Zechariah 7
1 The Lord sent a message to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, the month of Chislev. This was during the fourth year of king Darius' reign.
Na rĩrĩ, mwaka-inĩ wa ĩna wa ũthamaki wa Dario, ndũmĩrĩri ya Jehova nĩyakinyĩire Zekaria, mũthenya wa kana wa mweri wa kenda, na nĩguo mweri wa Kiselevu.
2 Bethel-sharezer sent Regem-melech and his men to ask for the Lord's blessing.
Andũ a Betheli nĩmatũmĩte Sharezeru na Regemu-Meleku hamwe na andũ ao magathaithe Jehova
3 They were to ask the priests of the Temple of the Lord Almighty and the prophets, “Should I go on mourning and fasting in the fifth month, as I have done for so many years?”
na kũũria athĩnjĩri-Ngai a nyũmba ya Jehova Mwene-Hinya-Wothe na anabii atĩrĩ, “Nĩnjagĩrĩirwo nĩ gũcakaya na kwĩhinga kũrĩa irio mweri wa gatano, ta ũrĩa njĩkĩte mĩaka mĩingĩ?”
4 The Lord Almighty sent a message to me saying,
Ningĩ ndũmĩrĩri ya Jehova Mwene-Hinya-Wothe nĩyanginyĩrire akĩnjĩĩra atĩrĩ,
5 Tell everyone in the land and the priests, when you fasted and mourned in the fifth month and the seventh month during these seventy years, was it really me you were fasting for?
“Ũria andũ othe a bũrũri o na athĩnjĩri-Ngai atĩrĩ, ‘Rĩrĩa mwehingaga kũrĩa irio mũgĩcakayaga mweri-inĩ wa gatano na wa mũgwanja ihinda rĩa mĩaka mĩrongo mũgwanja-rĩ, ti-itherũ mwehingaga kũrĩa irio nĩ ũndũ wakwa?
6 And when you eat and drink, don't you eat and drink for yourselves?
Na rĩrĩa mwarĩĩaga na mũkanyua-rĩ, githĩ mũtiarĩĩaga ndĩa ĩyo nĩ ũndũ wa inyuĩ ene?
7 Isn't this what the Lord told you to do through the former prophets, when Jerusalem was prosperous and inhabited, and when people were living in the Negev and the Shephelah?
Githĩ ici ticio ciugo cia Jehova iria cianĩrĩirwo igereire harĩ anabii a tene, rĩrĩa Jerusalemu na matũũra marĩa maarĩthiũrũrũkĩirie maarĩ na ũhurũko na makaagaacĩra, nakuo Negevu na hũgũrũrũ-inĩ cia irĩma cia mwena wa ithũĩro nĩ gwatũũragwo nĩ andũ?’”
8 The Lord Almighty sent another message to me.
Ndũmĩrĩri ya Jehova nĩyakinyĩire Zekaria o rĩngĩ akĩĩrwo atĩrĩ:
9 This is what the Lord says. Judge fairly and truthfully. Show mercy and kindness to one another.
“Jehova Mwene-Hinya-Wothe ekuuga ũũ: ‘Tuagai ciira na kĩhooto; iguanagĩrai tha na mũcaayanagĩre mũndũ na ũrĩa ũngĩ.
10 Don't exploit those who are widowed or fatherless, foreigners or the poor. Don't think up ways of mistreating one other.
Mũtikanahinyĩrĩrie mũtumia wa ndigwa kana mwana wa ngoriai, kana mũndũ wa kũngĩ, kana mũthĩĩni. Mũtikaneciiranĩrie ũũru ngoro-inĩ cianyu.’
11 But they refused to listen. They were obstinate, turning their backs and closing their ears.
“No nĩmaregire kũigua; makĩngʼathia, na makĩhũgũka na magĩthinga matũ mao.
12 They made their minds unreceptive, as hard as stone. They refused to listen to the law or to what the Lord Almighty told them by his Spirit through the former prophets. That's why the Lord Almighty became very angry with them.
Nao makĩũmia ngoro ciao o ta ihiga rĩa nyaigĩ, na matingĩathikĩrĩirie watho kana ndũmĩrĩri ĩrĩa Jehova Mwene-Hinya-Wothe aamatũmĩire na Roho wake, aarĩtie na tũnua twa anabii a tene. Nĩ ũndũ ũcio, Jehova Mwene-Hinya-Wothe akĩrakara mũno.
13 So since they didn't listen when I called out to them, I wouldn't listen when they called out to me, says the Lord Almighty.
“Jehova Mwene-Hinya-Wothe ekuuga atĩrĩ, ‘Rĩrĩa ndeetanire, matiathikĩrĩirie; nĩ ũndũ ũcio rĩrĩa nao maanjĩtire, ndiamathikĩrĩirie.
14 With the winds of a storm I scattered them among the nations where they lived as foreigners. The land they left became so desolate that no one even traveled through it. They turned the Promised Land into a desert.
Nĩndamaharaganirie na kĩhuhũkanio kĩnene ndũrĩrĩ-inĩ ciothe, magĩtũũra kuo marĩ ageni. Bũrũri wao watigirwo ũkirĩte ihooru, na nĩ ũndũ ũcio gũkĩaga mũndũ ũngĩũtuĩkania kana acooke kuo. Ũguo nĩguo maatũmire bũrũri ũcio mwega ũkire ihooru.’”
