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

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

²when Bethel had sent Sherezer and Regem-melech, and his men, to supplicate Jehovah,

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

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

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

⁴And the word of Jehovah of hosts came 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 in the seventh [month], even those seventy years, did ye really fast unto me, [even] unto 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 ate, and when ye drank, was it not you that were eating and drinking?

⁶Kana muchidya, kana muchimwa, hamuzvidyiri nokuzvimwira here?

⁷Are not these the words that Jehovah cried by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and at peace, and her cities round about her, when the south and the lowland were inhabited?

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 Jehovah came unto Zechariah, saying,

⁸Zvino shoko raJehovha rakasvika kuna Zekariya, richiti,

⁹Thus speaketh Jehovah of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and shew loving-kindness and mercies one to another,

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

¹⁰and oppress not the widow and the fatherless, the stranger and the afflicted; 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 turned a rebellious shoulder, and made their ears heavy, that they should not hear.

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

¹²And they made their heart [as] an adamant, that they should not hear the law, and the words that Jehovah of hosts sent by his Spirit by the hand of the former prophets: therefore was there great wrath from Jehovah 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.

¹³And it came to pass, like as he called, and they would not hear, so they called, and I would not hear, saith Jehovah of hosts;

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

¹⁴and I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations whom they knew not, and the land was desolate after them, so that no one passed through nor returned; and 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.