A Call to Justice and Mercy

1And it came to pass in the fourth year of Darius the king, that the word of YHWH came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, in Chislev.† 2And Bethel had sent Sar-ezer, and Regem-melech,† and his men to ask for favor before YHWH 3and to speak to the priests who were in the house of YHWH of Hosts, and to the prophets, saying, “Should I weep in the fifth month and fast, even as I have done this how many years?”

4And the word of YHWH of Hosts came to me, saying, 5“Speak to all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, ‘When you⁺ fasted and mourned in the fifth and in the seventh months, and these seventy years, were you⁺ truly fasting for Me? 6For when you⁺ were eating and when you⁺ were drinking, was it not for yourselves that you were eating and for yourselves that you were drinking? 7Are not these the words that YHWH called out by the hand of the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and prosperous, and her cities around her, and the Negev and the Shephelah† were inhabited?’”

8And the word of YHWH came to Zechariah, saying, 9“Thus says YHWH of Hosts, saying: ‘Judge with true justice, and loving devotion† and compassion each man must do with his brother; 10and the widow and fatherless, the sojourner and the poor, you⁺ shall not oppress; and you⁺ shall not devise in your⁺ heart the evil of a man against his brother!’

11And they refused to pay attention, and they gave the shoulder, acting rebelliously, and their ears they made heavy from hearing;† 12and their hearts they made flint, from hearing the law and the words that YHWH of Hosts had sent by His Spirit, by the hand of the former prophets. And there was great wrath from YHWH of Hosts.

13And it came to pass that when He called out, then they would not listen. So they will call out, and I will not listen, a declaration of YHWH of Hosts— 14and I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations that they had not known. And the land was left desolate after them from passing through or returning; and they made the land of desire into a desolation!”

Footnotes:

1 Chislev is the ninth month of the Hebrew lunar calendar, usually occurring within the months of November and December.
2 Or And Bethel-sharezer had sent Regem-melech
7 Or foothills or lowlands; that is, the western foothills of Judea
9 Forms of the Hebrew chesed are translated here and in most cases throughout the Scriptures as loving devotion; the range of meaning includes love, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, and mercy, as well as loyalty to a covenant.
11 Or they stopped up their ears from hearing