Zechariah 7

1 In the fourth year of King Darius, the LORD’s word came to Zechariah in the fourth day of the ninth month, the month of Chislev.

達理阿王四年九月，即「基色婁」月四日，上主的話傳給匝加利亞。

2 The people of Bethel sent Sharezer and Regem Melech and their men to entreat the LORD’s favour,

由貝特耳派遺了官員撒辣責爾和他的侍從去向上主請示，

3 and to speak to the priests of the house of the LORD of Armies and to the prophets, saying, “Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done these so many years?”

去問上主殿裏的司祭和q們 2我是否在五月裏仍要哭泣和齋戒，像我多年以來所作的一樣﹖」

4 Then the word of the LORD of Armies came to me, saying,

那時萬軍木的話傳給我說：

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?

「你向國全體民眾和司祭們說：你們在五月和七月齋戒哭泣，至今已七十年了，豈是為了我而齋戒嗎﹖

6 When you eat and when you drink, don’t you eat for yourselves and drink for yourselves?

你們幾時吃喝，豈不是為你們自己吃，為你們自己喝嗎﹖

7 Aren’t these the words which the LORD proclaimed by the former prophets when Jerusalem was inhabited and in prosperity, and its cities around her, and the South and the lowland were inhabited?’”

難道你們不知道，當耶路撒冷還有人安居，她四週的城邑，南部平原也有人居住時，上主藉先知們所宣佈的訓令嗎﹖」

8 The LORD’s word came to Zechariah, saying,

那時，上主有話傳給匝加利亞說：

9 “Thus has the LORD of Armies spoken, saying, ‘Execute true judgement, and show kindness and compassion every man to his brother.

「萬軍的上主這樣說：你們應照公正裁判，以仁義和友愛彼此相待；

10 Don’t oppress the widow, the fatherless, the foreigner, nor the poor; and let none of you devise evil against his brother in your heart.’

不可欺壓寡婦和孤兒，外方人和貧窮人；不可心中圖謀惡事陷害人。

11 But they refused to listen, and turned their backs, and stopped their ears, that they might not hear.

但是你們不肯聽從，硬著頭頸，充耳不聞。

12 Yes, they made their hearts as hard as flint, lest they might hear the law and the words which the LORD of Armies had sent by his Spirit by the former prophets. Therefore great wrath came from the LORD of Armies.

他們使自己的心硬如金剛石，不聽從法律，和萬軍的上主以自己的神感動古先知們所發表的訓令，為此，萬軍的上主曾大發憤怒。

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 the LORD of Armies;

那麼，就如我呼喚時，你們不肯聽；同樣他們呼喊時，我也不肯聽──萬軍的上主說──

14 “but I will scatter them with a whirlwind amongst 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.”

因此，我把他們驅散到他們所不認識的各民族中，以致他們去後，國土荒廢，無人住來；他們竟使美好的土地變成了一片荒野。」