hands be strengthened, you who, in those days, are listening to these words by the mouth of the prophets, in the day that the house of the Lord of hosts has been founded, so that the temple may be built.
~ The house is a new Vatican City, that will be built in Rome in the early 2040’s. The temple is a new Church, that will be built in Jerusalem in the early 2040’s. The new Vatican city will begin to be built first, then the Church will begin to be built. Rome will be the center of authority in the Catholic Church, and Jerusalem will be the center of worship in the Catholic Church.
{8:10} Siquidem ante dies illos merces hominum non erat, nec merces iumentorum erat, neque introeunti, neque exeunti erat pax præ tribulatione: et dimisi omnes homines, unumquemque contra proximum suum.
{8:10} Indeed, before those days, there was no pay for men, nor was there pay for beasts of burden, and neither was there peace for those entering, nor for those exiting, because of the tribulation. And I had dismissed all men, each one against his neighbor.
{8:11} Nunc autem non iuxta dies priores ego faciam reliquiis populi huius, dicit Dominus exercituum,
{8:11} But now, I will not act towards the remnant of this people according to the former days, says the Lord of hosts.
{8:12} sed semen pacis erit: vinea dabit fructum suum, et terra dabit germen suum, et cæli dabunt rorem suum: et possidere faciam reliquias populi huius universa hæc.
{8:12} But there will be a seed of peace: the vine will give her fruit, and the earth will give her seedlings, and the heavens will give their dew. And I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things.
{8:13} Et erit: sicut eratis maledictio in Gentibus, domus Iuda, et domus Israel: sic salvabo vos, et eritis benedictio: nolite timere, confortentur manus vestræ.
{8:13} And this shall be: just as you were a curse among the Gentiles, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so will I save you, and you will be a blessing. Do not be afraid. Let your hands be strengthened.
{8:14} Quia hæc dicit Dominus exercituum: Sicut cogitavi ut affligerem vos, cum ad iracundiam provocassent patres vestri me, dicit Dominus,
{8:14} For thus says the Lord of hosts: Just as I intended to afflict you, when your fathers had provoked me to wrath, says the Lord,
{8:15} et non sum misertus: sic conversus cogitavi in diebus istis ut benefaciam domui Iuda, et Ierusalem: nolite timere.
{8:15} and I did not show mercy, so have I turned back, thinking in these days to do good to the house of Judah and to Jerusalem. Do not be afraid.
{8:16} Hæc sunt ergo verba, quæ facietis: Loquimini veritatem, unusquisque cum proximo suo: veritatem, et iudicium pacis iudicate in portis vestris.
{8:16} Therefore, these are the words that you shall do: Speak the truth, each one to his neighbor. With truth and a judgment of peace, judge at your gates.
{8:17} Et unusquisque malum contra amicum suum ne cogitetis in cordibus vestris: et iuramentum mendax ne diligatis: omnia enim hæc sunt, quæ odi, dicit Dominus.
{8:17} And let not anyone think up evil against his friend in your hearts. And do not choose to swear falsely. For all these are things that I hate, says the Lord.
~ Notice that the Bible often breaks the rules of good writing. The first sentence of this verse switches from third person singular (‘anyone’) to second person plural (‘your hearts’). The Bible does not follow conventional rules for composition or even grammar.
{8:18} Et factum est verbum Domini exercituum ad me, dicens:
{8:18} And the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying:
{8:19} Hæc dicit Dominus exercituum: Ieiunium quarti, et ieiunium quinti, et ieiunium septimi, et ieiunium decimi erit domui Iuda in gaudium, et lætitiam, et in sollemnitates præclaras: veritatem tantum, et pacem diligite.
{8:19} Thus says the Lord of hosts: The fast of the fourth, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth will be for the house of Judah in joy and gladness and with bright solemnities. So then, love truth and peace.
{8:20} Hæc dicit Dominus exercituum: Usquequo veniant populi, et habitent in civitatibus multis,
{8:20} Thus says the Lord of hosts, then the people may arrive and dwell in many cities,
{8:21} et vadant habitatores, unus ad alterum, dicentes: Eamus, et deprecemur faciem Domini, et quæramus Dominum exercituum: vadam etiam ego.
{8:21} and the inhabitants may hurry, one saying to another: “Let us go and entreat the face of the Lord, and let us seek the Lord of hosts. I will go also.”
{8:22} Et venient populi multi, et gentes robustæ ad quærendum Dominum exercituum in Ierusalem, et deprecandam faciem Domini.
{8:22} And many peoples and strong nations will approach, seeking the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, and to entreat the face of the Lord.
{8:23} Hæc dicit Dominus exercituum: In diebus illis, in quibus apprehendent decem homines ex omnibus linguis Gentium, et apprehendent fimbriam viri Iudæi, dicentes: Ibimus vobiscum: audivimus enim quoniam Deus vobiscum est.
{8:23} Thus says the Lord of hosts: In those days, then, ten men from every language of the Gentiles will grasp and cling to the hem of one man of Judea, saying: “We will go with you. For we have heard that God is with you.”
