en_tn/zec/07/12.md

They made their hearts as hard as rock so they would not hear the law or the words of Yahweh of hosts

The people refusing to hear and obey Yahweh are compared to their being as unyielding as rock. Here the heart represents the will of a person. Alternate translation: "They stubbornly refused to hear the law or the words of Yahweh of hosts" (See: rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-simile)

in earlier times

"in the past"

by the mouth of the prophets

Here the "mouth of the prophets" is a metonym for the words that the prophets speak. Alternate translation: "through the words of the prophets" (See: rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy)