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Chapter 7
A Call to Justice and Mercy
1
In the fourth year of King… Darius, the word of the LORD came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, the month of Chislev.
𐤀𐤓𐤁𐤏 𐤁𐤔𐤍𐤕 𐤄𐤌𐤋𐤊 𐤄𐤉𐤄 𐤋𐤃𐤓𐤉𐤅𐤔 𐤃𐤁𐤓 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 𐤅𐤉𐤄𐤉 𐤀𐤋 𐤆𐤊𐤓𐤉𐤄 𐤁𐤀𐤓𐤁𐤏𐤄 𐤄𐤕𐤔𐤏𐤉 𐤋𐤇𐤃𐤔 𐤁𐤊𐤎𐤋𐤅
אַרְבַּ֔ע בִּשְׁנַ֣ת הַמֶּ֑לֶךְ הָיָ֨ה לְדָרְיָ֖וֶשׁ דְבַר־ יְהוָ֜ה וַֽיְהִי֙ אֶל־ זְכַרְיָ֗ה בְּאַרְבָּעָ֛ה הַתְּשִׁעִ֖י לַחֹ֥דֶשׁ בְּכִסְלֵֽו׃ ’ar·ba‘ biš·naṯ ham·me·leḵ hā·yāh lə·ḏā·rə·yā·weš ḏə·ḇar- Yah·weh way·hî ’el- zə·ḵar·yāh bə·’ar·bā·‘āh hat·tə·ši·‘î la·ḥō·ḏeš bə·ḵis·lêw — WLC · 1
2
vvv Now the people of Bethel had sent vvv Sharezer vvv and Regem-melech, along with their men, to plead before the LORD
𐤁𐤉𐤕 𐤀𐤋 𐤅𐤉𐤔𐤋𐤇 𐤔𐤓 𐤀𐤑𐤓 𐤅𐤓𐤂𐤌 𐤌𐤋𐤊 𐤅𐤀𐤍𐤔𐤉𐤅 𐤋𐤇𐤋𐤅𐤕 𐤀𐤕 𐤐𐤍𐤉 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄
בֵּֽית־ אֵ֔ל וַיִּשְׁלַח֙ שַׂר־ אֶ֕צֶר וְרֶ֥גֶם מֶ֖לֶךְ וַֽאֲנָשָׁ֑יו לְחַלּ֖וֹת אֶת־ פְּנֵ֥י יְהוָֽה׃ bêṯ- ’êl way·yiš·laḥ śar- ’e·ṣer wə·re·ḡem me·leḵ wa·’ă·nā·šāw lə·ḥal·lō·wṯ ’eṯ- pə·nê Yah·weh — WLC · 2
3
by asking… the priests of the house of the LORD of Hosts, as well as the prophets…, “Should I weep and fast in the fifth month, as I have done these many years?”
