Ζαχαρίας 7
1 καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ τετάρτῳ ἔτει ἐπὶ Δαρείου τοῦ βασιλέως ἐγένετο λόγος κυρίου πρὸς Ζαχαριαν τετράδι τοῦ μηνὸς τοῦ ἐνάτου ὅς ἐστιν Χασελευ
When Darius had been the emperor for almost four years, on December 7, Yahweh gave me [another] message.
2 καὶ ἐξαπέστειλεν εἰς Βαιθηλ Σαρασαρ καὶ Αρβεσεερ ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ οἱ ἄνδρες αὐτοῦ τοῦ ἐξιλάσασθαι τὸν κύριον
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 λέγων πρὸς τοὺς ἱερεῖς τοὺς ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ κυρίου παντοκράτορος καὶ πρὸς τοὺς προφήτας λέγων εἰσελήλυθεν ὧδε ἐν τῷ μηνὶ τῷ πέμπτῳ τὸ ἁγίασμα καθότι ἐποίησα ἤδη ἱκανὰ ἔτη
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 καὶ ἐγένετο λόγος κυρίου τῶν δυνάμεων πρός με λέγων
Then the Commander of the armies of angels gave me a message.
5 εἰπὸν πρὸς ἅπαντα τὸν λαὸν τῆς γῆς καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ἱερεῖς λέγων ἐὰν νηστεύσητε ἢ κόψησθε ἐν ταῖς πέμπταις ἢ ἐν ταῖς ἑβδόμαις καὶ ἰδοὺ ἑβδομήκοντα ἔτη μὴ νηστείαν νενηστεύκατέ μοι
[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 καὶ ἐὰν φάγητε ἢ πίητε οὐχ ὑμεῖς ἔσθετε καὶ ὑμεῖς πίνετε
And when they ate and drank, it was really [RHQ] to [benefit] themselves.
7 οὐχ οὗτοι οἱ λόγοι εἰσίν οὓς ἐλάλησεν κύριος ἐν χερσὶν τῶν προφητῶν τῶν ἔμπροσθεν ὅτε ἦν Ιερουσαλημ κατοικουμένη καὶ εὐθηνοῦσα καὶ αἱ πόλεις αὐτῆς κυκλόθεν καὶ ἡ ὀρεινὴ καὶ ἡ πεδινὴ κατῳκεῖτο
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 καὶ ἐγένετο λόγος κυρίου πρὸς Ζαχαριαν λέγων
Yahweh gave another message to me, saying
9 τάδε λέγει κύριος παντοκράτωρ κρίμα δίκαιον κρίνατε καὶ ἔλεος καὶ οἰκτιρμὸν ποιεῖτε ἕκαστος πρὸς τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ
“[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 καὶ χήραν καὶ ὀρφανὸν καὶ προσήλυτον καὶ πένητα μὴ καταδυναστεύετε καὶ κακίαν ἕκαστος τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ μὴ μνησικακείτω ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ὑμῶν
Do not (oppress/treat cruelly) widows or orphans or foreigners or poor people. Do not even think about doing evil to anyone else.’”
11 καὶ ἠπείθησαν τοῦ προσέχειν καὶ ἔδωκαν νῶτον παραφρονοῦντα καὶ τὰ ὦτα αὐτῶν ἐβάρυναν τοῦ μὴ εἰσακούειν
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 καὶ τὴν καρδίαν αὐτῶν ἔταξαν ἀπειθῆ τοῦ μὴ εἰσακούειν τοῦ νόμου μου καὶ τοὺς λόγους οὓς ἐξαπέστειλεν κύριος παντοκράτωρ ἐν πνεύματι αὐτοῦ ἐν χερσὶν τῶν προφητῶν τῶν ἔμπροσθεν καὶ ἐγένετο ὀργὴ μεγάλη παρὰ κυρίου παντοκράτορος
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 καὶ ἔσται ὃν τρόπον εἶπεν καὶ οὐκ εἰσήκουσαν αὐτοῦ οὕτως κεκράξονται καὶ οὐ μὴ εἰσακούσω λέγει κύριος παντοκράτωρ
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 καὶ ἐκβαλῶ αὐτοὺς εἰς πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ἃ οὐκ ἔγνωσαν καὶ ἡ γῆ ἀφανισθήσεται κατόπισθεν αὐτῶν ἐκ διοδεύοντος καὶ ἐξ ἀναστρέφοντος καὶ ἔταξαν γῆν ἐκλεκτὴν εἰς ἀφανισμόν
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).”
