Zec 7 | ABEn | STEP | And it came to pass in the fourth year of Darius the king, [ 3 came 1 the word 2 of the lord ] to Zechariah the fourth of the [ 2 month 1 ninth], which is Chisleu.

Zechariah 7

CHAPTER 7 Obedience is Better than Fasting

1 And it came to pass in the fourth year of Darius the king, [³came ¹the word ²of the lord] to Zechariah the fourth of the [²month ¹ninth], which is Chisleu. 2 And [²sent ³to ⁴Beth-el ¹Sherezar], and Regem the king, and his men, to atone the lord, 3 saying to the priests in the house of the lord almighty, and to the prophets, saying, [³has entered ⁴here ⁵in ⁶the ⁷fifth ⁸month ¹The ²sanctified offering], as it did already a fit number of years. 4 And came to pass the word of the lord of the forces to me, saying, 5 Speak to all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, If you should fast or beat your chest in the fifth or in the seventh months, and behold, for seventy years, by fasting have you fasted to me? 6 And if you should eat or should drink, do you not eat and drink to yourselves? 7 [²not ³these ⁴my words ¹Are], which the lord spoke by the hands of the prophets, of the ones before, when Jerusalem was inhabited, and prospering? and her cities round about, and the mountainous area, and the plain was inhabited?

The LORD Requires Justice and Mercy

8 And came to pass the word of the lord to Zechariah, saying, 9 Thus says the lord almighty, saying, [²judgment ¹A just] you shall judge, and [⁴mercy ⁵and ⁶compassion ¹let ³execute ²each] towards his brother! 10 And [²the widow ³and ⁴orphan ⁵and ⁶foreigner ⁷and ⁸needy ¹tyrannize not]! and [⁵the hurt ²each ⁶of his brother ³not ¹let ⁴resent] in your hearts! 11 And they resisted to take heed, and they gave their backside ranting, and [²their ears ¹pressed] to not listen, 12 and their heart was ordered for resisting persuasion, to not listen to my law, and the words which [³sent out ¹the lord ²almighty] by his spirit, by the hands of the prophets, of the ones before. And there was [²anger ¹great] by the lord almighty. 13 And it will be in which manner I spoke, and they did not listen to him, so they shall cry out, and in no way shall I listen, says the lord almighty. 14 And I will cast them into all the nations which they did not know. And the land shall be obliterated after them from traveling, and from returning through it. Yes, they ordered up the [²land ¹choice] for extinction.