Zechariah 7

And it came to pass in the fourth year of king Darius, that the word of the LORD came unto Zechariah in the fourth day of the ninth month, even in Chisleu;

During the fourth year of King Darius's reign, on the fourth day of the ninth month, God spoke to Zechariah, filling him with divine wisdom.

When they had sent unto the house of God Sherezer and Regemmelech, and their men, to pray before the LORD,

When Sherezer, Regemmelech, and their companions were sent to God's house, their hearts were filled with reverence as they prepared to pray before the Lord.

And to speak unto the priests which were in the house of the LORD of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done these so many years?

They were to ask the priests in the house of the Lord Almighty and the prophets, "Should I keep weeping and fasting in the fifth month, as I have done for so many years?"

Then came the word of the LORD of hosts unto me, saying,

Then, I felt a powerful message from the Lord wash over me, whispering,

Speak unto all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh month, even those seventy years, did ye at all fast unto me, even to me?

Ask everyone, including the priests, "During your long periods of fasting and mourning, especially in the fifth and seventh months over those seventy years, was it truly for me that you were fasting?"

And when ye did eat, and when ye did drink, did not ye eat for yourselves, and drink for yourselves?

When you ate and drank, wasn't it for your own satisfaction and pleasure?

Should ye not hear the words which the LORD hath cried by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and in prosperity, and the cities thereof round about her, when men inhabited the south and the plain?

Shouldn't you listen to the wisdom God shared through past prophets, especially during Jerusalem's golden days, when people thrived in the city and its surrounding areas, including the south and the plains?

And the word of the LORD came unto Zechariah, saying,

The LORD's message reached Zechariah, filling him with a profound sense of awe and purpose.

Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother:

The LORD commands, "Judge fairly, show kindness and empathy to each other."

And oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart.

Treat widows, orphans, foreigners, and the poor kindly. Don't even think about causing harm to your fellow man.

But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear.

But they stubbornly ignored the message, turned their backs, and closed their ears to avoid hearing the truth.

Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the LORD of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the LORD of hosts.

They hardened their hearts, refusing to listen to God's laws and messages sent through His prophets. This led to God's great anger.

Therefore it is come to pass, that as he cried, and they would not hear; so they cried, and I would not hear, saith the LORD of hosts:

Thus it happened: when He called out, they ignored Him; so when they called out, I would not listen, says the Lord Almighty.

But I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations whom they knew not. Thus the land was desolate after them, that no man passed through nor returned: for they laid the pleasant land desolate.

I swept them away, like a storm, to unfamiliar lands. Their once thriving homeland was left barren and deserted, a sad sight, for their actions had turned a beautiful place into a wasteland.