{9:1} Onus verbi Domini in terra Hadrach, et Damasci requiei eius: quia Domini est oculus hominis, et omnium tribuum Israel.
{9:1} The burden of the word of the Lord in the land of Hadrach and its respite in Damascus. For the eye of man and of all the tribes of Israel is of the Lord.
{9:2} Emath quoque in terminis eius, et Tyrus, et Sidon: assumpserunt quippe sibi sapientiam valde.
{9:2} Hamath also is at its limits, and Tyre and Sidon. For, of course, they have assumed themselves to be exceedingly wise.
{9:3} Et ædificavit Tyrus munitionem suam, et coacervavit argentum quasi humum, et aurum ut lutum platearum.
{9:3} And Tyre has built herself a fortress, and she has piled together silver, as if it were soil, and gold, as if it were the mud of the streets.
{9:4} Ecce Dominus possidebit eam, et percutiet in mari fortitudinem eius, et hæc igni devorabitur.
{9:4} Behold, the Lord will possess her, and he will strike her strength in the sea, and she will be devoured by fire.
{9:5} Videbit Ascalon, et timebit: et Gaza, et dolebit nimis: et Accaron, quoniam confusa est spes eius: et peribit rex de Gaza, et Ascalon non habitabitur.
{9:5} Ashkelon will see and be afraid. Both Gaza and he will be very sorrowful, as well as Ekron, because her hope has been confounded. And the king will pass away from Gaza, and Ashkelon will not be inhabited.
{9:6} Et sedebit separator in Azoto, et disperdam superbiam Philisthinorum.
{9:6} And the divider will sit in Ashdod, and I will scatter the arrogance of the Philistines.
{9:7} Et auferam sanguinem eius de ore eius, et abominationes eius de medio dentium eius, et relinquetur etiam ipse Deo nostro, et erit quasi dux in Iuda, et Accaron quasi Iebusæus.
{9:7} And I will take away his blood from his mouth, and his abominations from between his teeth, and yet he will be left for our God, and he will be like a governor in Judah, and Ekron will be like a Jebusite.
{9:8} Et circumdabo domum meam ex his, qui militant mihi, euntes et revertentes, et non transibit super eos ultra exactor: quia nunc vidi in oculis meis.
{9:8} And I will encircle my house with those who serve me in war, going and returning, and the exactor will no longer pass over them. For now I have seen with my eyes.
{9:9} Exulta satis filia Sion, iubila filia Ierusalem: ECCE REX TUUS veniet tibi iustus, et salvator: ipse pauper, et ascendens super asinam, et super pullum filium asinæ.
{9:9} Rejoice well, daughter of Zion, shout for joy, daughter of Jerusalem. Behold, your King will come to you: the Just One, the Savior. He is poor and riding upon a donkey, and upon a colt, the son of a donkey.
{9:10} Et disperdam quadrigam ex Ephraim, et equum de Ierusalem, et dissipabitur arcus belli: et loquetur pacem Gentibus, et potestas eius a mari usque ad mare, et a fluminibus usque ad fines terræ.
{9:10} And I will scatter the four-horse chariot out of Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalem, and the bow of war will be destroyed. And he will speak peace to the Gentiles, and his power will be from sea to sea, and from the rivers even to the end of the earth.
{9:11} Tu quoque in sanguine testamenti tui emisisti vinctos tuos de lacu, in quo non est aqua.
{9:11} You, likewise, by the blood of your testimony, have sent forth your prisoners from the pit, in which there is no water.
~ The word ‘vinctos’ refers to those who have been bound or chained.
{9:12} Convertimini ad munitionem vincti spei, hodie quoque annuncians duplicia reddam tibi.
{9:12} Turn back to the fortress, prisoners of hope. Today, I also announce that I will repay you double,
{9:13} Quoniam extendi mihi Iudam quasi arcum, implevi Ephraim: et suscitabo filios tuos Sion super filios tuos Græcia: et ponam te quasi gladium fortium.
{9:13} because I have stretched out Judah for myself, like a bow; I have filled Ephraim. And I will raise up your sons, Zion, above your sons, Greece. And I will set you as the sword of the strength.
~ Greece was the birthplace of democracy. The sons of Zion, those who are holy, have a higher place in God’s eyes than those who are part of a just democracy. For mercy is greater than justice, and it is better to love God than to rule over men.
{9:14} Et Dominus Deus super eos videbitur, et exibit ut fulgur, iaculum eius: et Dominus Deus in tuba canet, et vadet in turbine Austri.
{9:14} And the Lord God will be seen over them, and his arrow will go forth like lightning. And the Lord God will sound the trumpet, and he will go forth into the whirlwind of the South.
{9:15} Dominus exercituum proteget eos: et devorabunt, et subiicient lapidibus fundæ: et bibentes inebriabuntur quasi a vino, et replebuntur ut phialæ, et quasi cornua altaris.
{9:15} The Lord of hosts will protect them. And they will devour and subdue with the stones of the sling. And, when drinking, they will become inebriated, as if with wine, and they will be filled like bowls and like the horns of the altar.
