Zechariah 7

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.

1In the fourth year of King Darius's reign, the word of the LORD came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, the month of Chislev.

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

2The people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regem-melech, along with their men, to seek the favor of the LORD.

3and 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?

3They were to ask the priests of the temple of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies and the prophets, 'Should I continue to mourn and fast in the fifth month, as I have done for all these years?'

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

4Then the word of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies came to me:

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?

5Ask all the people of the land and the priests, 'When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months for the past seventy years, were you really fasting for me?'

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

6'And when you eat and drink, aren’t you just doing it for yourselves?'

7Should 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?

7'Shouldn’t you have obeyed the words the LORD spoke through the earlier prophets when Jerusalem and its surrounding towns were peaceful and wealthy, and the Southern Plain and the foothills were populated?'

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

8Then the word of the LORD came again to Zechariah:

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

9This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies said: 'Make sure your justice is fair, and show kindness and mercy to each other.'

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.

10'Do not cheat widows, orphans, foreigners, or poor people. Do not plan evil against each other in your hearts.'

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

11But they refused to listen. They stubbornly turned their backs and covered their ears so they wouldn't hear.

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.

12They made their hearts as hard as stone so they would not have to listen to the law or the messages that the LORD of Heaven’s Armies had sent by his Spirit through the earlier prophets. Because of this, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies became very angry.

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;

13'Just as I called and they would not listen, so they will call and I will not listen,' says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.

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.

14'I scattered them with a windstorm among all the nations that were strangers to them. The land they left behind became so ruined that no one could even travel through it. They turned a pleasant land into a desert.'