< Zechariah 7 >

1 It happened in the fourth year of king Daryavesh that the word of Jehovah came to Zechariah in 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 The people of Bethel sent Sharezer and Regem Melech, and their men, to entreat Jehovah's favor,
וַיִּשְׁלַח בֵּֽית־אֵל שַׂר־אֶצֶר וְרֶגֶם מֶלֶךְ וַֽאֲנָשָׁיו לְחַלּוֹת אֶת־פְּנֵי יְהֹוָֽה׃
3 and to speak to the priests of the house of Jehovah of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, "Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done these so 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 Jehovah of hosts came to me, saying,
וַיְהִי דְּבַר־יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת אֵלַי לֵאמֹֽר׃
5 "Speak to all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, 'When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and in the seventh month for these seventy years, did you at all fast to me, really to me?
אֱמֹר אֶל־כׇּל־עַם הָאָרֶץ וְאֶל־הַכֹּהֲנִים לֵאמֹר כִּֽי־צַמְתֶּם וְסָפוֹד בַּחֲמִישִׁי וּבַשְּׁבִיעִי וְזֶה שִׁבְעִים שָׁנָה הֲצוֹם צַמְתֻּנִי אָֽנִי׃
6 When you eat, and when you drink, do you not eat for yourselves, and drink for yourselves?
וְכִי תֹאכְלוּ וְכִי תִשְׁתּוּ הֲלוֹא אַתֶּם הָאֹכְלִים וְאַתֶּם הַשֹּׁתִֽים׃
7 Aren't these the words which Jehovah proclaimed by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and in prosperity, and its cities around her, and the Negev and the lowland were inhabited?'"
הֲלוֹא אֶת־הַדְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר קָרָא יְהֹוָה בְּיַד הַנְּבִיאִים הָרִֽאשֹׁנִים בִּהְיוֹת יְרוּשָׁלַ͏ִם יֹשֶׁבֶת וּשְׁלֵוָה וְעָרֶיהָ סְבִיבֹתֶיהָ וְהַנֶּגֶב וְהַשְּׁפֵלָה יֹשֵֽׁב׃
8 The word of Jehovah came to Zechariah, saying,
וַֽיְהִי דְּבַר־יְהֹוָה אֶל־זְכַרְיָה לֵאמֹֽר׃
9 "Thus has Jehovah of hosts spoken, saying, 'Execute true judgment, and show kindness and compassion every man to his brother.
כֹּה אָמַר יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת לֵאמֹר מִשְׁפַּט אֱמֶת שְׁפֹטוּ וְחֶסֶד וְרַֽחֲמִים עֲשׂוּ אִישׁ אֶת־אָחִֽיו׃
10 Do not oppress the widow, nor the fatherless, the foreigner, nor the poor; and let none of you devise evil against his brother in your heart.'
וְאַלְמָנָה וְיָתוֹם גֵּר וְעָנִי אַֽל־תַּעֲשֹׁקוּ וְרָעַת אִישׁ אָחִיו אַֽל־תַּחְשְׁבוּ בִּלְבַבְכֶֽם׃
11 But they refused to listen, and turned their backs, and stopped their ears, that they might not hear.
וַיְמָאֲנוּ לְהַקְשִׁיב וַיִּתְּנוּ כָתֵף סֹרָרֶת וְאׇזְנֵיהֶם הִכְבִּידוּ מִשְּׁמֽוֹעַ׃
12 Yes, they made their hearts as hard as flint, lest they might hear the law, and the words which Jehovah of hosts had sent by his Spirit by the former prophets. Therefore great wrath came from Jehovah 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 It has come to pass that, as he called, and they refused to listen, so they will call, and I will not listen," said Jehovah of hosts;
וַיְהִי כַאֲשֶׁר־קָרָא וְלֹא שָׁמֵעוּ כֵּן יִקְרְאוּ וְלֹא אֶשְׁמָע אָמַר יְהֹוָה צְבָאֽוֹת׃
14 "but I will scatter them with a whirlwind among all the nations which they have not known. Thus the land was desolate after them, so that no man passed through nor returned: for they made the pleasant land desolate."
וְאֵסָעֲרֵם עַל כׇּל־הַגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר לֹֽא־יְדָעוּם וְהָאָרֶץ נָשַׁמָּה אַֽחֲרֵיהֶם מֵֽעֹבֵר וּמִשָּׁב וַיָּשִׂימוּ אֶֽרֶץ־חֶמְדָּה לְשַׁמָּֽה׃

< Zechariah 7 >