Zechariah 7
1 And it came about in the fourth year of King Darius, that the word of the Lord came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, the month Chislev.
Mugore rechina raMambo Dhariasi, shoko raJehovha rakasvika kuna Zekaria pazuva rechina romwedzi wepfumbamwe, mumwedzi weKisirevhi.
2 Now they of Beth-el had sent Sharezer and Regem-melech to make a request for grace from the Lord,
Vanhu veBhetieri vakanga vatuma Sharezeri naRegemi-Mereki, pamwe chete navanhu vavo, kuti vaende kuna Jehovha
3 And to say to the priests of the house of the Lord of armies and to the prophets, Am I to go on weeping in the fifth month, separating myself as I have done in past years?
kundokumbira kuvaprista veimba yaJehovha Wamasimba Ose nokuvaprofita vachiti, “Ndochema nokutsanya nomwedzi wechishanu here, sezvandakaita kwamakore mazhinji aya?”
4 Then the word of the Lord of armies came to me, saying
Ipapo shoko raJehovha Wamasimba Ose rakasvika kwandiri richiti,
5 Say to all the people of the land and to the priests, When you went without food and gave yourselves to grief in the fifth and the seventh months for these seventy years, did you ever do it because of me?
“Bvunza vanhu vose venyika uye navaprista kuti, ‘Pamakatsanya uye mukachema mumwedzi wechishanu nowechinomwe kwamakore makumi manomwe akapfuura, makatsanyira ini zvechokwadi here?
6 And when you are feasting and drinking, are you not doing it only for yourselves?
Uye pamaidya nokunwa, makanga musingangozvifadzi here?
7 Are not these the words which the Lord said to you by the earlier prophets, when Jerusalem was full of people and wealth, and the towns round about her and the South and the Lowland were peopled?
Aya haasiwo here mashoko aJehovha akaparidzwa kubudikidza navaprofita vekare, Jerusarema namaguta aro akaripoteredza parakanga riri parugare uye richibudirira, uye nyika yeNegevhi nomujinga mezvikomo zvokumavirira muchakagarwa navanhu?’”
8 And the word of the Lord came to Zechariah, saying,
Uye shoko raJehovha rakasvikazve kuna Zekaria richiti,
9 This is what the Lord of armies has said: Let your judging be upright and done in good faith, let every man have mercy and pity for his brother:
“Zvanzi naJehovha Wamasimba Ose, ‘Tongai nokururamisira kwezvokwadi; muitirane tsitsi nenyasha.
10 Do not be hard on the widow, or the child without a father, on the man from a strange country, or on the poor; let there be no evil thought in your heart against your brother.
Musamanikidza chirikadzi kana nherera, mutorwa kana murombo. Musafungirana zvakaipa mumwoyo menyu.’
11 But they would not give attention, turning their backs and stopping their ears from hearing;
“Asi vakaramba kuteerera; mukuzvikudza vakafuratira uye vakadzivira nzeve dzavo.
12 And they made their hearts like the hardest stone, so that they might not give ear to the law and the words which the Lord of armies had said by the earlier prophets: and there came great wrath from the Lord of armies.
Vakaomesa mwoyo yavo sedombo romusarasara uye vakasateerera kumurayiro kana kumashoko aJehovha Wamasimba Ose aakanga atuma noMweya wake kubudikidza navaprofita vekare. Saka Jehovha Wamasimba Ose akatsamwa zvikuru.
13 And it came about that as they would not give ear to his voice, so I would not give ear to their voice, says the Lord of armies:
“‘Pandakadana, havana kuteerera; saka pavakadana, handina kuvateerera,’ ndizvo zvinotaura Jehovha Wamasimba Ose.
14 But with a storm-wind I sent them in flight among all the nations of whom they had no knowledge. So the land was waste after them, so that no man went through or came back: for they had made waste the desired land.
‘Ndakavaparadzira nechamupupuri pakati pendudzi dzose, uko kwavakava vatorwa. Nyika yakava dongo shure kwavo zvokuti hapana aizogona kupinda kana kubudamo. Izvi ndizvo zvavakaita kunyika yaifadza, ikava dongo.’”