{9:16} Et salvabit eos Dominus Deus eorum in die illa, ut gregem populi sui: quia lapides sancti elevabuntur super terram eius.
{9:16} And in that day, the Lord their God will save them as the flock of his people. For holy stones will be lifted up over his land.
{9:17} Quid enim bonum eius est, et quid pulchrum eius, nisi frumentum electorum, et vinum germinans virgines?
{9:17} For what is his goodness and what is his beauty, other than grain among the elect and wine springing forth virgins?
{10:1} Petite a Domino pluviam in tempore serotino, et Dominus faciet nives, et pluviam imbris dabit eis, singulis herbam in agro.
{10:1} Petition before the Lord for rain in the latter time, and the Lord will produce snows and will give showers of rain to them, to each blade in the field.
{10:2} Quia simulacra locuta sunt inutile, et divini viderunt mendacium, et somniatores locuti sunt frustra: vane consolabantur: idcirco abducti sunt quasi grex: affligentur, quia non est eis pastor.
{10:2} For the images have been speaking what is useless, and the diviners have seen a lie, and the dreamers have been speaking false hope: they have comforted in vain. For this reason, they have been led away like a flock; they will be afflicted, because they have no shepherd.
~ The images that have been speaking what is useless (or what is harmful) are, in the modern context, the shows on television and other forms of media that use images.
{10:3} Super pastores iratus est furor meus, et super hircos visitabo: quia visitavit Dominus exercituum gregem suum, domum Iuda, et posuit eos quasi equum gloriæ suæ in bello.
{10:3} My fury has been kindled over the shepherds, and I will visit upon the he-goats. For the Lord of hosts has visited his flock, the house of Judah, and he has set them like the horse of his glory in the war.
~ The translation ‘visit’ is somewhat awkward in English, but a less awkward translation would also be less accurate and would not convey the multiple levels of meaning of the term. Notice that ‘visit’ can mean to afflict, as in the first use of the word in this verse, or it can mean to bless, as in the second use in this verse.
{10:4} Ex ipso angulus, ex ipso paxillus, ex ipso arcus prælii, ex ipso egredietur omnis exactor simul.
{10:4} From him will go forth the angle, from him the wooden peg, from him the bow of battle, from him every exactor at the same time.
{10:5} Et erunt quasi fortes conculcantes lutum viarum in prælio: et bellabunt, quia Dominus cum eis: et confundentur ascensores equorum.
{10:5} And they will be like the strong, trampling the mud of the ways in battle. And they will fight, for the Lord is with them. And the riders of the horses will be confounded.
{10:6} Et confortabo domum Iuda, et domum Ioseph salvabo: et convertam eos, quia miserebor eorum: et erunt sicut fuerunt quando non proieceram eos: ego enim Dominus Deus eorum, et exaudiam eos.
{10:6} And I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph, and I will convert them, because I will have mercy on them. And they will be as they were when I had not cast them away. For I am the Lord their God, and I will hear them.
{10:7} Et erunt quasi fortes Ephraim, et lætabitur cor eorum quasi a vino: et filii eorum videbunt, et lætabuntur, et exultabit cor eorum in Domino.
{10:7} And they will be like the strong of Ephraim, and their heart will rejoice as if by wine, and their sons will see and will rejoice, and their heart will exult in the Lord.
{10:8} Sibilabo eis, et congregabo illos, quia redemi eos: et multiplicabo eos sicut ante fuerant multiplicati.
{10:8} I will whistle for them, and I will gather them together, because I have redeemed them. And I will multiply them, as they had been multiplied before.
{10:9} Et seminabo eos in populis, et de longe recordabuntur mei: et vivent cum filiis suis, et revertentur.
{10:9} And I will sow them among the peoples, and from far away they will remember me. And they will live with their sons, and they will return.
~ They will live with their sons, and they [their sons] will return.
{10:10} Et reducam eos de terra Ægypti, et de Assyriis congregabo eos, et ad terram Galaad et Libani adducam eos, et non invenietur eis locus:
{10:10} And I will lead them back from the land of Egypt, and I will gather them from among the Assyrians, and I will lead them to the land of Gilead and Lebanon, and no place will be left that has not been found by them.
~ This last phrase means that there will be no place left unoccupied in the land to which they will be led. It is not that some persons will not find a place, but rather that every place will be filled.
{10:11} et transibit in maris freto, et percutiet in mari fluctus, et confundentur omnia profunda fluminis, et humiliabitur superbia Assur, et sceptrum Ægypti recedet.
{10:11} And he will pass over the narrow passage of the sea, and he will strike the waves of the sea, and all the depths of the river will be confounded, and the arrogance of Assyria will be brought low, and the scepter of Egypt will withdraw.
{10:12} Confortabo eos in Domino, et in nomine eius ambulabunt, dicit Dominus.
{10:12} I will strengthen them in the Lord, and they will walk in his name, says the Lord.
{11:1} Aperi Libane portas tuas, et comedat ignis cedros tuas.
