¹禁食問題大利烏王第四年九月，就是基斯流月初四日，耶和華的話臨到撒迦利亞。

¹And it came to pass in the fourth year of king Darius, that the word of Jehovah came unto Zechariah in the fourth [day] of the ninth month, even in Chislev.

²那時，伯特利人差派了沙利色、利堅米勒和他的隨從，去懇求耶和華施恩。

²Now [they of] Beth-el had sent Sharezer and Regem-melech, and their men, to entreat the favor of Jehovah,

³他們詢問萬軍之耶和華殿裡的眾祭司，以及眾先知說：“我們還要在五月哭泣和禁食，像我們這許多年來所行的嗎？”

³[and] to speak unto the priests of the house of Jehovah of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done these so many years?

⁴萬軍之耶和華的話臨到我，說：

⁴Then came the word of Jehovah of hosts unto me, saying,

⁵“你要告訴這地的人民和祭司說：‘這七十年來，你們在五月和七月禁食哀哭，豈是真的為我禁食呢？

⁵Speak unto all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and in the seventh [month], even these seventy years, did ye at all fast unto me, even to me?

⁶你們吃，你們喝，豈不是為你們自己吃，為你們自己喝嗎？

⁶And when ye eat, and when ye drink, do not ye eat for yourselves, and drink for yourselves?

⁷這些話耶和華不是曾藉著從前的先知宣告了嗎？那時，耶路撒冷和四圍的城鎮都有人居住，很是興旺，南地和高地都有人居住。’”

⁷[Should ye] not [hear] the words which Jehovah cried by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and in prosperity, and the cities thereof round about her, and the South and the lowland were inhabited?

⁸被擄是因為悖逆　神耶和華的話又臨到撒迦利亞說：

⁸And the word of Jehovah came unto Zechariah, saying,

⁹“萬軍之耶和華曾這樣告訴你們的列祖說：‘你們要執法公正，各人要以慈愛和憐憫待自己的兄弟。

⁹Thus hath Jehovah of hosts spoken, saying, Execute true judgment, and show kindness and compassion every man to his brother;

¹⁰寡婦、孤兒、寄居的和貧窮人，你們都不可欺壓，也不可各自心裡圖謀惡事，陷害自己的兄弟。’

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

¹¹但他們不肯聽從，反而硬著頸項，充耳不聞。

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

¹²他們使自己的心剛硬如金鋼石，不肯聽從律法和萬軍之耶和華藉著他的靈、透過從前的先知所說的話。因此，萬軍之耶和華非常忿怒。

¹²Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which Jehovah of hosts had sent by his Spirit by the former prophets: therefore there came great wrath from Jehovah of hosts.

¹³我曾呼喚他們，他們不聽；照樣，將來他們呼求我，我也不聽。這是萬軍之耶和華說的。

¹³And it is come to pass that, as he cried, and they would not hear, so they shall cry, and I will not hear, said Jehovah of hosts;

¹⁴我用旋風把他們吹散到他們不認識的列國去，他們留下的地就荒涼了，以致無人來往經過，因為他們使這美好之地變為荒涼了。”

¹⁴but I will scatter them with a whirlwind among 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 laid the pleasant land desolate.