Zechariah 7 - Easy To Read Version

¹ Zechariah received a message from the Lord in the fourth year that Darius was the king {\cf2\super [18]} of Persia. This was on the fourth day of the ninth month (Kislev).

² The people of Bethel sent Sharezer, Regem-Melech, and his men to ask the Lord a question.

³ They went to the prophets and to the priests at the temple of the Lord All-Powerful. Those men 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?”

⁴ I received this message from the Lord All-Powerful:

⁵ “Tell the priests and the other people in this country these things: 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? No!

⁶ And when you ate and drank, was that for me? No! It was for your own good.

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.”

⁸ This is the Lord’s message to Zechariah:\par

⁹ The Lord All-Powerful said these things.\par “You must do what is right and fair.\par You must be kind and merciful to each other.\par

¹⁰ Don’t hurt widows and orphans, {\cf2\super [19]} \par strangers, or poor people.\par Don’t even think of doing bad things\par to each other!”\par

¹¹ But those people refused to listen.\par They refused to do what he wanted.\par They closed their ears so they\par could not hear what God said.\par

¹² They were very stubborn.\par They would not obey the law.\par The Lord All-Powerful used his Spirit\par and sent messages to his people\par through the prophets.\par But the people would not listen.\par So the Lord All-Powerful\par became very angry.\par

¹³ So the Lord All-Powerful said,\par “I called to them,\par and they did not answer.\par So now, if they call to me,\par I will not answer.\par

¹⁴ I will bring the other nations against them\par like a storm.\par They didn’t know those nations,\par but the country will be destroyed\par after those nations pass through.\par This pleasant country will be destroyed.”\par