{11:1} Open your gates, Lebanon, and let fire consume your cedars.
{11:2} Ulula abies, quia cecidit cedrus, quoniam magnifici vastati sunt: ululate quercus Basan, quoniam succisus est saltus munitus.
{11:2} Howl, you fir tree, for the cedar has fallen, because the magnificent have been devastated. Howl, you oaks of Bashan, because the secure forest passage has been cut down.
{11:3} Vox ululatus pastorum, quia vastata est magnificentia eorum: vox rugitus leonum, quoniam vastata est superbia Iordanis.
{11:3} The voice of the howling of the shepherds: for their magnificence has been devastated. The voice of the roaring of the lions: because the arrogance of the Jordan has been devastated.
{11:4} Hæc dicit Dominus Deus meus: Pasce pecora occisionis,
{11:4} Thus says the Lord my God: Feed the flock of the slaughter,
{11:5} quæ qui possederant, occidebant, et non dolebant, et vendebant ea, dicentes: Benedictus Dominus, divites facti sumus: et pastores eorum non parcebant eis.
{11:5} which those who possessed them cut down, and they did not feel sorrow, and they sold them, saying: “Blessed be the Lord; we have become wealthy. Even their shepherds did not spare them.”
{11:6} Et ego non parcam ultra super habitantes terram, dicit Dominus: ecce ego tradam homines, unumquemque in manu proximi sui, et in manu regis sui: et concident terram, et non eruam de manu eorum.
{11:6} And so, I will no longer spare the inhabitants upon the earth, says the Lord. Behold, I will deliver men, each one into the hand of his neighbor and into the hand of his king. And they will cut down the land, and I will not rescue it from their hand.
{11:7} Et pascam pecus occisionis propter hoc, o pauperes gregis: et assumpsi mihi duas virgas, unam vocavi Decorem, et alteram vocavi Funiculum: et pavi gregem.
{11:7} And I will pasture the flock of the slaughter, because of this, O poor of the flock. And I took to myself two staffs: the one I called Handsome, and the other I called Rope, and I pastured the flock.
~ The word ‘Decorem’ is masculine, so the translation is ‘Handsome,’ rather than ‘Beautiful.’ The one staff is beautiful, and the other one, Rope (or String, or Line), is useful. Now perhaps the first staff was handsome or beautiful in soul. So, the two staffs represent the contemplative life and the active life among religious and clergy.
{11:8} Et succidi tres pastores in mense uno, et contracta est anima mea in eis: siquidem et anima eorum variavit in me.
{11:8} And I cut down three shepherds in one month. And my soul became contracted concerning them, just as their soul also varied concerning me.
{11:9} Et dixi: Non pascam vos: quod moritur, moriatur: et quod succiditur, succidatur: et reliqui devorent unusquisque carnem proximi sui.
{11:9} And I said: I will not pasture you. Whatever dies, let it die. And whatever is cut down, let it be cut down. And let the rest of them devour, each one the flesh of his neighbor.
{11:10} Et tuli virgam meam, quæ vocabatur Decus, et abscidi eam ut irritum facerem fœdus meum, quod percussi cum omnibus populis.
{11:10} And I took my staff, which was called Handsome, and I tore it apart, so as to invalidate my pact, which I had struck with all of the people.
{11:11} Et in irritum deductum est in die illa: et cognoverunt sic pauperes gregis, qui custodiunt mihi, quia verbum Domini est.
{11:11} And it became invalid in that day. And so they understood, just like the poor of the flock who stay close to me, that this is the word of the Lord.
{11:12} Et dixi ad eos: Si bonum est in oculis vestris, afferte mercedem meam: et si non, quiescite. Et appenderunt mercedem meam triginta argenteos.
{11:12} And I said to them: If it is good in your eyes, bring me my wages. And if not, remain still. And they weighed for my wages thirty silver coins.
{11:13} Et dixit Dominus ad me: Proiice illud ad statuarium, decorum pretium, quo appretiatus sum ab eis. Et tuli triginta argenteos: et proieci illos in domum Domini ad statuarium.
{11:13} And the Lord said to me: Cast it towards the statuary, the handsome price at which I have been valued by them. And I took the thirty silver coins, and I cast them into the house of the Lord, towards the statuary.
~ Some texts have the coins being tossed into a treasury, some towards a statuary. The spiritual meaning of this word may refer, not only to the price Judas Iscariot was paid to betray Christ, but to some future taxation by the administrative powers within the Church. God is angry at this event, but He directs the faithful to pay the tax. The treasury is the treasury of the Church; the statuary represents those leaders in the Church who are like statures, mere administrators or bureaucrats, lacking insight and compassion. Compare this to the story in the Gospels of the tax that Peter paid by catching a fish with a coin in its mouth.
{11:14} Et præcidi virgam meam secundam, quæ appellabatur Funiculus, ut dissolverem germanitatem inter Iudam, et Israel.
{11:14} And I cut short my second staff, which was called Rope, so that I might dissolve the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.
