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Zechariah 7
New American Standard Bible 1995

Hearts like Flint

7 In the fourth year of King Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, which is (A)Chislev. 2 Now the town of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regemmelech and [a]their men to [b](B)seek the favor of the Lord, 3 speaking to the (C)priests who belong to the house of the Lord of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, “Shall I weep in the (D)fifth month [c]and abstain, as I have done these many years?” 4 Then the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying, 5 “Say to all the people of the land and to the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months [d]these (E)seventy years, was it actually for (F)Me that you fasted? 6 When you eat and drink, [e]do you not eat for yourselves and do you not drink for yourselves? 7 Are not these the words which the Lord (G)proclaimed by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and [f](H)prosperous along with its cities around it, and the [g](I)Negev and the [h]foothills were inhabited?’”

8 Then the word of the Lord came to Zechariah saying, 9 “Thus has the Lord of hosts said, ‘(J)Dispense true justice and practice (K)kindness and compassion each to his brother; 10 and (L)do not oppress the widow or the [i]orphan, the [j]stranger or the poor; and do (M)not devise evil in your hearts against one another.’ 11 But they (N)refused to pay attention and [k](O)turned a stubborn shoulder and [l](P)stopped their ears from hearing. 12 They made their (Q)hearts like [m](R)flint [n]so that they could not hear the law and the (S)words which the Lord of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the (T)former prophets; therefore great (U)wrath came from the Lord of hosts. 13 And just as (V)He called and they would not listen, so (W)they called and I would not listen,” says the Lord of hosts; 14 “but I [o](X)scattered them with a (Y)storm wind among all the nations whom they have not known. Thus the land is (Z)desolated behind them [p]so that (AA)no one went back and forth, for they (AB)made the pleasant land desolate.”

Footnotes

  1. Zechariah 7:2 Lit his
  2. Zechariah 7:2 Lit soften the face of
  3. Zechariah 7:3 Lit abstaining; or dedicating myself
  4. Zechariah 7:5 Lit and these
  5. Zechariah 7:6 Lit is it not you who eat and you who drink
  6. Zechariah 7:7 Or at ease
  7. Zechariah 7:7 I.e. South country
  8. Zechariah 7:7 Heb Shephelah
  9. Zechariah 7:10 Or fatherless
  10. Zechariah 7:10 Or resident alien
  11. Zechariah 7:11 Lit gave
  12. Zechariah 7:11 Lit made heavy
  13. Zechariah 7:12 Lit corundum
  14. Zechariah 7:12 Lit from hearing
  15. Zechariah 7:14 Lit stormed them away upon all
  16. Zechariah 7:14 Lit from passing and from returning
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Zechariah 7
Revised Geneva Translation

7 And in the fourth year of King Darius, the Word of the LORD came to Zechariah, on the fourth day of the ninth month, during Chislev.

2 For they had sent Sharezer and Regem-Melech and their men to the House of God, to pray before the LORD,

3 and to speak to the priests who were in the House of the LORD of Hosts, and to the Prophets, saying, “Should I weep during the fifth month and separate myself, as I have done these so many years?”

4 Then came the Word of the LORD of Hosts to me, saying:

5 “Speak to all the people of the land, and to the priests, and say, “When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months, for seventy years, did you fast for Me? For Me?

6 “And when you ate, and when you drank, did you not eat for yourselves, and drink for yourselves?

7 “Should you not hear the Words which the LORD has cried by the ministry of the former Prophets when Jerusalem was inhabited, and in prosperity, and its cities all around her, when the South and the plain were inhabited?”

8 And the Word of the LORD came to Zechariah, saying:

9 “Thus speaks the LORD of Hosts, saying: ‘Execute true judgment. And show mercy and compassion, every man to his brother.

10 ‘And do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the stranger or the poor. And let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart.

11 ‘But they refused to listen. And pulled away the shoulder and stopped their ears, so that they would not hear.

12 ‘Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they hear the Law and the Words which the LORD of Hosts sent in His Spirit, by the ministry of the former Prophets. Therefore, a great wrath came from the LORD of Hosts.

13 ‘Therefore, it happens at this time that as he cried and they would not hear, so they cried and I would not hear,’ says the LORD of Hosts.

14 ‘But I scattered them among all the nations whom they did not know. Thus, the land was desolate after them, so that no man passed through or returned. For they laid the pleasant land waste.’”

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Zechariah 7
New International Version

Justice and Mercy, Not Fasting

7 In the fourth year of King Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah(A) on the fourth day of the ninth month, the month of Kislev.(B) 2 The people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regem-Melek, together with their men, to entreat(C) the Lord(D) 3 by asking the priests of the house of the Lord Almighty and the prophets, “Should I mourn(E) and fast in the fifth(F) month, as I have done for so many years?”

4 Then the word of the Lord Almighty came to me: 5 “Ask all the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you fasted(G) and mourned in the fifth and seventh(H) months for the past seventy years,(I) was it really for me that you fasted? 6 And when you were eating and drinking, were you not just feasting for yourselves?(J) 7 Are these not the words the Lord proclaimed through the earlier prophets(K) when Jerusalem and its surrounding towns were at rest(L) and prosperous, and the Negev and the western foothills(M) were settled?’”(N)

8 And the word of the Lord came again to Zechariah: 9 “This is what the Lord Almighty said: ‘Administer true justice;(O) show mercy and compassion to one another.(P) 10 Do not oppress the widow(Q) or the fatherless, the foreigner(R) or the poor.(S) Do not plot evil against each other.’(T)

11 “But they refused to pay attention; stubbornly(U) they turned their backs(V) and covered their ears.(W) 12 They made their hearts as hard as flint(X) and would not listen to the law or to the words that the Lord Almighty had sent by his Spirit through the earlier prophets.(Y) So the Lord Almighty was very angry.(Z)

13 “‘When I called, they did not listen;(AA) so when they called, I would not listen,’(AB) says the Lord Almighty.(AC) 14 ‘I scattered(AD) them with a whirlwind(AE) among all the nations, where they were strangers. The land they left behind them was so desolate that no one traveled through it.(AF) This is how they made the pleasant land desolate.(AG)’”

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Zechariah 6
Zechariah 8
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