𐤋𐤀𐤌𐤓 𐤀𐤋 𐤄𐤊𐤄𐤍𐤉𐤌 𐤀𐤔𐤓 𐤋𐤁𐤉𐤕 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 𐤑𐤁𐤀𐤅𐤕 𐤅𐤀𐤋 𐤄𐤍𐤁𐤉𐤀𐤉𐤌 𐤋𐤀𐤌𐤓 𐤄𐤀𐤁𐤊𐤄 𐤄𐤍𐤆𐤓 𐤄𐤇𐤌𐤔𐤉 𐤁𐤇𐤃𐤔 𐤊𐤀𐤔𐤓 𐤏𐤔𐤉𐤕𐤉 𐤆𐤄 𐤊𐤌𐤄 𐤔𐤍𐤉𐤌𐤐
לֵאמֹ֗ר אֶל־ הַכֹּֽהֲנִים֙ אֲשֶׁר֙ לְבֵית־ יְהוָ֣ה צְבָא֔וֹת וְאֶל־ הַנְּבִיאִ֖ים לֵאמֹ֑ר הַֽאֶבְכֶּה֙ הִנָּזֵ֕ר הַחֲמִשִׁ֔י בַּחֹ֣דֶשׁ כַּאֲשֶׁ֣ר עָשִׂ֔יתִי זֶ֖ה כַּמֶּ֥ה שָׁנִֽים׃פ lê·mōr ’el- hak·kō·hă·nîm ’ă·šer lə·ḇêṯ- Yah·weh ṣə·ḇā·’ō·wṯ wə·’el- han·nə·ḇî·’îm lê·mōr ha·’eḇ·keh hin·nā·zêr ha·ḥă·mi·šî ba·ḥō·ḏeš ka·’ă·šer ‘ā·śî·ṯî zeh kam·meh šā·nîm — WLC · 3
4
Then the word of the LORD of Hosts came to me, saying,
𐤃𐤁𐤓 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 𐤑𐤁𐤀𐤅𐤕 𐤅𐤉𐤄𐤉 𐤀𐤋𐤉 𐤋𐤀𐤌𐤓
דְּבַר־ יְהוָ֥ה צְבָא֖וֹת וַיְהִ֛י אֵלַ֥י לֵאמֹֽר׃ də·ḇar- Yah·weh ṣə·ḇā·’ō·wṯ way·hî ’ê·lay lê·mōr — WLC · 4
5
“Ask… all the people of the land… and the priests…, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months for these seventy years, {was it really} for Me that you fasted…?
𐤀𐤌𐤓 𐤀𐤋 𐤊𐤋 𐤏𐤌 𐤄𐤀𐤓𐤑 𐤅𐤀𐤋 𐤄𐤊𐤄𐤍𐤉𐤌 𐤋𐤀𐤌𐤓 𐤊𐤉 𐤑𐤌𐤕𐤌 𐤅𐤎𐤐𐤅𐤃 𐤁𐤇𐤌𐤉𐤔𐤉 𐤅𐤁𐤔𐤁𐤉𐤏𐤉 𐤅𐤆𐤄 𐤔𐤁𐤏𐤉𐤌 𐤔𐤍𐤄 𐤀𐤍𐤉 𐤄𐤑𐤅𐤌 𐤑𐤌𐤕𐤍𐤉
אֱמֹר֙ אֶל־ כָּל־ עַ֣ם הָאָ֔רֶץ וְאֶל־ הַכֹּהֲנִ֖ים לֵאמֹ֑ר כִּֽי־ צַמְתֶּ֨ם וְסָפ֜וֹד בַּחֲמִישִׁ֣י וּבַשְּׁבִיעִ֗י וְזֶה֙ שִׁבְעִ֣ים שָׁנָ֔ה אָֽנִי׃ הֲצ֥וֹם צַמְתֻּ֖נִי ’ĕ·mōr ’el- kāl- ‘am hā·’ā·reṣ wə·’el- hak·kō·hă·nîm lê·mōr kî- ṣam·tem wə·sā·p̄ō·wḏ ba·ḥă·mî·šî ū·ḇaš·šə·ḇî·‘î wə·zeh šiḇ·‘îm šā·nāh ’ā·nî hă·ṣō·wm ṣam·tu·nî — WLC · 5
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And when you were eating… and drinking, were you not [doing so]… simply for yourselves?
𐤅𐤊𐤉 𐤕𐤀𐤊𐤋𐤅 𐤅𐤊𐤉 𐤕𐤔𐤕𐤅 𐤄𐤋𐤅𐤀 𐤀𐤕𐤌 𐤄𐤀𐤊𐤋𐤉𐤌 𐤅𐤀𐤕𐤌 𐤄𐤔𐤕𐤉𐤌
וְכִ֥י תֹאכְל֖וּ וְכִ֣י תִשְׁתּ֑וּ הֲל֤וֹא אַתֶּם֙ הָאֹ֣כְלִ֔ים וְאַתֶּ֖ם הַשֹּׁתִֽים׃ wə·ḵî ṯō·ḵə·lū wə·ḵî ṯiš·tū hă·lō·w ’at·tem hā·’ō·ḵə·lîm wə·’at·tem haš·šō·ṯîm — WLC · 6
7
Are these not the words that the LORD proclaimed through the earlier prophets, when Jerusalem and its surrounding towns were populous and prosperous, and the Negev and the foothills were inhabited?’”