~ The word ‘germanitatem’ is feminine, so a translation of ‘sisterhood’ might be justifiable. However, Judah and Israel are two groups symbolically represented with the names of two men, so the translation is ‘brotherhood.’ Notice that the first staff was cut down, but the second was merely shortened.
{11:15} Et dixit Dominus ad me: Adhuc sunt tibi vasa pastoris stulti.
{11:15} And the Lord said to me: Still they are to you the equipment of a foolish shepherd.
{11:16} Quia ecce ego suscitabo pastorem in terra, qui derelicta non visitabit, dispersum non quæret, et contritum non sanabit, et id quod stat non enutriet, et carnes pinguium comedet, et ungulas eorum dissolvet.
{11:16} For behold, I will raise up a shepherd in the land, who will not visit what is forsaken, nor seek what is scattered, nor heal what is broken, nor nourish what remains standing, and he will consume the flesh of the fatted ones and break their hoofs.
{11:17} O pastor, et idolum, derelinquens gregem: gladius super brachium eius, et super oculum dextrum eius: brachium eius ariditate siccabitur, et oculus dexter eius tenebrescens obscurabitur.
{11:17} O shepherd and idol, abandoning the flock, with a sword upon his arm and over his right eye: his arm will be withered by drought, and his right eye will be obscured by darkness.
{12:1} Onus verbi Domini super Israel. Dicit Dominus extendens cælum, et fundans terram, et fingens spiritum hominis in eo:
{12:1} The burden of the word of the Lord upon Israel. The Lord, stretching forth the heavens and founding the earth and forming the spirit of man within him, says:
{12:2} Ecce ego ponam Ierusalem superliminare crapulæ omnibus populis in circuitu: sed et Iuda erit in obsidione contra Ierusalem.
{12:2} Behold, I will set Jerusalem as a lintel of the effects of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, yet even Judah will be in the blockade against Jerusalem.
~ The word ‘crapulæ’ refers to drunkenness and its effects, especially the ‘hangover.’
{12:3} Et erit: In die illa ponam Ierusalem lapidem oneris cunctis populis: omnes, qui levabunt eam, concisione lacerabuntur: et colligentur adversus eam omnia regna terræ.
{12:3} And this shall be: In that day, I will set Jerusalem as a burdensome stone to every people. All who will lift it up will be torn to pieces. And all the kingdoms of the earth will be gathered together against her.
{12:4} In die illa, dicit Dominus, percutiam omnem equum in stuporem, et ascensorem eius in amentiam: et super domum Iuda aperiam oculos meos, et omnem equum populorum percutiam cæcitate.
{12:4} In that day, says the Lord, I will strike every horse with stupor and his rider with madness. And I will open my eyes upon the house of Judah, and I will strike every horse of the people with blindness.
{12:5} Et dicent duces Iuda in corde suo: Confortentur mihi habitatores Ierusalem in Domino exercituum Deo eorum.
{12:5} And the governors of Judah will say in their heart, “Let the inhabitants of Jerusalem be strengthened for me, in the Lord of hosts, their God.”
{12:6} In die illa, ponam duces Iuda sicut caminum ignis in lignis, et sicut facem ignis in fœno: et devorabunt ad dexteram, et ad sinistram omnes populos in circuitu: et habitabitur Ierusalem rursus in loco suo in Ierusalem.
{12:6} In that day, I will set the governors of Judah like a flaming furnace among wood, and like a flaming torch among hay. And they will devour, to the right and to the left, all the surrounding peoples. And Jerusalem will be inhabited again, in her own place, in Jerusalem.
~ The first ‘Jerusalem’ refers to the group of people symbolically called ‘Jerusalem.’ The second use of the word refers to the actual city of Jerusalem.
{12:7} Et salvabit Dominus tabernacula Iuda, sicut in principio: ut non magnifice glorietur domus David, et gloria habitantium Ierusalem contra Iudam.
{12:7} And the Lord will save the tabernacles of Judah, just as in the beginning, so that the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem may not glorify themselves boastfully against Judah.
{12:8} In die illa proteget Dominus habitatores Ierusalem, et erit qui offenderit ex eis in die illa, quasi David: et domus David quasi Dei, sicut angelus Domini in conspectu eorum.
{12:8} In that day, the Lord will protect the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and even he who will have offended from them, in that day, will be like David, and the house of David will be like that of God, just like an angel of the Lord in their sight.
~ The phrase ‘he who will have offended from them’ refers to Christians or Catholics who are not very faithful, who have committed offenses, and even those who have offended themselves away from the community of believers. Even those unfaithful Christians and unfaithful Catholics will be held in esteem: not because of their offenses, but because they know the faith at least to some extent and because they are repentant on that day, the Day of Repentance.
{12:9} Et erit in die illa: quæram conterere omnes Gentes, quæ veniunt contra Ierusalem.
{12:9} And this shall be in that day: I will seek to crush all the Gentiles that come against Jerusalem.
~ The Gentiles, in this context, are the unbelievers, those who live mere secular lives devoid of prayer and worship. Some of these will react badly to the Day of Repentance.
