English / ERV
Zechariah 7
Easy-to-Read Version, 2006
- 1Zechariah received a message from the LORD in the fourth year that Darius[1] was the king of Persia. This was on the fourth day of the ninth month (Kislev).
- 2The people of Bethel sent Sharezer, Regem-Melech, and his men to ask the LORD a question.
- 3They went to the prophets and to the priests at the Temple of the LORD All-Powerful. They asked them this question: “For many years we have shown our sadness for the destruction of the Temple. In the fifth month of each year, we have had a special time of crying and fasting. Should we continue to do this?”
- 4I received this message from the LORD All-Powerful:
- 5“Tell the priests and the other people in this country this: ‘For seventy years you fasted and showed your sadness in the fifth month and in the seventh month. But was that fasting really for me?
- 6And when you ate and drank, was that for me? No, it was for your own good.
- 7The LORD used the earlier prophets to say the same thing long ago. That was when Jerusalem was still a rich city filled with people and there were still people living in the surrounding towns, in the Negev, and in the western foothills.’”
- 8This is the LORD’s message to Zechariah:
- 9“This is what the LORD All-Powerful said: ‘You must do what is right and fair. You must be kind and show mercy to each other.
- 10Don’t hurt widows and orphans, strangers, or poor people. Don’t even think of doing bad things to each other!’”
- 11But they refused to listen and refused to do what he wanted. They closed their ears so that they could not hear what God said.
- 12They were very stubborn and would not obey the law. The LORD All-Powerful used his Spirit and sent messages to his people through the prophets. But the people would not listen, so the LORD All-Powerful became very angry.
- 13So the LORD All-Powerful said, “I called to them, and they did not answer. So now, if they call to me, I will not answer.
- 14I will bring the other nations against them like a storm. They didn’t know those nations, but the country will be destroyed after those nations pass through. This pleasant country will be destroyed.”