A Call to Justice and Mercy 1In the fourth year of King Darius (lord), the word of the LORD {YHWH} came to Zechariah (YHWH remembers) on the fourth day of the ninth month, the month of Chislev (November and December).a 2Now the people of Bethel (house of God) had sent Sharezer (prince of fire) and Regem-melech (king's heap), along with their men,b to plead before the LORD {YHWH} 3by asking the priests of the house of the LORD {YHWH} of Hosts, as well as the prophets, “Should I weep and fast in the fifth month, as I have done these many years?” 4Then the word of the LORD {YHWH} of Hosts came to me, saying, 5“Ask all the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you⁺ fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months for these seventy years, was it really for Me that you⁺ fasted? 6And when you⁺ were eating and drinking, were you⁺ not doing so simply for yourselves? 7Are these not the words that the LORD {YHWH} proclaimed through the earlier prophets, when Jerusalem (city of peace) and its surrounding towns were populous and prosperous, and the Negev (southland) and the foothills {Shephelah}c were inhabited?’” 8Then the word of the LORD {YHWH} came to Zechariah (YHWH remembers), saying, 9“This is what the LORD {YHWH} of Hosts says: ‘Administer true justice. Show loving devotion {chesed}d and compassion to one another. 10Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. And do not plot evil in your⁺ hearts against one another.’ 11But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder; they stopped up their ears from hearing \they made their ears too heavy to hear/.e 12They made their hearts like flint and would not listen to the law or to the words that the LORD {YHWH} of Hosts had sent by His Spirit {Ruach} through the earlier prophets. Therefore great anger came from the LORD of Hosts. 13And just as I had called and they would not listen, so when they called I would not listen, says the LORD {YHWH} of Hosts. 14But I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations that they had not known, and the land was left desolate behind them so that no one could come or go. Thus they turned the pleasant land into a desolation.” Footnotes: 1 a Chislev is the ninth month of the Hebrew lunar calendar, usually occurring within the months of November and December. 2 b Or Bethel-sharezer had sent Regem-melech, along with his men, 7 c Hebrew Shephelah or lowlands; that is, the western foothills of Judea 9 d 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 e Hebrew they made their ears too heavy to hear The Berean Annotated Bible (BAB) is the Annotated version of the Berean Standard Bible (BSB). The BAB includes over 50,000 points of emphasis using the following system: (Emphasis and Names) {Hebrew and Greek} [Alternate Manuscripts] \Literal translation/ <Measurements and Crossrefs> Second Person Plural: you⁺ your⁺ yours⁺ This version is an early draft and is now in the stage of proofing, consistency checking, and public comment. Please note that meanings for Biblical names are based on Hebrew and Greek roots and can be somewhat subjective. Feel free to Contact us with suggestions or corrections. We are still adding points of emphasis wherever helpful. |
    |