{12:10} Et effundam super domum David, et super habitatores Ierusalem spiritum gratiæ, et precum: et aspicient ad me, quem confixerunt: et plangent eum planctu quasi super unigenitum, et dolebunt super eum, ut doleri solet in morte primogeniti.
{12:10} And I will pour out upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of prayers. And they will look upon me, whom they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only son, and they will feel sorrow over him, as one would be sorrowful at the death of a firstborn.
~ This passage refers to the Day of Repentance. Grace and a spirit of prayerfulness will be poured out on that day. And those who are closest to God will feel sorrow, more so at the sufferings of Christ than at their own sins. But many of the wicked will turn away from God, even more so.
{12:11} In die illa magnus erit planctus in Ierusalem, sicut planctus Adadremmon in campo Mageddon.
{12:11} In that day, there will be a great lamentation in Jerusalem, like the lamentation of Hadadrimmon in the plain of Megiddo.
{12:12} Et planget terra: familiæ et familiæ seorsum: familiæ domus David seorsum, et mulieres eorum seorsum:
{12:12} And the earth will mourn: families and families separately; the families of the house of David separately, and their women separately;
{12:13} familiæ domus Nathan seorsum, et mulieres eorum seorsum: familiæ domus Levi seorsum, et mulieres eorum seorsum: familiæ Semei seorsum, et mulieres eorum seorsum.
{12:13} the families of the house of Nathan separately, and their women separately; the families of the house of Levi separately, and their women separately; the families of Shimei separately, and their women separately;
~ The women mourn separately because men and women are intended by God to have different roles, behaviors, and clothing: men and women are given separate places in the human family. On this day, this teaching will become clear to many, even if they do not realize it in words. The separateness is a separateness from society, since, on that day, there will be a silence from the noise of modern society. The separateness is also between different religions and denominations, for, at first, many people will seek refuge in their own religion. Later, Protestants will come to realize that they should unite with the Catholic Church. The separateness is a separateness of families that have been separated by distance, or by conflict. The separateness is an aloneness with God on that day for all who are truly devoted to God. Such is the Day of Repentance.
{12:14} Omnes familiæ reliquæ, familiæ et familiæ seorsum, et mulieres eorum seorsum.
{12:14} all the rest of the families, families and families separately, and their women separately.
{13:1} In die illa erit fons patens domui David, et habitantibus Ierusalem in ablutionem peccatoris et menstruatæ.
{13:1} In that day, there will be a fountain open to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for the washing of the transgressor and of the defiled woman.
~ The word ‘peccatoris’ is masculine and the word ‘menstruatæ’ is feminine. The passage refers to men and women who have transgressed against God’s law and have become unclean or defiled. The implication of the passage is that men and women who have committed sexual sins can obtain absolution, a washing of the soul. The male transgresses by his sexual sins and the female become defiled by her sexual sins.
{13:2} Et erit in die illa, dicit Dominus exercituum: Disperdam nomina idolorum de terra, et non memorabuntur ultra: et pseudoprophetas, et spiritum immundum auferam de terra.
{13:2} And this shall be in that day, says the Lord of hosts: I will disperse the names of the idols from the earth, and they will not be remembered any longer. And I will take away the false prophets and the unclean spirit from the earth.
{13:3} Et erit, cum prophetaverit quis piam ultra, dicent ei pater eius, et mater eius, qui genuerunt eum: Non vives: quia mendacium locutus es in nomine Domini. Et configent eum pater eius, et mater eius, genitores eius, cum prophetaverit.
{13:3} And this shall be: when any devotee will continue to prophesy, his father and his mother, who conceived him, will say to him, “You shall not live, because you have been speaking a lie in the name of the Lord.” And his father and his mother, his own parents, will pierce him, when he will prophesy.
~ The word ‘quispiam’ refers to anyone who is pious or devoted to something. Since the connotation is clearly negative, the English word ‘pious’ would not be fitting. A devotee can be devoted to something true or to something false, so that word is a better fit.
{13:4} Et erit: In die illa confundentur prophetæ, unusquisque ex visione sua cum prophetaverit: nec operientur pallio saccino, ut mentiantur:
{13:4} And this shall be: In that day, the prophets will be confounded, each one by his own vision, when he will prophesy. Neither will they be covered with a garment of sackcloth in order to deceive.
{13:5} sed dicet: Non sum propheta, homo agricola ego sum: quoniam Adam exemplum meum ab adolescentia mea.
{13:5} But he will say, “I am not a prophet; I am a man of agriculture. For Adam has been my example from my youth.”
{13:6} Et dicetur ei: Quid sunt plagæ istæ in medio manuum tuarum? Et dicet: His plagatus sum in domo eorum, qui diligebant me.
{13:6} And they will say to him, “What are these wounds in the middle of your hands?” And he will say, “I was wounded with these in the house of those who love me.”
~ Even though his parents said, ‘You shall not live,’ they did not kill him, but they pierced his hands like the wounds of Christ. And he accepted the correction. There are many false prophets in the world today. Some of these will be corrected by the events at the start of the tribulation and will accept the correction.
