Zechariah 7

1 In the fourth [almost four, during the reign of] year of King [royal ruler, monarch] Darius, the word [message, divine utterance] of the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] came to Zechariah [Jehovah remembers, a prophet and priest] on the fourth [specifically, the day after three days] day of the ninth month, the month of Chislev [corresponding to November and December, the 9th month of the Hebrew calendar]. word study 2 Now the people [inhabitants, citizens] of Bethel [house of God, a sacred place] had sent [dispatched, entrusted] Sharezer [an important person, a leader] and Regem-melech [a man of royal descent, an Israelite], along with their men [male companions, attendants], to plead [entreat, beg] before [in the presence of] the LORD [Yehovah, the supreme God] word study 3 by asking [speaking to, inquiring of] the priests [spiritual leaders, mediators] of the house [dwelling place, temple] of the LORD [Yehovah, the sovereign God] of Hosts [armies, heavenly forces], as well as the prophets [messengers, spokesmen], “Should I weep [mourn, lament] and fast [abstain, dedicate myself] in the fifth [specified, appointed] month, as I have done [practiced, observed] these many years [a long period, a span of time]?” word study 4 Then the word [message, divine utterance] of the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] of Hosts [armies, heavenly forces] came to me, saying [to speak, to command, to declare], word study 5 “Ask [speak to, address] all the people [nations, communities] of the land [earth, territory] and the priests [spiritual leaders, mediators], ‘When you fasted [abstained from food, humbled yourselves] and mourned [lamented, grieved] in the fifth [fifth month, a time of sorrow] and seventh [seventh month, a time of reflection] months for these seventy years, was it really for Me [to honor, to worship] that you fasted [denied yourselves, sought spiritual growth]? word study 6 And when you were eating [consuming, devouring] and drinking [feasting, indulging], were you not doing so [for your own benefit, to satisfy yourselves] simply for yourselves [for your own pleasure, to gratify your desires]? word study 7 Are these not [certainly, truly] the words [messages, declarations] that the LORD [Yehovah, the Lord God] proclaimed [cried out, declared] through the earlier [former, first] prophets, when Jerusalem [the city of peace, capital of Judah] and its surrounding [nearby, adjacent] towns were populous [inhabited, filled with people] and prosperous [at ease, wealthy], and the Negev [the south country, southern district] and the foothills [the lowlands, Shephelah] were inhabited [dwelled, lived in]?’” word study 8 Then the word [message from God] of the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] came [existed, came into being] to Zechariah [Jehovah remembers], saying [to speak, command, or proclaim], word study 9 “This is what the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] of Hosts [armies, a large group of people or things] says: ‘Administer true [faithful, trustworthy] justice [righteous judgment]. Show [do, make] loving devotion [kindness, mercy] and [tender] compassion [womb, tender love] to one another [every man to his brother, with each other]. word study 10 Do not [wrongly or violently] oppress [defraud or press upon] the widow [a woman whose husband has died, often left alone and vulnerable] or the fatherless [a child without a father, lacking protection], the foreigner [a sojourner or temporary resident, lacking inherited rights] or the poor [the afflicted or humble, often due to difficult circumstances]. And do not [let none of you] plot [devise or think] evil [bad or morally harmful] in your hearts [the innermost part of a person, including mind, will, and emotions] against one another [your brother or fellow human being].’ word study 11 But they refused [to hearken, would not listen] to pay attention [to hear and obey] and turned [pulled away, gave] a stubborn [refractory, rebellious] shoulder [the upper end of the arm, where garments hang]; they stopped up [closed, made heavy] their ears [the ability to hear, the body part] from hearing [listening, giving attention to]. word study 12 They made their hearts [like an adamant stone, hardened] like flint and would not listen [hear and obey] to the law [instruction, divine guidance] or to the words [messages, prophetic utterances] that the LORD [Yehovah, the self-existent God] of Hosts [armies, heavenly forces] had sent [dispatched, commissioned] by His Spirit [breath, divine energy] through the earlier [former, preceding] prophets [spokesmen, messengers of God]. Therefore great [intense, abundant] anger [wrath, indignation] came from the LORD [Yehovah, the sovereign God] of Hosts [armies, heavenly forces]. word study 13 And just as I had called [to summon, to cry out] and they would not listen [hear, obey], so when they called [cried out, prayed] I would not listen [hear, respond], says the LORD [Yehovah, the Lord of Israel] of Hosts [armies, heavenly forces]. word study 14 But I scattered them with a whirlwind [a stormy, turbulent wind] among all the nations [Gentile, non-Hebrew peoples] that they had not known [been acquainted with, understood], and the land [earth, territory] was left desolate [in a state of horror, laid waste] behind them so that no one could come or go [pass through or return, transition]. Thus they turned the pleasant land [a desirable, delightful region] into a desolation [a state of ruin, devastation].” word study