Zechariah 1:4

Easy To Read Version

The Lord said, “Don’t be like your ancestors. In the past, the prophets spoke to them. They said, ‘The Lord All-Powerful wants you to change your bad way of living. Stop doing bad things!’ But your ancestors did not listen to me.” The Lord said those things.

Cross References

2 Chronicles 30:6

So the messengers took the king’s letters all through Israel and Judah. This is what those letters said:

2 Chronicles 30:7

Don’t be like your fathers or your brothers. The Lord was their God, but they turned against him. So the Lord made people hate them and speak evil about them. You can see with your own eyes that this is true.

2 Chronicles 34:21

The king said, “Go, ask the Lord for me, and for the people that are left in Israel and in Judah. Ask about the words in the book that was found. The Lord is very angry with us because our ancestors {\cf2\super [430]} did not obey the Lord’s word. They did not do all the things this book says to do!”

Ezra 9:7

We have been guilty of many, many sins from the days of our ancestors until now. We sinned so our kings and priests were punished. Foreign kings attacked us and took our people away. Those kings took away our wealth and made us ashamed. It is the same even today.

Nehemiah 9:16

But those people, our ancestors, {\cf2\super [52]} \par became proud.\par They became stubborn.\par They refused to obey your commands.\par

Nehemiah 9:26

And then they turned against you!\par They threw away your teachings!\par They killed your prophets.\par Those prophets warned the people.\par They tried to bring them back to you.\par But our ancestors {\cf2\super [55]} did terrible things\par against you!\par

Nehemiah 9:30

You were very patient with our ancestors.\par You let them mistreat you for many years.\par You warned them with your Spirit.\par You sent the prophets to warn them.\par But our ancestors {\cf2\super [58]} didn’t listen.\par So you gave them to people in other countries.\par

Psalm 78:8

If the people teach their God’s commands\par to their children,\par then the children will not be like\par their ancestors. {\cf2\super [444]} \par Their ancestors turned against God.\par They refused to obey him.\par Those people were stubborn.\par They were not loyal to God’s Spirit.\par

Isaiah 31:6

You children of Israel turned against God. You should come back to God.

Jeremiah 18:11

“So, Jeremiah, say to the people of Judah and the people that live in Jerusalem, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am preparing troubles for you right now. I am making plans against you. So stop doing the evil things that you are doing. Each person must change and start doing good things!’

Jeremiah 23:22

If they had stood in my heavenly council,\par then they would have told my messages\par to the people of Judah.\par They would have stopped the people\par from doing bad things.\par They would have stopped them\par from doing evil.”\par

Jeremiah 25:8

So, this is what the Lord All-Powerful says, “You have not listened to my messages.

Jeremiah 26:5

You must listen to the things my servants say to you. (The prophets are my servants.) I have sent prophets to you again and again, but you did not listen to them.

Jeremiah 3:12

Jeremiah, look toward the north and speak this message:

Jeremiah 3:14

“You people are unfaithful. But Come back to me!” This message was from the Lord.

Jeremiah 35:15

I sent my servants the prophets to you people of Israel and Judah. I sent them to you again and again. Those prophets said to you, ‘Each of you people of Israel and Judah must stop doing evil things. You must be good. Don’t follow other gods. Don’t worship or serve them. If you obey me, then you will live in the land I have given to you and your ancestors.’ But you people have not paid attention to my message.

Jeremiah 4:1

This message is from the Lord.\par “Israel, if you want to come back,\par then come back to me.\par Throw away your idols.\par Don’t wander away from me.\par

Jeremiah 44:16

“We will not listen to the message from the Lord that you spoke to us.

Ezekiel 14:6

“So tell the family of Israel these things. Tell them, ‘The Lord my Master says: Come back \{to me\} and leave your filthy idols. Turn away from those terrible false gods.

Ezekiel 20:18

I spoke to their children. I told them, “Don’t be like your parents. Don’t make yourself filthy with their filthy idols. Don’t follow their laws. Don’t obey their commands.

Ezekiel 33:11

“You must say to them, ‘The Lord my Master says: On my life, I promise, I don’t enjoy seeing people die—not even evil people! I don’t want them to die. I want those evil people to come back to me. I want them to change their lives so they can really live! So come back to me! Stop doing bad things! Why must you die, family of Israel?’

Ezekiel 33:4

If people hear the warning but ignore it, then the enemy will capture them and take them away as prisoners. That person will be responsible for his own death.

Daniel 9:6

We did not listen to the prophets. They were your servants. The prophets spoke for you. They spoke to our kings, our leaders, and our fathers. They spoke to all of the people from Israel. \{But we did not listen to those prophets!\}

Hosea 14:1

Israel, you fell and sinned against God. So come back to the Lord your God.

Amos 5:24

You should let fairness flow like water\par \{through your country\}.\par Let goodness flow like a stream\par that never becomes dry.\par

Micah 2:6

People say, “Don’t preach to us.\par Don’t say those bad things about us.\par Nothing bad will happen to us.”\par

Zechariah 1:3

So you must tell the people these things. The Lord says, “Come back to me and I will come back to you.” The Lord All-Powerful said these things.

Zechariah 7:7

God used the earlier prophets to say these same things long ago. He said these things while Jerusalem was still a prosperous city filled with people. God said these things while there were still people living in the towns around Jerusalem, and in the Negev, and in the western foothills.”

Acts 26:20

I began telling people that they should change their hearts and lives and turn back to God. I told the people to do things that show that they really changed their hearts. I told these things first to people in Damascus. Then I went to Jerusalem and to every part of Judea and told these things to the people there. I also went to the non-Jewish people.

Acts 3:19

So you must change your hearts and lives! Come back to God and he will forgive your sins.

1 Peter 1:18

You know that \{in the past\} you were living in a worthless way. You got that way of living from the people who lived before you. But you were saved from that way of living. You were bought, but not with things that ruin like gold or silver.