𐤄𐤋𐤅𐤀 𐤀𐤕 𐤄𐤃𐤁𐤓𐤉𐤌 𐤀𐤔𐤓 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 𐤒𐤓𐤀 𐤁𐤉𐤃 𐤄𐤓𐤀𐤔𐤍𐤉𐤌 𐤄𐤍𐤁𐤉𐤀𐤉𐤌 𐤉𐤓𐤅𐤔𐤋𐤌 𐤎𐤁𐤉𐤁𐤕𐤉𐤄 𐤅𐤏𐤓𐤉𐤄 𐤁𐤄𐤉𐤅𐤕 𐤉𐤔𐤁𐤕 𐤅𐤔𐤋𐤅𐤄 𐤅𐤄𐤍𐤂𐤁 𐤅𐤄𐤔𐤐𐤋𐤄 𐤉𐤔𐤁𐤐
הֲל֣וֹא אֶת־ הַדְּבָרִ֗ים אֲשֶׁ֨ר יְהוָה֙ קָרָ֤א בְּיַד֙ הָרִֽאשֹׁנִ֔ים הַנְּבִיאִ֣ים יְרוּשָׁלִַ֙ם֙ סְבִיבֹתֶ֑יהָ וְעָרֶ֖יהָ בִּהְי֤וֹת יֹשֶׁ֣בֶת וּשְׁלֵוָ֔ה וְהַנֶּ֥גֶב וְהַשְּׁפֵלָ֖ה יֹשֵֽׁב׃פ hă·lō·w ’eṯ- had·də·ḇā·rîm ’ă·šer Yah·weh qā·rā bə·yaḏ hā·ri·šō·nîm han·nə·ḇî·’îm yə·rū·šā·lim sə·ḇî·ḇō·ṯe·hā wə·‘ā·re·hā bih·yō·wṯ yō·še·ḇeṯ ū·šə·lê·wāh wə·han·ne·ḡeḇ wə·haš·šə·p̄ê·lāh yō·šêḇ — WLC · 7
8
Then the word of the LORD came to Zechariah, saying,
𐤃𐤁𐤓 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 𐤅𐤉𐤄𐤉 𐤀𐤋 𐤆𐤊𐤓𐤉𐤄 𐤋𐤀𐤌𐤓
דְּבַר־ יְהוָ֔ה וַֽיְהִי֙ אֶל־ זְכַרְיָ֖ה לֵאמֹֽר׃ də·ḇar- Yah·weh way·hî ’el- zə·ḵar·yāh lê·mōr — WLC · 8
9
“This is what the LORD of Hosts… says: ‘Administer true justice. Show loving devotion and compassion to one another.
𐤊𐤄 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 𐤑𐤁𐤀𐤅𐤕 𐤋𐤀𐤌𐤓 𐤀𐤌𐤓 𐤔𐤐𐤈𐤅 𐤀𐤌𐤕 𐤌𐤔𐤐𐤈 𐤏𐤔𐤅 𐤅𐤇𐤎𐤃 𐤅𐤓𐤇𐤌𐤉𐤌 𐤀𐤕 𐤀𐤉𐤔 𐤀𐤇𐤉𐤅
כֹּ֥ה יְהוָ֥ה צְבָא֖וֹת לֵאמֹ֑ר אָמַ֛ר שְׁפֹ֔טוּ אֱמֶת֙ מִשְׁפַּ֤ט עֲשׂ֖וּ וְחֶ֣סֶד וְרַֽחֲמִ֔ים אֶת־ אִ֥ישׁ אָחִֽיו׃ kōh Yah·weh ṣə·ḇā·’ō·wṯ lê·mōr ’ā·mar šə·p̄ō·ṭū ’ĕ·meṯ miš·paṭ ‘ă·śū wə·ḥe·seḏ wə·ra·ḥă·mîm ’eṯ- ’îš ’ā·ḥîw — WLC · 9
10
Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. And do not plot evil in your hearts against one another.’
