¹And 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;

¹Zvino negore rechina ramambo Dhariusi shoko raJehovha rakasvika kuna Zekariya nezuva rechina romwedzi wepfumbamwe, iwo weKisirevhi.

²When they had sent unto the house of God Sherezer and Regemmelech, and their men, to pray before the LORD,

²Zvino vanhu veBhetieri vakanga vatuma Sharezeri naRegemimereki, navanhu vavo, kundokumbira nyasha kuna Jehovha,

³And 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?

³nokutaura navapristi veimba yaJehovha wehondo navaporofita, vachiti, Ko ndochema nomwedzi wechishanu, ndichizviparadzanisa navamwe, sezvandaiita makore awa mazhinji here?

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

⁴Ipapo shoko raJehovha wehondo rakasvika kwandiri, richiti,

⁵Speak 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?

⁵Taura navanhu vose venyika ino, navapristi, uti, Zvamaitsanya muchichema nomwedzi wechishanu nowechinomwe, makore ano anamakumi manomwe, maitongotsanya nokuda kwangu, nokuda kwangu here?

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

⁶Kana muchidya, kana muchimwa, hamuzvidyiri nokuzvimwira here?

⁷Should 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?

⁷Ko haazi mashoko aJehovha aakadanidzira navaporofita vakare, Jerusaremu richakagarwa navanhu richinomufaro, iro namaguta aro ose akaripoteredza, nenyika yezasi yenyika yamapani dzichina vanhu.

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

⁸Zvino shoko raJehovha rakasvika kuna Zekariya, richiti,

⁹Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother:

⁹Ndizvo zvakataura Jehovha wehondo, achiti, Ruramisirai kwazvo pakutonga, mumwe nomumwe aitire hama yake unyoro netsitsi;

¹⁰And 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.

¹⁰regai kumanikidza chirikadzi, kana nherera, kana mutorwa, kana murombo; kurege kuva nomumwe wenyu anofungira hama yake zvakaipa pamwoyo pake.

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

¹¹Asi vakaramba kuteerera, vakabvisa fudzi ravo, nokudzivira nzeve dzavo kuti varege kunzwa.

¹²Yea, 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.

¹²Zvirokwazvo, mwoyo yavo vakaiita sedhaimani, kuti varege kunzwa murayiro namashoko akatumwa naJehovha wehondo noMweya wake navaporofita vakare; saka kutsamwa kukuru kwakabuda kuna Jehovha wehondo.

¹³Therefore 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:

¹³Zvino sezvaakadana, ivo vakaramba kunzwa, saizvozvo ivo vachadanawo ini ndicharamba kunzwa ndizvo zvinotaura Jehovha wehondo;

¹⁴But 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.

¹⁴asi ndichavaparadzira nechamupupuri pakati pendudzi dzose dzavakanga vasingazivi. nekuti nyika yakava dongo shure kwavo, kukasava nomunhu akaenda kana kudzoka neko; nekuti vakaparadza nyika yakanga ichifadza.