1 A nd 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.

In the fourth year of King Darius, the Word of the Lord came to Zechariah. This was on the fourth day of the ninth month, the month of Chislev.

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

Now the people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regemmelech and their men to ask for the Lord’s favor.

3 a nd 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?

They asked the religious leaders of the house of the Lord of All, and the men who speak for God, “Should I cry and go without food in the fifth month, as I have done these many years?”

4 T hen came the word of Jehovah of hosts unto me, saying,

Then the Word of the Lord of All came to me saying,

5 S peak 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?

“Say to all the people of the land and to the religious leaders, ‘When you went without food and cried in sorrow in the fifth and seventh months these 70 years, was it to honor Me?

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

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

7 S hould 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?

Are not these the words the Lord made known through the men who spoke for Him in the past? They spoke these words when Jerusalem was full of people and riches, together with the cities around it, and when the Negev and the lower hills were full of people.’” People Taken Away Because Of Not Obeying

8 A nd the word of Jehovah came unto Zechariah, saying,

Then the Word of the Lord came to Zechariah saying,

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

“The Lord of All said, ‘Do what is right and be kind and show loving-pity to one another.

10 a nd 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.

Do not make it hard for the woman whose husband has died, or the child who has no parents, or the stranger, or the poor. Do not make sinful plans in your hearts against one another.’

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

But they would not listen. They turned away and stopped their ears from hearing.

12 Y ea, 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.

They made their hearts like hard stone, so that they could not hear the Law and the words which the Lord of All had sent by His Spirit through the men who spoke for Him in the past. So the Lord of All became very angry.

13 A nd 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;

When I called, they would not listen. So when they called, I would not listen,” says the Lord of All.

14 b ut 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.

“With the wind of a storm I sent them everywhere among all the nations that they had not known. The land was laid waste behind them, so that no one could come or go. They turned the good land into an empty waste.”