Zechariah 7

1 And it came to pass, in the fourth year of King Darius, that the word of Jehovah came to Zechariah, on the fourth day of the ninth month, even in Chisleu;

In the fourth year of the reign of King Darius, on the fourth day of Chislev, the ninth month, the message of the Lord came to Zechariah.

2 when they had sent to the house of God Sherezer and Regem-melech, and their men, to pray before Jehovah,

The city of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regem-melech and their men, to entreat the favour of the Lord,

3 and to speak to the priests that were in the house of Jehovah of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, “Shall I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done these so many years?”

and to ask the priests of the house of the Lord of hosts, and the prophets ‘Should I continue to mourn in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done for many years?’

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

Then this message of the Lord of hosts came to me:

5 Speak to all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth month and in the seventh month, even those seventy years, did ye at all fast for me, even for me?

Tell all the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and in the seventh month, for these seventy years, did you really fast for me?

6 And when ye eat and drink, is it not ye that eat, and ye that drink?

When you eat and when you drink, do you not eat for yourselves, and drink for yourselves?

7 Are not these the words which Jehovah proclaimed by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and in prosperity, and her cities round about her, and when the South and the Plain were inhabited?

Wasn’t it this which the Lord proclaimed by the earlier prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and prosperous, and her towns surrounding her and the Negreb and the Shephelah were inhabited?’

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

The Lord gave this message to Zechariah:

9 Thus spake Jehovah of hosts, saying, Judge true judgment, and show mercy and compassion every man to his brother.

The Lord of hosts says, execute true judgments. Show kindness and mercy to each other.

10 And the widow, and the orphan, and the stranger, and the poor, oppress not, and meditate not evil against one another in your heart.

Do not oppress the widow or the orphan, the resident foreigner or the poor. Let none of you devise evil against another in your hearts.

11 But they refused to hearken, and showed a refractory shoulder, and made their ears dull, that they might not hear;

But they refused to listen, and turned a stubborn shoulder, and stopped their ears so they wouldn’t hear.

12 yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, that they might not hear the law, and the words which Jehovah of hosts sent through his spirit by the former prophets. Therefore came great anger from Jehovah of hosts.

They made their hearts as hard as stone so they wouldn’t accept the teaching and the words that the Lord of hosts had sent by his spirit through the earlier prophets. Great was the anger of the Lord of hosts:

13 And as he called and they would not hear, so they called and I would not hear, saith Jehovah of hosts.

I called and they would not hear, so they call and I do not hear, says the Lord of hosts.

14 And I scattered them as with a whirlwind among all the nations, which they knew not. And the land was desolate after them, so that no man passed through, nor returned; and thus the beautiful land was made a desolation.

I scattered them by a whirlwind out among nations unknown to them. The land was left desolate behind them, with no one crossing or returning, for they made the pleasant land a desolation.