Add parallel Print Page Options

譴責不誠懇的禁食

大流士王第四年九月,就是基斯流月初四,耶和華的話臨到撒迦利亞 那時伯特利人已經差遣沙利色利堅‧米勒[a],並他們的人,去懇求耶和華的恩, 問萬軍之耶和華殿中的祭司,又問先知:「我當如歷年以來所行,在五月哭泣齋戒嗎?」 萬軍之耶和華的話臨到我,說: 「你要向這地全體百姓和祭司說:『你們這七十年來,在五月、七月禁食悲哀,豈是真的向我禁食嗎? 你們吃喝,不是為自己吃,為自己喝嗎? 耶路撒冷和四圍的城鎮有人居住,享繁榮,尼革夫[b]謝非拉[c]也有人居住的時候,耶和華藉從前的先知所宣告的,你們不當聽嗎?』」

被擄的原因

耶和華的話臨到撒迦利亞,說: 「萬軍之耶和華如此說:你們要按真正的公平來審判,彼此以慈愛憐憫相待。 10 不可欺壓寡婦、孤兒、寄居的和困苦的人。誰都不可心裏謀害弟兄。 11 他們卻不留意;聳肩悖逆,耳朵發沉,不肯聽從。 12 他們的心堅硬如金剛石,不聽律法和萬軍之耶和華藉着他的靈差遣從前先知所說的話。因此,萬軍之耶和華大發烈怒。 13 萬軍之耶和華說:我曾呼喚他們,他們不聽;將來他們呼求我,我也不聽! 14 我必以旋風將他們吹散到素不認識的萬國中。他們離開以後,地就荒涼,無人來往經過;他們使美好之地荒涼了。」

Footnotes

  1. 7.2 「利堅‧米勒」:原文另譯「國王的重臣」。
  2. 7.7 「尼革夫」是音譯,意思是「曠野乾旱的地方」,指「南方之地」。
  3. 7.7 「謝非拉」是音譯,意思是「低地」。

And it came to pass in the fourth year of king Darius, that the word of the Lord came unto Zechariah in the fourth day of the ninth month, even in Chisleu;

When they had sent unto the house of God Sherezer and Regemmelech, and their men, to pray before the Lord,

And to speak unto the priests which were in the house of the Lord of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done these so many years?

Then came the word of the Lord of hosts unto me, saying,

Speak unto all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh month, even those seventy years, did ye at all fast unto me, even to me?

And when ye did eat, and when ye did drink, did not ye eat for yourselves, and drink for yourselves?

Should ye not hear the words which the Lord hath cried by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and in prosperity, and the cities thereof round about her, when men inhabited the south and the plain?

And the word of the Lord came unto Zechariah, saying,

Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother:

10 And oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart.

11 But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear.

12 Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the Lord of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the Lord of hosts.

13 Therefore it is come to pass, that as he cried, and they would not hear; so they cried, and I would not hear, saith the Lord of hosts:

14 But I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations whom they knew not. Thus the land was desolate after them, that no man passed through nor returned: for they laid the pleasant land desolate.

A Call for Justice and Mercy

(A)In the fourth year of King Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, which is (B)Chislev. Now the people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regem-melech and their men (C)to entreat the favor of the Lord, (D)saying to the priests of the house of the Lord of hosts and (E)the prophets, “Should I weep and (F)abstain in (G)the fifth month, as I have done for so many years?”

Then the word of the Lord of hosts came to me: “Say to all the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in (H)the fifth month and in (I)the seventh, for these (J)seventy years, (K)was it (L)for me that you fasted? (M)And when you eat and when you drink, do you not eat for yourselves and drink for yourselves? (N)Were not these the words that the Lord proclaimed (O)by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and prosperous, (P)with her cities around her, and the (Q)South and the (R)lowland were inhabited?’”

And the word of the Lord came to Zechariah, saying, “Thus says the Lord of hosts, (S)Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another, 10 (T)do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, (U)or the poor, and (V)let none of you devise evil against another in your heart.” 11 But (W)they refused to pay attention (X)and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears that they might not hear.[a] 12 (Y)They made their hearts diamond-hard (Z)lest they should hear the law and the words that the Lord of hosts had sent (AA)by his Spirit through (AB)the former prophets. (AC)Therefore great anger came from the Lord of hosts. 13 (AD)“As I[b] called, and they would not hear, (AE)so they called, and I would not hear,” says the Lord of hosts, 14 (AF)“and I scattered them with a whirlwind among all (AG)the nations that they had not known. (AH)Thus the land they left was desolate, (AI)so that no one went to and fro, (AJ)and the pleasant land was made desolate.”

Footnotes

  1. Zechariah 7:11 Hebrew and made their ears too heavy to hear
  2. Zechariah 7:13 Hebrew he