1And it came to pass in the fourth year of king Darius , that the word of Jehovah came unto Zechariah in the fourth day of the ninth month , even in Chislev . 2Now they of Beth-el had sent Sharezer and Regem-melech , and their men, to entreat the favor of Jehovah , 3and to speak unto the priests of the house of Jehovah of hosts , and to the prophets , saying, Should I weep in the fifth month , separating myself, as I have done these so many years ? 4Then came the word of Jehovah of hosts unto me , saying , 5Speak unto all the people of the land, and to the priests , saying, When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and in the seventh month , even these seventy years , did ye at all fast unto me , even to me ? 6And when ye eat, and when ye drink , do not ye eat for yourselves, and drink for yourselves? 7Should ye not hear the words which Jehovah cried by the former prophets , when Jerusalem was inhabited and in prosperity , and the cities thereof round about her , and the South and the lowland were inhabited ?
God's Call to Justice and Compassion
8And the word of Jehovah came unto Zechariah , saying , 9Thus hath Jehovah of hosts spoken, saying, Execute true judgment , and show kindness and compassion every man to his brother; 10and oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless , the sojourner , nor the poor ; and let none of you devise evil against his brother in your heart .
The Consequences of Disobedience
11But they refused to hearken , and pulled away the shoulder , and stopped their ears, that they might not hear . 12Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone , lest they should hear the law , and the words which Jehovah of hosts had sent by his Spirit by the former prophets : therefore there came great wrath from Jehovah of hosts . 13And it is come to pass that , as he cried , and they would not hear , so they shall cry , and I will not hear , said Jehovah of hosts ; 14but I will scatter them with a whirlwind among all the nations which they have not known . Thus the land was desolate after them , so that no man passed through nor returned : for they laid the pleasant land desolate .