{13:7} Framea suscitare super pastorem meum, et super virum cohærentem mihi, dicit Dominus exercituum: percute pastorem, et dispergentur oves: et convertam manum meam ad parvulos.
{13:7} Awake, O spear, against my shepherd and against the man that clings to me, says the Lord of hosts. Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered. And I will turn my hand to the little ones.
~ This refers to the nuclear attack on Vatican City and Rome in July of 2013 A.D.
{13:8} Et erunt in omni terra, dicit Dominus: partes duæ in ea dispergentur, et deficient: et tertia pars relinquetur in ea.
{13:8} And there will be in all the earth, says the Lord, two parts in it will be scattered and will pass away, and the third part will be left behind.
~ Two thirds of the world population will perish (in the first part of the tribulation, from 2009/2010 to 2039/2040), and only one third will remain.
{13:9} Et ducam tertiam partem per ignem, et uram eos sicut uritur argentum: et probabo eos sicut probatur aurum. Ipse vocabit nomen meum, et ego exaudiam eum. Dicam: Populus meus es; et ipse dicet: Dominus Deus meus.
{13:9} And I will lead the third part through fire, and I will burn them just as silver is burned, and I will test them just as gold is tested. They will call on my name, and I will heed them. I will say, “You are my people.” And they will say, “The Lord is my God.”
~ Or, ‘I will refine them just as silver is refined.’
{14:1} Ecce venient dies Domini, et dividentur spolia tua in medio tui.
{14:1} Behold, the days of the Lord will arrive, and your spoils will be divided in your midst.
{14:2} Et congregabo omnes Gentes ad Ierusalem in prælium, et capietur civitas, et vastabuntur domus, et mulieres violabuntur: et egredietur media pars civitatis in captivitatem, et reliquum populi non auferetur ex urbe.
{14:2} And I will gather all the Gentiles in battle against Jerusalem, and the city will be captured, and the houses will be ravaged, and the women will be violated. And the central part of the city will go forth into captivity, and the remainder of the people will not be taken away from the city.
~ The ‘Gentiles’ in the context of the Church today, refers to unbelievers, not to non-Jews. The ‘central part of the city’ could also be translated as ‘half of the city,’ (but half in the looser sense, not a literal one half).
{14:3} Et egredietur Dominus, et præliabitur contra Gentes illas, sicut præliatus est in die certaminis.
{14:3} Then the Lord will go forth, and he will fight against those Gentiles, just as when he fought in the day of conflict.
{14:4} Et stabunt pedes eius in die illa super Montem Olivarum, qui est contra Ierusalem ad Orientem: et scindetur Mons Olivarum ex media parte sui ad Orientem, et ad Occidentem prærupto grandi valde, et separabitur medium montis ad Aquilonem, et medium eius ad Meridiem.
{14:4} And his feet will stand firm, in that day, upon the Mount of Olives, which is opposite Jerusalem towards the East. And the mount of Olives will be divided down its center part, towards the East and towards the West, with a very great rupture, and the center of the mountain will be separated towards the North, and its center towards the Meridian.
~ The ‘center’ could also be translated as ‘half.’ The ‘Meridian’ is often translated as ‘South,’ but this is a less accurate translation, because there is another word in Latin ‘Auster,’ that means ‘South.’ Words for direction, when used to refer to a region rather than a mere direction, are capitalized, e.g.: travel south for many days, and then you will enter the land of the South.
{14:5} Et fugietis ad vallem montium eorum, quoniam coniungetur vallis montium usque ad proximum: et fugietis sicut fugistis a facie terræmotus in diebus Oziæ regis Iuda: et veniet Dominus Deus meus, omnesque sancti cum eo.
{14:5} And you will flee to the valley of those mountains, because the valley of the mountains will be joined all the way to the next. And you will flee, just as you fled from the face of the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. And the Lord my God will arrive, and all the saints with him.
{14:6} Et erit in die illa: Non erit lux, sed frigus et gelu.
{14:6} And this shall be in that day: there will not be light, only cold and frost.
{14:7} Et erit dies una, quæ nota est Domino, non dies neque nox: et in tempore vesperi erit lux.
{14:7} And there will be one day, which is known to the Lord, not day and not night. And in the time of the evening, there will be light.
{14:8} Et erit in die illa: Exibunt aquæ vivæ de Ierusalem: medium earum ad mare Orientale, et medium earum ad mare novissimum: in æstate et in hieme erunt.
{14:8} And this shall be in that day: the living waters will go out from Jerusalem, half of them towards the East sea, and half of them towards the furthest sea. They will be in summer and in winter.
{14:9} Et erit Dominus Rex super omnem terram: in die illa erit Dominus unus, et erit nomen eius unum.
{14:9} And the Lord will be King over all the earth. In that day, there will be one Lord, and his name will be one.
{14:10} Et revertetur omnis terra usque ad desertum, de colle Remmon ad Austrum Ierusalem: et exaltabitur, et habitabit in loco suo a porta Beniamin usque ad locum portæ prioris, et usque ad portam angulorum: et a turre Hananeel usque ad torcularia regis.
