Zechariah 7
1 When Darius had been the emperor for almost four years, on December 7, Yahweh gave me [another] message.
Na i te wha o nga tau o Kingi Tariuha ka puta mai te kupu a Ihowa ki a Hakaraia, i te wha o nga ra o te iwa o nga marama, ara o Kihereu.
2 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.
Na kua unga e te hunga o Peteere a Haretere raua ko Rekeme Mereke, me a raua tangata, ki te inoi manaaki i a Ihowa,
3 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]?”
A hei korero hoki ki nga tohunga o te whare o Ihowa o nga mano, ki nga poropiti hoki, hei mea, Me tangi ranei ahau i te rima o nga marama, me te wehe i ahau, me pera me taku i mea ai i enei tau ka maha?
4 Then the Commander of the armies of angels gave me a message.
Na ka puta mai te kupu a Ihowa o nga mano ki ahau, ka mea,
5 [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].
Korero ki nga tangata katoa o te whenua, ratou ko nga tohunga, mea atu, I a koutou i nohopuku ra, i tangi ra, i te rima, i te whitu o nga marama, ara i enei tau e whitu tekau, he nohopuku ranei ta koutou ki ahau? ki ahau koia?
6 And when they ate and drank, it was really [RHQ] to [benefit] themselves.
A i a koutou e kai nei, e inu nei, he teka ianei ma koutou ano ta koutou e kai ai, e inu ai?
7 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].”
Ehara ianei i te mea kia rongo koutou i nga kupu i karangatia e Ihowa, ara e nga poropiti o mua, i te mea e nohoia ana a Hiruharama, e noho rangatira ana, me ona pa ano a taka noa, i te mea hoki e nohoia ana te tonga me te mania?
8 Yahweh gave another message to me, saying
I puta mai ano te kupu a Ihowa ki a Hakaraia, i mea,
9 “[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.
Ko te kupu tenei a Ihowa o nga mano, e mea ana, Kia pono te whakarite o te whakawa, kia puta te aroha me te tohu tangata ki tona tuakana, ki tona teina.
10 Do not (oppress/treat cruelly) widows or orphans or foreigners or poor people. Do not even think about doing evil to anyone else.’”
Kaua hoki e tukinotia te pouaru, te pani, te manene, te ware; kaua hoki e whakaaroa he kino i roto i o koutou ngakau ki tona tuakana, ki tona teina.
11 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].
Heoi kihai ratou i pai ki te whakarongo, kei te whakahoki i te pokohiwi, kei te whakapuhoi i o ratou taringa kei rongo.
12 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.
Ae ra, i meinga e ratou o ratou ngakau kia rite ki te taimana kei rongo ratou ki te ture, ki nga kupu hoki i unga atu e Ihowa o nga mano, he mea na tona wairua, na te ringa o nga poropiti o mua; na reira ka puta mai he riri nui i a Ihowa o nga m ano.
13 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.
Na, i tana karangatanga, kihai ratou i rongo; waihoki ka karanga ratou, a e kore ahau e rongo, e ai ta Ihowa o nga mano:
14 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).”
Otiia ka aia atu ratou e ahau ki te paroro ki waenga i nga iwi katoa kihai i mohiotia e ratou. Heoi ururua ana te whenua i muri i a ratou, te haerea, te hokia; na ratou hoki i mea te whenua ahuareka kia ururua.
