Sakarias 7
1 Så var det i kong Darius' fjerde år, da kom Herrens ord til Sakarias på den fjerde dag i den niende måned, i måneden kislev.
When Darius had been the emperor for almost four years, on December 7, Yahweh gave me [another] message.
2 For Betel hadde sendt Sareser og Regem-Melek og hans menn for å bønnfalle Herren
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 og spørre prestene i Herrens, hærskarenes Guds hus og profetene: Skal vi gråte og faste i den femte måned, som vi nu har gjort i så mange år?
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 Da kom Herrens, hærskarenes Guds ord til mig, og det lød så:
Then the Commander of the armies of angels gave me a message.
5 Si til alt folket i landet og til prestene: Når I har fastet og klaget i den femte og i den syvende måned, og det nu i sytti år, er det da for min skyld I har fastet?
[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 Og når I eter og drikker, er det da ikke I selv som eter, og I selv som drikker?
And when they ate and drank, it was really [RHQ] to [benefit] themselves.
7 Minnes I ikke de ord Herren lot utrope ved de forrige profeter, da Jerusalem lå der i ro og fred med sine byer rundt om, og likeså sydlandet og lavlandet?
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 Og Herrens ord kom til Sakarias, og det lød så:
Yahweh gave another message to me, saying
9 Så sa Herren, hærskarenes Gud: Døm rettferdige dommer og vis miskunnhet og barmhjertighet mot hverandre,
“[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 og undertrykk ikke enker og farløse, fremmede og arminger, og tenk ikke ut ondt mot hverandre i eders hjerte!
Do not (oppress/treat cruelly) widows or orphans or foreigners or poor people. Do not even think about doing evil to anyone else.’”
11 Men de vilde ikke akte på det, men satte i sin gjenstridighet skulderen imot, og sine ører gjorde de døve, så de ikke hørte,
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 og sitt hjerte gjorde de hårdt som en diamant, så de ikke hørte på loven og de ord Herren, hærskarenes Gud, sendte ved sin Ånd gjennem de forrige profeter; derfor kom det en stor vrede fra Herren, hærskarenes Gud.
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 Og likesom han ropte, og de ikke hørte, således, sa Herren, hærskarenes Gud, skal de rope, og jeg vil ikke høre,
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 men jeg vil sprede dem som i en stormvind blandt alle hedningefolkene, som de ikke kjenner, og landet skal ligge øde efter dem, så ingen drar frem eller tilbake der. Og således gjorde de det herlige land til en ørken.
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).”
