Zechariah 7
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Now in the fourth year of King Darius it came to pass that the word of the LORD came to Zechariah, on the fourth day of the ninth month, Chislev,
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when the people sent Sherezer, with RegemMel'ech and his men, to the house of God, to pray before the LORD,
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and to a ask the priests who were in the house of the LORD of hosts, and the prophets, saying, "Should I weep in b the fifth month and fast as I have done for so many years?"
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Then the word of the LORD of hosts came to me, saying,
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"Say to all the people of the land, and to the priests: 'When you c fasted and mourned in the fifth d and seventh months e during those seventy years, did you really fast f for Me - for Me?
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g 'When you eat and when you drink, do you not eat and drink for yourselves?
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'Should you not have obeyed the words which the LORD proclaimed through the h former prophets when Jerusalem and the cities around it were inhabited and prosperous, and i the South and the Lowland were inhabited?' "
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Then the word of the LORD came to Zechariah, saying,
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"Thus says the LORD of hosts:
j 'Execute true justice,
Show mercy and compassion
Everyone to his brother.
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k Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless,
The alien or the poor.
l Let none of you plan evil in his heart
Against his brother.'
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"But they refused to heed, m shrugged their shoulders, and n stopped their ears so that they could not hear.
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"Yes, they made their o hearts like flint, p refusing to hear the law and the words which the LORD of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets. q Thus great wrath came from the LORD of hosts.
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"Therefore it happened, that just as He proclaimed and they would not hear, so r they called out and I would not listen," says the LORD of hosts.
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"But s I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations which they had not known. Thus the land became desolate after them, so that no one passed through or returned; for they made the pleasant land desolate."
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Cross References
Deuteronomy 17:9
And you shall come to the priests, the Levites, and to the judge there in those days, and inquire of them; they shall pronounce upon you the sentence of judgment.
Malachi 2:7
For the lips of a priest should keep knowledge, And people should seek the law from his mouth; For he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts.
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Cross References
Zechariah 8:19
"Thus says the LORD of hosts: 'The fast of the fourth month, The fast of the fifth, The fast of the seventh, And the fast of the tenth, Shall be joy and gladness and cheerful feasts For the house of Judah. Therefore love truth and peace.'
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Cross References
Isaiah 58:1 - 9
Cry aloud, spare not; Lift up your voice like a trumpet; Tell My people their transgression, And the house of Jacob their sins.
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Cross References
Jeremiah 41:1
Now it came to pass in the seventh month that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the royal family and of the officers of the king, came with ten men to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, at Mizpah. And there they ate bread together in Mizpah.
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Cross References
Zechariah 1:12
Then the Angel of the LORD answered and said, "O LORD of hosts, how long will You not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which You were angry these seventy years?
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Cross References
Romans 14:6
He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks.
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Cross References
Deuteronomy 12:7
And there you shall eat before the LORD your God, and you shall rejoice in all to which you have put your hand, you and your households, in which the LORD your God has blessed you.
Deuteronomy 14:26
And you shall spend that money for whatever your heart desires: for oxen or sheep, for wine or similar drink, for whatever your heart desires; you shall eat there before the LORD your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your household.
1 Chronicles 29:22
So they ate and drank before the LORD with great gladness on that day. And they made Solomon the son of David king the second time, and anointed him before the LORD to be the leader, and Zadok to be priest.
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Cross References
Isaiah 1:16 - 20
Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil.
Jeremiah 7:5
For if you thoroughly amend your ways and your doings, if you thoroughly execute judgment between a man and his neighbor.
Jeremiah 7:23
"But this is what I commanded them, saying, 'Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people. And walk in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well with you.'
Zechariah 1:4
Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets preached, saying, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts: "Turn now from your evil ways and your evil deeds." ' But they did not hear nor heed Me," says the LORD.
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Cross References
Jeremiah 17:26
And they shall come from the cities of Judah and from the places around Jerusalem, from the land of Benjamin and from the lowland, from the mountains and from the South, bringing burnt offerings and sacrifices, grain offerings and incense, bringing sacrifices of praise to the house of the LORD.
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Cross References
Isaiah 58:6
Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke?
Isaiah 58:7
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; When you see the naked, that you cover him, And not hide yourself from your own flesh?
Jeremiah 7:28
So you shall say to them, 'This is a nation that does not obey the voice of the LORD their God nor receive correction. Truth has perished and has been cut off from their mouth.
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Cross References
Exodus 22:22
You shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child.
Psalms 72:4
He will bring justice to the poor of the people; He will save the children of the needy, And will break in pieces the oppressor.
Isaiah 1:17
Learn to do good; Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor; Defend the fatherless, Plead for the widow.
Jeremiah 5:28
They have grown fat, they are sleek; Yes, they surpass the deeds of the wicked; They do not plead the cause, The cause of the fatherless; Yet they prosper, And the right of the needy they do not defend.
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Cross References
Psalms 36:4
He devises wickedness on his bed; He sets himse...
Ezekiel 38:10
Thus says the Lord GOD: "On that day it shall c...
Ezekiel 45:9
Thus says the Lord GOD: "Enough, O princes of I...
Micah 2:1
Woe to those who devise iniquity, And work out ...
Zechariah 8:16
These are the things you shall do: Speak each m...
Zechariah 8:17
Let none of you think evil in your heart agains...
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Cross References
Nehemiah 9:29
And testified against them, That You might bring them back to Your law. Yet they acted proudly, And did not heed Your commandments, But sinned against Your judgments, 'Which if a man does, he shall live by them.' And they shrugged their shoulders, Stiffened their necks, And would not hear.
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Cross References
Jeremiah 17:23
But they did not obey nor incline their ear, but made their neck stiff, that they might not hear nor receive instruction.
Acts 7:57
Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord.
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Cross References
Ezekiel 11:19
Then I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh.
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Cross References
Nehemiah 9:29
And testified against them, That You might bring them back to Your law. Yet they acted proudly, And did not heed Your commandments, But sinned against Your judgments, 'Which if a man does, he shall live by them.' And they shrugged their shoulders, Stiffened their necks, And would not hear.
Nehemiah 9:30
Yet for many years You had patience with them, And testified against them by Your Spirit in Your prophets. Yet they would not listen; Therefore You gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands.
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Cross References
2 Chronicles 36:16
But they mocked the messengers of God, despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against His people, till there was no remedy.
Daniel 9:11
Yes, all Israel has transgressed Your law, and has departed so as not to obey Your voice; therefore the curse and the oath written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against Him.
Daniel 9:12
And He has confirmed His words, which He spoke against us and against our judges who judged us, by bringing upon us a great disaster; for under the whole heaven such has never been done as what has been done to Jerusalem.
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Cross References
Proverbs 1:24 - 28
Because I have called and you refused, I have stretched out my hand and no one regarded.
Isaiah 1:15
When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; Even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood.
Jeremiah 11:11
Therefore thus says the LORD: "Behold, I will surely bring calamity on them which they will not be able to escape; and though they cry out to Me, I will not listen to them.
Micah 3:4
Then they will cry to the LORD, But He will not hear them; He will even hide His face from them at that time, Because they have been evil in their deeds.
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Cross References
Leviticus 26:33
I will scatter you among the nations and draw out a sword after you; your land shall be desolate and your cities waste.
Deuteronomy 4:27
And the LORD will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations where the LORD will drive you.
Deuteronomy 28:64
Then the LORD will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other, and there you shall serve other gods, which neither you nor your fathers have known - wood and stone.
Nehemiah 1:8
Remember, I pray, the word that You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, ' If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations.
New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.