Zechariah 7

1 And it came to pass in the fourth year of king Darius, that the word of the LORD came unto Zechariah in the fourth day of the ninth month, even in Chislev;

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 Bethel-sarezer, and Regem-melech and his men, had sent to entreat the favour of the LORD,

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

3 and to speak unto the priests of the house of the LORD of hosts, and to the prophets, saying: 'Should 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 the LORD of hosts unto me, saying:

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

5 'Speak 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?

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 when ye drink, are ye not they that eat, and they that drink?

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

7 Should ye not hearken to the words which the LORD hath proclaimed 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?'

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 the LORD came unto Zechariah, saying:

The Lord gave this message to Zechariah:

9 'Thus hath the LORD of hosts spoken, saying: Execute 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 oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you devise evil against his brother 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 attend, and turned a stubborn shoulder, and stopped their ears, 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, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the LORD of hosts had sent by His spirit by the hand of the former prophets; therefore came there great wrath from the LORD 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 it came to pass that, as He called, and they would not hear; so they shall call, and I will not hear, said the LORD of hosts;

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

14 but I will scatter them with a whirlwind among all the nations whom 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.'

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.