Zechariah 7
1 In the fourth year of King Darius, the word of the LORD came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, the month of Chislev.
| וַֽיְהִי בִּשְׁנַת אַרְבַּע לְדָרְיָוֶשׁ הַמֶּלֶךְ הָיָה דְבַר־יְהֹוָה אֶל־זְכַרְיָה בְּאַרְבָּעָה לַחֹדֶשׁ הַתְּשִׁעִי בְּכִסְלֵֽו׃ |
2 Now the people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regem-melech, along with their men, to plead before the LORD
| וַיִּשְׁלַח בֵּֽית־אֵל שַׂר־אֶצֶר וְרֶגֶם מֶלֶךְ וַֽאֲנָשָׁיו לְחַלּוֹת אֶת־פְּנֵי יְהֹוָֽה׃ |
3 by asking the priests of the house of the LORD of Hosts, as well as the prophets, “Should I weep and fast in the fifth month, as I have done these many years?”
| לֵאמֹר אֶל־הַכֹּֽהֲנִים אֲשֶׁר לְבֵית־יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת וְאֶל־הַנְּבִיאִים לֵאמֹר הַֽאֶבְכֶּה בַּחֹדֶשׁ הַחֲמִשִׁי הִנָּזֵר כַּאֲשֶׁר עָשִׂיתִי זֶה כַּמֶּה שָׁנִֽים׃ |
4 Then the word of the LORD of Hosts came to me, saying,
| וַיְהִי דְּבַר־יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת אֵלַי לֵאמֹֽר׃ |
5 “Ask all the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months for these seventy years, was it really for Me that you fasted?
| אֱמֹר אֶל־כׇּל־עַם הָאָרֶץ וְאֶל־הַכֹּהֲנִים לֵאמֹר כִּֽי־צַמְתֶּם וְסָפוֹד בַּחֲמִישִׁי וּבַשְּׁבִיעִי וְזֶה שִׁבְעִים שָׁנָה הֲצוֹם צַמְתֻּנִי אָֽנִי׃ |
6 And when you were eating and drinking, were you not doing so simply for yourselves?
| וְכִי תֹאכְלוּ וְכִי תִשְׁתּוּ הֲלוֹא אַתֶּם הָאֹכְלִים וְאַתֶּם הַשֹּׁתִֽים׃ |
7 Are these not the words that the LORD proclaimed through the earlier prophets, when Jerusalem and its surrounding towns were populous and prosperous, and the Negev and the foothills were inhabited?’”
| הֲלוֹא אֶת־הַדְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר קָרָא יְהֹוָה בְּיַד הַנְּבִיאִים הָרִֽאשֹׁנִים בִּהְיוֹת יְרוּשָׁלַ͏ִם יֹשֶׁבֶת וּשְׁלֵוָה וְעָרֶיהָ סְבִיבֹתֶיהָ וְהַנֶּגֶב וְהַשְּׁפֵלָה יֹשֵֽׁב׃ |
8 Then the word of the LORD came to Zechariah, saying,
| וַֽיְהִי דְּבַר־יְהֹוָה אֶל־זְכַרְיָה לֵאמֹֽר׃ |
9 “This is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘Administer true justice. Show loving devotion and compassion to one another.
| כֹּה אָמַר יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת לֵאמֹר מִשְׁפַּט אֱמֶת שְׁפֹטוּ וְחֶסֶד וְרַֽחֲמִים עֲשׂוּ אִישׁ אֶת־אָחִֽיו׃ |
10 Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. And do not plot evil in your hearts against one another.’
| וְאַלְמָנָה וְיָתוֹם גֵּר וְעָנִי אַֽל־תַּעֲשֹׁקוּ וְרָעַת אִישׁ אָחִיו אַֽל־תַּחְשְׁבוּ בִּלְבַבְכֶֽם׃ |
11 But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder; they stopped up their ears from hearing.
| וַיְמָאֲנוּ לְהַקְשִׁיב וַיִּתְּנוּ כָתֵף סֹרָרֶת וְאׇזְנֵיהֶם הִכְבִּידוּ מִשְּׁמֽוֹעַ׃ |
12 They made their hearts like flint and would not listen to the law or to the words that the LORD of Hosts had sent by His Spirit through the earlier prophets. Therefore great anger came from the LORD of Hosts.
| וְלִבָּם שָׂמוּ שָׁמִיר מִשְּׁמוֹעַ אֶת־הַתּוֹרָה וְאֶת־הַדְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר שָׁלַח יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת בְּרוּחוֹ בְּיַד הַנְּבִיאִים הָרִֽאשֹׁנִים וַֽיְהִי קֶצֶף גָּדוֹל מֵאֵת יְהֹוָה צְבָאֽוֹת׃ |
13 And just as I had called and they would not listen, so when they called I would not listen, says the LORD of Hosts.
| וַיְהִי כַאֲשֶׁר־קָרָא וְלֹא שָׁמֵעוּ כֵּן יִקְרְאוּ וְלֹא אֶשְׁמָע אָמַר יְהֹוָה צְבָאֽוֹת׃ |
14 But I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations that they had not known, and the land was left desolate behind them so that no one could come or go. Thus they turned the pleasant land into a desolation.”
| וְאֵסָעֲרֵם עַל כׇּל־הַגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר לֹֽא־יְדָעוּם וְהָאָרֶץ נָשַׁמָּה אַֽחֲרֵיהֶם מֵֽעֹבֵר וּמִשָּׁב וַיָּשִׂימוּ אֶֽרֶץ־חֶמְדָּה לְשַׁמָּֽה׃ |