{14:10} And all the land will return even to the desert, from the hill of Rimmon to the South of Jerusalem. And she will be exalted, and she will dwell in her own place, from the gate of Benjamin even to the place of the former gate, and even to the gate of the corners, and from the tower of Hananel even to the pressing room of the king.
~ The word ‘torcularia’ refers to a winepress or an oil press or a pressing room.
{14:11} Et habitabunt in ea, et anathema non erit amplius: sed sedebit Ierusalem secura.
{14:11} And they will dwell in it, and there will be no further anathema, but Jerusalem shall sit securely.
{14:12} Et hæc erit plaga, qua percutiet Dominus omnes Gentes, quæ pugnaverunt adversus Ierusalem: Tabescet caro uniuscuiusque stantis super pedes suos, et oculi eius contabescent in foraminibus suis, et lingua eorum contabescet in ore suo.
{14:12} And this will be the plague by which the Lord will strike all the Gentiles that have fought against Jerusalem. The flesh of each one will waste away while they are standing on their feet, and their eyes will be consumed in their sockets, and their tongue will be consumed in their mouth.
~ Compare the verb ‘tabescet’ to the verb ‘contabescent;’ the latter has the prefix ‘con’ which intensifies the verb. Their flesh wastes away, but not completely. Their eyes and tongue completely waste away.
{14:13} In die illa erit tumultus Domini magnus in eis: et apprehendet vir manum proximi sui, et conseretur manus eius super manum proximi sui.
{14:13} In that day, there will be a great tumult from the Lord among them. And a man will take the hand of his neighbor, and his hand will be clasped upon the hand of his neighbor.
{14:14} Sed et Iudas pugnabit adversus Ierusalem: et congregabuntur divitiæ omnium Gentium in circuitu, aurum, et argentum, et vestes multæ satis.
{14:14} And even Judah will fight against Jerusalem. And the riches of all the Gentiles will be gathered together around them: gold, and silver, and more than enough garments.
{14:15} Et sic erit ruina equi, et muli, et cameli, et asini, et omnium iumentorum, quæ fuerint in castris illis, sicut ruina hæc.
{14:15} And, like the ruin of the horse, and the mule, and the camel, and the donkey, and all the beasts of burden, which will have been in those encampments, so will be this ruination.
~ The word ‘castris’ often has a military connotation, as in a military encampment. The ruin of beast of burden, in the modern context, probably refers to the ruin of machinery (the modern-day beasts of burden), including the machinery used by the military.
{14:16} Et omnes, qui reliqui fuerint de universis Gentibus, quæ venerunt contra Ierusalem, ascendent ab anno in annum, ut adorent Regem, Dominum exercituum, et celebrent festivitatem tabernaculorum.
{14:16} And all those who will be the remnant of all the Gentiles that came against Jerusalem, will go up, from year to year, to adore the King, the Lord of hosts, and to celebrate the feast of tabernacles.
{14:17} Et erit: Qui non ascenderit de familiis terræ ad Ierusalem, ut adoret Regem, Dominum exercituum, non erit super eos imber.
{14:17} And this shall be: whoever will not go up, from the families of the earth to Jerusalem, so as to adore the King, the Lord of hosts, there will be no showers upon them.
{14:18} Quod et si familia Ægypti non ascenderit, et non venerit: nec super eos erit, sed erit ruina, qua percutiet Dominus omnes Gentes, quæ non ascenderint ad celebrandam festivitatem tabernaculorum.
{14:18} But if even the family of Egypt will go not up, nor approach, neither will it be upon them, but there will be ruin, by which the Lord will strike all the Gentiles, who will not go up to celebrate the feast of tabernacles.
{14:19} Hoc erit peccatum Ægypti, et hoc peccatum omnium Gentium, quæ non ascenderint ad celebrandam festivitatem tabernaculorum.
{14:19} This will be the sin of Egypt, and this will be the sin of all the Gentiles, who will not go up to celebrate the feast of tabernacles.
{14:20} In die illa erit quod super frenum equi est, sanctum Domino: et erunt lebetes in domo Domini quasi phialæ coram altari.
{14:20} In that day, that which is on the bridle of the horse will be holy to the Lord. And even the cooking pots in the house of the Lord will be like holy vessels before the altar.
~ The word ‘lebetes’ refers to a kettle or a cooking pot or a sink or a wash basin. Clearly, this word refers to common vessels, not to holy containers used on an altar. Yet even these will be considered holy.
{14:21} Et erit omnis lebes in Ierusalem, et in Iuda sanctificatus Domino exercituum: et venient omnes immolantes, et sument ex eis, et coquent in eis: et non erit mercator ultra in domo Domini exercituum in die illo.
{14:21} And every cooking pot in Jerusalem and Judah will be sanctified to the Lord of hosts. And all those who make sacrifices will come and take from them, and will cook with them. And the merchant will no longer be in the house of the Lord of hosts, in that day.