Zechariah 1 | » |
1 In the eighth month, 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,
2 The Lord has been very angry with your fathers:
3 And you are to say to them, These are the words of the Lord of armies: Come back to me, says the Lord of armies, and I will come back to you.
4 Be not like your fathers, to whom the voice of the earlier prophets came, saying, Be turned now from your evil ways and from your evil doings: but they did not give ear to me or take note, says the Lord.
5 Your fathers, where are they? and the prophets, do they go on living for ever?
6 But my words and my orders, which I gave to my servants the prophets, have they not overtaken your fathers? and turning back they said, As it was the purpose of the Lord of armies to do to us, in reward for our ways and our doings, so has he done.
7 On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, the month Shebat, 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,
8 I saw in the night a man on a red horse, between the mountains in the valley, and at his back were horses, red, black, white, and of mixed colours.
9 Then I said, O my lord, what are these? And the angel who was talking to me said to me, I will make clear to you what they are.
10 And the man who was between the mountains, answering me, said, These are those whom the Lord has sent to go up and down through the earth.
11 And the man who was between the mountains, answering, said to the angel of the Lord, We have gone up and down through the earth, and all the earth is quiet and at rest.
12 Then the angel of the Lord, answering, said, O Lord of armies, how long will it be before you have mercy on Jerusalem and on the towns of Judah against which your wrath has been burning for seventy years?
13 And the Lord gave an answer in good and comforting words to the angel who was talking to me.
14 And the angel who was talking to me said to me, Let your voice be loud and say, These are the words of the Lord of armies: I am greatly moved about the fate of Jerusalem and of Zion.
15 And I am very angry with the nations who are living untroubled: for when I was only a little angry, they made the evil worse.
16 So this is what the Lord has said: I have come back to Jerusalem with mercies; my house is to be put up in her, says the Lord of armies, and a line is to be stretched out over Jerusalem.
17 And again let your voice be loud and say, This is what the Lord of armies has said: My towns will again be overflowing with good things, and again the Lord will give comfort to Zion and take Jerusalem for himself.
18 And lifting up my eyes I saw four horns.
19 And I said to the angel who was talking to me, What are these? And he said to me, These are the horns which have sent Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem in flight.
20 And the Lord gave me a vision of four metal-workers.
21 Then I said, What have these come to do? And he said, These are the horns which sent Judah in flight, and kept him from lifting up his head: but these men have come to send fear on them and to put down the nations who are lifting up their horns against the land of Judah to send it in flight.
The Bible in Basic English (BBE)
The Bible in Basic English (BBE) is a translation of the Bible that aims to make the scriptures accessible to people with limited English proficiency. Completed in 1941 by Professor Samuel Henry Hooke and a team of scholars, the BBE utilizes a simplified vocabulary of approximately 1,000 basic English words, along with additional words necessary to maintain the integrity of the biblical text. This approach ensures that the translation is easily understandable while still conveying the core messages and teachings of the Bible.
One of the defining features of the BBE is its commitment to simplicity and clarity. By using a restricted vocabulary and straightforward sentence structures, the BBE makes it easier for readers to grasp the fundamental ideas of the scriptures without being hindered by complex language. This makes the BBE particularly valuable for non-native English speakers, children, and individuals with limited literacy skills. The translation aims to break down language barriers, allowing a broader audience to engage with Bible teachings.
Despite its simplified language, the BBE strives to remain faithful to the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts. The translators worked carefully to ensure that the essential meanings and theological concepts were preserved, even as they adapted the language to be more accessible. This balance of simplicity and fidelity to the original texts helps maintain the Bible’ s depth and spiritual richness while making it more approachable. The BBE’ s emphasis on clarity without sacrificing essential meaning has made it a useful tool for teaching and evangelism.
However, the BBE has faced some criticism, particularly from scholars and theologians who argue that the simplification process may lead to the loss of some nuances and deeper meanings present in the original languages. Some feel that the restricted vocabulary can oversimplify complex theological concepts, potentially limiting the reader’ s understanding of the full depth of the scriptures. Despite these criticisms, the Bible in Basic English remains a valuable resource for those seeking an easily understandable version of the Bible, providing a bridge for many to access the timeless messages contained within the holy scriptures.