Have Justice and Mercy
1During the fourth year that Darius was king, a message from the Lord came to me. It was the fourth day of the ninth month. That’s the month of Kislev. 2The people of Bethel wanted to ask the Lord for his blessing. So they sent Sharezer and Regem-Melek and their men. 3They went to the prophets and priests at the Lord’s temple. They asked them, “Should we mourn and go without eating in the fifth month? That’s what we’ve done for many years.”
4Then the message came to me from the Lord who rules over all. He said, 5“Ask the priests and all the people in the land a question for me. Say to them, ‘You mourned and fasted in the fifth and seventh months. You did it for the past 70 years. But did you really do it for me? 6And when you were eating and drinking, weren’t you just enjoying good food for yourselves? 7Didn’t I tell you the same thing through the earlier prophets? That was when Jerusalem and the towns around it were at rest and enjoyed success. People lived in the Negev Desert and the western hills at that time.’ ”
8Another message from the Lord came to me. 9Here is what the Lord who rules over all said to his people. “Treat everyone with justice. Show mercy and tender concern to one another. 10Do not take advantage of widows. Do not mistreat children whose fathers have died. Do not be mean to outsiders or poor people. Do not make evil plans against one another.”
11But they refused to pay attention to the Lord. They were stubborn. They turned their backs and covered their ears. 12They made their hearts as hard as the hardest stone. They wouldn’t listen to the law. They wouldn’t pay attention to the Lord’s messages. So the Lord who rules over all was very angry. After all, his Spirit had spoken to his people through the earlier prophets.
13“When I called, they did not listen,” says the Lord. “So when they called, I would not listen. 14I used a windstorm to scatter them among all the nations. They were strangers there. The land they left behind became dry and empty. No one could even travel through it. This is how they turned the pleasant land into a dry and empty desert.”
Atɛntenenee Ne Ahummɔborɔ Na Ɛnyɛ Mmuadadie
1Ɔhene Dario adedie mfeɛ ɛnan so no, Awurade asɛm baa Sakaria nkyɛn ɔbosome a ɛtɔ so nkron a wɔfrɛ no Kislew no ɛda ɛtɔ so ɛnan no mu. 2Na Bet-Elfoɔ asoma Sareser ne Regem-Melek ne wɔn mmarima sɛ wɔnkɔsrɛ Awurade. 3Wɔmfa asɔfoɔ a wɔwɔ Asafo Awurade fie ne adiyifoɔ so mmisa sɛ, “Menkɔ so ntwa adwo, nni abuada wɔ ɔbosome a ɛtɔ so enum no mu, sɛdeɛ mayɛ no mfeɛ bebree a atwam no anaa?”
4Afei Asafo Awurade asɛm baa me nkyɛn sɛ, 5“Bisa asase no so nnipa nyinaa ne asɔfoɔ no sɛ, ‘Mfeɛ aduɔson a atwam no, sɛ modi abuada na motwa adwo wɔ abosome enum ne nsom mu a, na ɛyɛ ampa sɛ me enti na modi abuada no anaa? 6Ɛberɛ a modidi na monom no, na ɛnyɛ mo ara na moyɛ de gye mo ani anaa? 7Ɛnyɛ saa nsɛm yi ara na Awurade faa kane adiyifoɔ so paee mu kaaeɛ, wɔ ɛberɛ a Yerusalem ne nkuro a atwa ne ho ahyia no wɔ asomdwoeɛ ne mpontuo no, ɛberɛ a na nnipa akɔtena Negeb ne atɔeɛ fam nkokoɔ no so anaa?’ ”
8Na Awurade asɛm baa Sakaria nkyɛn bio: 9“Yei ne deɛ Asafo Awurade seɛ, ‘Mommu atɛn a ɛyɛ nokorɛ na monnya ahummɔborɔ ne ayamhyehyeɛ mma mo ho mo ho. 10Monnhyɛ akunafoɔ, nwisiaa, ahɔhoɔ ne ahiafoɔ so. Monnnwene bɔne mo akoma mu mma mo ho mo ho.’
11“Nanso wɔanntie; wɔde asobrakyeɛ danee wɔn akyi na wɔsisii wɔn aso. 12Wɔyɛɛ wɔn akoma den sɛ twerɛboɔ, na wɔantie mmara anaa nsɛm a Asafo Awurade nam ne Honhom so de somaa kane adiyifoɔ no. Ɛno enti, Asafo Awurade bo fuu yie.
13“ ‘Mefrɛeɛ no, wɔannye me so, enti wɔfrɛ a merennye wɔn so,’ sɛdeɛ Asafo Awurade seɛ nie. 14‘Mede ntwahoframa bɔɔ wɔn petee aman nyinaa so ma wɔkɔyɛɛ ahɔhoɔ wɔ hɔ. Asase a wogyaaɛ no daa mpan a obiara ntwa mu wɔ hɔ. Sei na wɔyɛ maa asase fɛfɛɛfɛ no sɛeɛ.’ ”