𐤀𐤋 𐤕𐤏𐤔𐤒𐤅 𐤅𐤀𐤋𐤌𐤍𐤄 𐤅𐤉𐤕𐤅𐤌 𐤂𐤓 𐤅𐤏𐤍𐤉 𐤀𐤋 𐤕𐤇𐤔𐤁𐤅 𐤅𐤓𐤏𐤕 𐤁𐤋𐤁𐤁𐤊𐤌 𐤀𐤉𐤔 𐤀𐤇𐤉𐤅
אַֽל־ תַּעֲשֹׁ֑קוּ וְאַלְמָנָ֧ה וְיָת֛וֹם גֵּ֥ר וְעָנִ֖י אַֽל־ תַּחְשְׁב֖וּ וְרָעַת֙ בִּלְבַבְכֶֽם׃ אִ֣ישׁ אָחִ֔יו ’al- ta·‘ă·šō·qū wə·’al·mā·nāh wə·yā·ṯō·wm gêr wə·‘ā·nî ’al- taḥ·šə·ḇū wə·rā·‘aṯ bil·ḇaḇ·ḵem ’îš ’ā·ḥîw — WLC · 10
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But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder; they stopped up their ears from hearing.
𐤅𐤉𐤌𐤀𐤍𐤅 𐤋𐤄𐤒𐤔𐤉𐤁 𐤅𐤉𐤕𐤍𐤅 𐤎𐤓𐤓𐤕 𐤊𐤕𐤐 𐤄𐤊𐤁𐤉𐤃𐤅 𐤅𐤀𐤆𐤍𐤉𐤄𐤌 𐤌𐤔𐤌𐤅𐤏
וַיְמָאֲנ֣וּ לְהַקְשִׁ֔יב וַיִּתְּנ֥וּ סֹרָ֑רֶת כָתֵ֖ף הִכְבִּ֥ידוּ וְאָזְנֵיהֶ֖ם מִשְּׁמֽוֹעַ׃ way·mā·’ă·nū lə·haq·šîḇ way·yit·tə·nū sō·rā·reṯ ḵā·ṯêp̄ hiḵ·bî·ḏū wə·’ā·zə·nê·hem miš·šə·mō·w·a‘ — WLC · 11
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They made their hearts [like] flint and would not listen to the law or to the words that the LORD of Hosts had sent by His Spirit through the earlier prophets. Therefore great anger came from the LORD of Hosts.
