A Question about Going without Eating
1 On the fourth day of Chislev, the ninth month of the fourth year that Darius was king of Persia, the Lord again spoke to me. 2-3 It happened after the people of Bethel had sent Sharezer with Regem-Melech and his men to ask the priests in the Lord's temple and the prophets to pray for them. So they prayed, “Should we mourn and go without eating during the fifth month, as we have done for many years?”
4-5 It was then that the Lord All-Powerful told me to say to everyone in the country, including the priests:
For 70 years you have gone without eating during the fifth and seventh months of the year. But did you really do it for me? 6 And when you eat and drink, isn't it for your own enjoyment? 7 My message today is the same one I commanded the earlier prophets to speak to Jerusalem and its villages when they were prosperous, and when all of Judah, including the Southern Desert and the hill country, was filled with people.
8-9 So once again, I, the Lord All-Powerful, tell you, “See that justice is done and be kind and merciful to one another! 10 Don't mistreat widows or orphans or foreigners or anyone who is poor, and stop making plans to hurt each other.”
11-12 But everyone who heard those prophets, stubbornly refused to obey. Instead, they turned their backs on everything my Spirit had commanded the earlier prophets to preach. So I, the Lord, became angry 13 and said, “You people paid no attention when I called out to you, and now I'll pay no attention when you call out to me.”
14 That's why I came with a whirlwind and scattered them among foreign nations, leaving their lovely country empty of people and in ruins.
Okudulika kondjovo yOmwene ku dule elidiliko
1 Ndele momudo omutine wohamba Darius, efiku etine lohani onhimugoi hai lukwa Kislev, ondjovo yOmwene ye uya kuSakaria. 2 Betel a tumine Shareser naRegem-Melek novanhu vaye okwiindila va mone onghenda koshipala shOmwene 3 okupula kovapristeli votembeli yOmwene womatanga ovakwaita nokovaxunganeki nokutya: “Ame nandi lile mohani onhinhano, ndele ndi lidilike ngaashi nda ningile omido dihapu?” 4 Opo ame nda hangwa kondjovo ei yOmwene womatanga ovakwaita tai ti: 5 “Lombwela ovanhu aveshe vomoshilongo novapristeli, ove u tye: Onye eshi mwe lidilika ndele mwa lile keshe mohani onhinhano nomonhihetatu, nomwe shi ningile omido omilongo heyali nokuli, aame tuu mbela mwe lidilikilile nge? 6 Ndele eshi mwa lya ndele mwa nwa, inamu lilila, nye inamu linwina nye vene?” 7 Hado mbela eendjovo, Omwene e di udififa ovaxunganeki, fimbo Jerusalem sha li shi novanhu nosha kala shi nombili ndele sha dingililwa koilando yasho, nomanga edu lolanghele lwokoumbuwanhu nolufilufuka la li li novanhu.
8 Ondjovo yOmwene ye uya vali kuSakaria tai ti: 9 “Omwene womatanga ovakwaita osho ta ti: ‘Tokoleni omatokolo a yuka ndele holafaneni, nye mu filafane onghenda. 10 Ndelenee inamu hepeka omufiyekadi nofiye onghwailongo nomukwanaluhepo, ndele momitima deni inamu diladilila omukweni owii.’ 11 Ndelenee ova anya okupwilikina nomokwaanya va pilamena ko, ndele va fitika omatwi avo, vaha ude ko. 12 Ova kukutika omitima davo ngaashi emanya ladiamande, vaha ude ko omhango neendjovo odo, Omwene womatanga ovakwaita, e di tuma neenghono dOmhepo yaye naado da dile movaxunganeki vonale. Osho hano ehandu linene lOmwene womatanga ovakwaita le uya. 13 Onghee hano ngaashi ye e va ifana, ndele vo inava uda ko, osho yo otava ka ifana, ndele itandi ka uda ko, Omwene womatanga ovakwaita ta ti. 14 Ndelenee Ame ohandi ke va pepa po nomhepo inene noku ve lihanifila noiwana aishe ei inai shiivika kuvo, fimbo oshilongo tashi ningi eputu konima yavo, paha kale vali ou te uya mo ile ou ta piti mo. Osho ngaha oshilongo shiwa sha wapala, ovo ve shi ninga ofuka.”
