זכריה 7

1 וַֽיְהִי בִּשְׁנַת אַרְבַּע לְדָרְיָוֶשׁ הַמֶּלֶךְ הָיָה דְבַר־יְהוָה אֶל־זְכַרְיָה בְּאַרְבָּעָה לַחֹדֶשׁ הַתְּשִׁעִי בְּכִסְלֵֽו׃

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

2 וַיִּשְׁלַח בֵּֽית־אֵל שַׂר־אֶצֶר וְרֶגֶם מֶלֶךְ וַֽאֲנָשָׁיו לְחַלּוֹת אֶת־פְּנֵי יְהוָֽה׃

Now the people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regem-melech, along with their men, to plead before the LORD

3 לֵאמֹר אֶל־הַכֹּֽהֲנִים אֲשֶׁר לְבֵית־יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת וְאֶל־הַנְּבִיאִים לֵאמֹר הַֽאֶבְכֶּה בַּחֹדֶשׁ הַחֲמִשִׁי הִנָּזֵר כַּאֲשֶׁר עָשִׂיתִי זֶה כַּמֶּה שָׁנִֽים׃

by asking the priests of the house of the LORD of Hosts, as well as the prophets, “Should I weep and fast in the fifth month, as I have done these many years?”

4 וַיְהִי דְּבַר־יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת אֵלַי לֵאמֹֽר׃

Then the word of the LORD of Hosts came to me, saying,

5 אֱמֹר אֶל־כָּל־עַם הָאָרֶץ וְאֶל־הַכֹּהֲנִים לֵאמֹר כִּֽי־צַמְתֶּם וְסָפוֹד בַּחֲמִישִׁי וּבַשְּׁבִיעִי וְזֶה שִׁבְעִים שָׁנָה הֲצוֹם צַמְתֻּנִי אָֽנִי׃

“Ask all the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months for these seventy years, was it really for Me that you fasted?

6 וְכִי תֹאכְלוּ וְכִי תִשְׁתּוּ הֲלוֹא אַתֶּם הָאֹכְלִים וְאַתֶּם הַשֹּׁתִֽים׃

And when you were eating and drinking, were you not doing so simply for yourselves?

7 הֲלוֹא אֶת־הַדְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר קָרָא יְהוָה בְּיַד הַנְּבִיאִים הָרִֽאשֹׁנִים בִּהְיוֹת יְרוּשָׁלִַם יֹשֶׁבֶת וּשְׁלֵוָה וְעָרֶיהָ סְבִיבֹתֶיהָ וְהַנֶּגֶב וְהַשְּׁפֵלָה יֹשֵֽׁב׃

Are these not the words that the LORD proclaimed through the earlier prophets, when Jerusalem and its surrounding towns were populous and prosperous, and the Negev and the foothills were inhabited?’”

8 וַֽיְהִי דְּבַר־יְהוָה אֶל־זְכַרְיָה לֵאמֹֽר׃

Then the word of the LORD came to Zechariah, saying,

9 כֹּה אָמַר יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת לֵאמֹר מִשְׁפַּט אֱמֶת שְׁפֹטוּ וְחֶסֶד וְרַֽחֲמִים עֲשׂוּ אִישׁ אֶת־אָחִֽיו׃

“This is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘Administer true justice. Show loving devotion and compassion to one another.

10 וְאַלְמָנָה וְיָתוֹם גֵּר וְעָנִי אַֽל־תַּעֲשֹׁקוּ וְרָעַת אִישׁ אָחִיו אַֽל־תַּחְשְׁבוּ בִּלְבַבְכֶֽם׃

Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. And do not plot evil in your hearts against one another.’

11 וַיְמָאֲנוּ לְהַקְשִׁיב וַיִּתְּנוּ כָתֵף סֹרָרֶת וְאָזְנֵיהֶם הִכְבִּידוּ מִשְּׁמֽוֹעַ׃

But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder; they stopped up their ears from hearing.

12 וְלִבָּם שָׂמוּ שָׁמִיר מִשְּׁמוֹעַ אֶת־הַתּוֹרָה וְאֶת־הַדְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר שָׁלַח יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת בְּרוּחוֹ בְּיַד הַנְּבִיאִים הָרִֽאשֹׁנִים וַֽיְהִי קֶצֶף גָּדוֹל מֵאֵת יְהוָה צְבָאֽוֹת׃

They made their hearts like flint and would not listen to the law or to the words that the LORD of Hosts had sent by His Spirit through the earlier prophets. Therefore great anger came from the LORD of Hosts.

13 וַיְהִי כַאֲשֶׁר־קָרָא וְלֹא שָׁמֵעוּ כֵּן יִקְרְאוּ וְלֹא אֶשְׁמָע אָמַר יְהוָה צְבָאֽוֹת׃

And just as I had called and they would not listen, so when they called I would not listen, says the LORD of Hosts.

14 וְאֵסָעֲרֵם עַל כָּל־הַגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר לֹֽא־יְדָעוּם וְהָאָרֶץ נָשַׁמָּה אַֽחֲרֵיהֶם מֵֽעֹבֵר וּמִשָּׁב וַיָּשִׂימוּ אֶֽרֶץ־חֶמְדָּה לְשַׁמָּֽה׃

But I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations that they had not known, and the land was left desolate behind them so that no one could come or go. Thus they turned the pleasant land into a desolation.”