𐤔𐤌𐤅 𐤅𐤋𐤁𐤌 𐤔𐤌𐤉𐤓 𐤌𐤔𐤌𐤅𐤏 𐤀𐤕 𐤄𐤕𐤅𐤓𐤄 𐤅𐤀𐤕 𐤄𐤃𐤁𐤓𐤉𐤌 𐤀𐤔𐤓 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 𐤑𐤁𐤀𐤅𐤕 𐤔𐤋𐤇 𐤁𐤓𐤅𐤇𐤅 𐤁𐤉𐤃 𐤄𐤓𐤀𐤔𐤍𐤉𐤌 𐤄𐤍𐤁𐤉𐤀𐤉𐤌 𐤂𐤃𐤅𐤋 𐤒𐤑𐤐 𐤅𐤉𐤄𐤉 𐤌𐤀𐤕 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 𐤑𐤁𐤀𐤅𐤕
שָׂ֣מוּ וְלִבָּ֞ם שָׁמִ֗יר מִ֠שְּׁמוֹעַ אֶת־ הַתּוֹרָ֤ה וְאֶת־ הַדְּבָרִים֙ אֲשֶׁ֨ר יְהוָ֤ה צְבָאוֹת֙ שָׁלַ֜ח בְּרוּח֔וֹ בְּיַ֖ד הָרִֽאשֹׁנִ֑ים הַנְּבִיאִ֣ים גָּד֔וֹל קֶ֣צֶף וַֽיְהִי֙ מֵאֵ֖ת יְהוָ֥ה צְבָאֽוֹת׃ śā·mū wə·lib·bām šā·mîr miš·šə·mō·w·a‘ ’eṯ- hat·tō·w·rāh wə·’eṯ- had·də·ḇā·rîm ’ă·šer Yah·weh ṣə·ḇā·’ō·wṯ šā·laḥ bə·rū·ḥōw bə·yaḏ hā·ri·šō·nîm han·nə·ḇî·’îm gā·ḏō·wl qe·ṣep̄ way·hî mê·’êṯ Yah·weh ṣə·ḇā·’ō·wṯ — WLC · 12
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And just as I had called and they would not listen, so when they called I would not listen, says the LORD of Hosts.
𐤅𐤉𐤄𐤉 𐤊𐤀𐤔𐤓 𐤒𐤓𐤀 𐤅𐤋𐤀 𐤔𐤌𐤏𐤅 𐤊𐤍 𐤉𐤒𐤓𐤀𐤅 𐤅𐤋𐤀 𐤀𐤔𐤌𐤏 𐤀𐤌𐤓 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 𐤑𐤁𐤀𐤅𐤕
וַיְהִ֥י כַאֲשֶׁר־ קָרָ֖א וְלֹ֣א שָׁמֵ֑עוּ כֵּ֤ן יִקְרְאוּ֙ וְלֹ֣א אֶשְׁמָ֔ע אָמַ֖ר יְהוָ֥ה צְבָאֽוֹת׃ way·hî ḵa·’ă·šer- qā·rā wə·lō šā·mê·‘ū kên yiq·rə·’ū wə·lō ’eš·mā‘ ’ā·mar Yah·weh ṣə·ḇā·’ō·wṯ — WLC · 13
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But I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations that they had not known, and the land was left desolate behind them so that no one could come or go. Thus they turned the pleasant land into a desolation.”
𐤅𐤀𐤎𐤏𐤓𐤌 𐤏𐤋 𐤊𐤋 𐤄𐤂𐤅𐤉𐤌 𐤀𐤔𐤓 𐤋𐤀 𐤉𐤃𐤏𐤅𐤌 𐤅𐤄𐤀𐤓𐤑 𐤍𐤔𐤌𐤄 𐤀𐤇𐤓𐤉𐤄𐤌 𐤌𐤏𐤁𐤓 𐤅𐤌𐤔𐤁 𐤅𐤉𐤔𐤉𐤌𐤅 𐤇𐤌𐤃𐤄 𐤀𐤓𐤑 𐤋𐤔𐤌𐤄𐤐
וְאֵ֣סָעֲרֵ֗ם עַ֤ל כָּל־ הַגּוֹיִם֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר לֹֽא־ יְדָע֔וּם וְהָאָ֙רֶץ֙ נָשַׁ֣מָּה אַֽחֲרֵיהֶ֔ם מֵֽעֹבֵ֖ר וּמִשָּׁ֑ב וַיָּשִׂ֥ימוּ חֶמְדָּ֖ה אֶֽרֶץ־ לְשַׁמָּֽה׃פ wə·’ê·sā·‘ă·rêm ‘al kāl- hag·gō·w·yim ’ă·šer lō- yə·ḏā·‘ūm wə·hā·’ā·reṣ nā·šam·māh ’a·ḥă·rê·hem mê·‘ō·ḇêr ū·miš·šāḇ way·yā·śî·mū ḥem·dāh ’e·reṣ- lə·šam·māh — WLC · 14