The word of the Lord came to Zechariah in the ninth month of the fourth year of King Darius, which is the fourth day of the month of Kisliu.

At that time, the people of Bethel had already sent Shaleser and Rekemelech, along with their men, to plead with the Lord for mercy,

And he asked the priests and prophets in the temple of the Lord of hosts, saying, Should I still do this, crying and fasting in the fifth month throughout the years?

The word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying,

Proclaim all the people of the land and the priests, saying, Have you fasted and mourned against me in the fifth and seventh months of these seventy years?

Don’t you eat and drink for yourself?

When Jerusalem and the surrounding cities are inhabited and prosperous, and there are people living in the southern highlands, should you not listen to the words that the Lord proclaimed through the prophets of the past?

The word of the Lord came to Zechariah again, saying,

The Lord of hosts has said to your ancestors, “Judge according to the right, and have mercy on your brothers with love.”.

Do not oppress widows, orphans, sojourners, or the poor. No one should conspire against their brothers in their hearts.

But they refused to listen, turning their shoulders and blocking their ears.

Make the heart as hard as diamond, not listening to the law, and using the spirit of the Lord of hosts through the words of the prophets of the past. Therefore, the Lord of armies is greatly angry.

The Lord of hosts has said, I called them, but they did not listen. In the future, when they call me, I won’t listen either.

I will scatter them with a whirlwind among all nations that I have never known. In this way, their land became desolate, and no one even came or went through it. Because they have made the beautiful land desolate.