Zekariah 7
1 Darius siangpahrang saning palito haih, Kislev khrah, khrah takawtto, ni palito niah Angraeng ih lok to Zekariah khaeah angzoh;
When Darius had been the emperor for almost four years, on December 7, Yahweh gave me [another] message.
2 Bethel ih kaminawk mah Sharezer, Regeem Melek hoi angmah ih kaminawk to Angraeng hma ah lawkthuih hanah, Sithaw im ah patoeh o moe,
The people of Bethel [city] sent two men, Sharezer and Regem-Melech, along with some other men, [to the temple of Yahweh, the Commander of the armies of angels, ] to request that Yahweh bless them.
3 misatuh kaminawk ih Angraeng imthung ih qaima hoi tahmaanawk khaeah, Saning pop parai ka sak o ih baktih toengah, khrah pangato naah palungset hoi buh zahhaih to ka sak o han maw? tiah lok dueng o sak.
They also asked the priests at Yahweh’s temple and the prophets [this question]: “For many years, during the fifth month [and during the seventh month of each year], we have mourned and (fasted/abstained from eating food). Should we [continue to do that]?”
4 To naah misatuh kaminawk ih Angraeng ih lok kai khaeah angzoh,
Then the Commander of the armies of angels gave me a message.
5 prae thung ih kaminawk hoi qaimanawk boih khaeah, Khrah pangato haih hoi khrah sarihto haih naah, palungsethaih hoiah buhzahhaih to na sak o, saning qui sarihto thung na sak o ih buhzahhaih loe, kai han ih maw buh na zah o? tiah thui paeh.
[He said], “Tell [RHQ] the priests and all the [other] people of Judah that during the past 70 years, when they mourned and fasted during the fifth and seventh months [of each year], it was not really [RHQ] me, [Yahweh], whom they were [honoring].
6 Na caak o moe, na naek o naah, nangmacae han ih na ai maw na caak o moe, na naek o?
And when they ate and drank, it was really [RHQ] to [benefit] themselves.
7 Kaminawk loe aloih bang ih ahmuen hoi tangtling ah khosak o, Jerusalem hoi a taeng ih vangpuinawk doeh kamong ah oh o moe, khosak hoih o naah, canghni ih tahmaanawk khaeah Angraeng mah thuih ih lok to na tahngai o ai maw? tiah lok angzoh.
That is certainly [RHQ] what I continually told the former prophets to proclaim [to the people], when Jerusalem and the nearby towns were prosperous and filled with people, and people [also] lived in the desert area to the south and in the foothills [to the west].”
8 Angraeng ih lok Zekariah khaeah angzoh,
Yahweh gave another message to me, saying
9 misatuh kaminawk ih Angraeng mah, Kahoih toeghaih to sah oh, maeto hoi maeto nuiah palungnathaih hoi amlunghaih to amtueng o sak ah:
“[Tell the people that] this is what the Commander of the armies of angels says: ‘Do what is just/right, and act kindly and mercifully toward each other.
10 lamhmainawk, amno ampa tawn ai kaminawk, angvinnawk hoi amtang kaminawk to pacaekthlaek o hmah: na palungthin thungah nawkamya nuiah kasae poekhaih to tawn o hmah, tiah thuih.
Do not (oppress/treat cruelly) widows or orphans or foreigners or poor people. Do not even think about doing evil to anyone else.’”
11 Toe nihcae mah tahngai han koeh o ai, palaeng to hnuk bangah paqoi o moe, thaih han ai ah naa to tamuep o.
But the people refused to pay attention [to what Yahweh said]. They turned their backs [to him], and put their hands over their ears in order to not hear [what he said].
12 Ue, nihcae loe palungthin thlung baktiah amtak o sak, to tih ai nahaeloe misatuh kaminawk ih Angraeng mah angmah ih Muithla hoiah canghnii ah angmah ih tahmaanawk khaeah paek ih lok hoi thuih ih loknawk to nihcae mah tahngai o moeng tih: to pongah misatuh kaminawk ih Angraeng khae hoiah kanung parai palungphuihaih to angzoh.
They were very stubborn [IDM], and they would not listen to the laws [that God gave to Moses] or the messages that the Commander of the armies of angels told his Spirit to give to the prophets who were now dead. So the Commander of the armies of angels was very angry.
13 Ka kawk naah, nihcae mah tahngai o ai; to pongah nihcae mah ang kawk o naah, ka tahngai pae mak ai, tiah misatuh kaminawk ih Angraeng mah thuih.
The Commander of the armies of angels says, “When I called/spoke [to the people], they would not listen. So when they called/prayed [to me], I did not listen.
14 Toe nihcae mah panoek ai ih prae kaminawk salakah nihcae to takhi kamhae hoiah kang haehsak phang. To pongah prae loe pongsut, caeh kami hoi amlaem kami doeh om ai. Nihcae mah kahoih prae to amro o sak boeh, tiah misatuh kaminawk ih Angraeng mah thuih.
And I caused them to be scattered among many nations, where they were strangers. [It was as though] [MET] a whirlwind [picked them up and carried them away from their country]. The country/land that they [were forced to] leave was ruined, with the result that no one could [live there or even] travel through it. [It was previously] a delightful land, but they caused it to become (desolate/like a desert).”
