Zechariah 7:8-14

YAHWEH spoke again to Zechariah, saying, “Here is the message of YAHWEH, Commander of Angel Armies: “Apply the law fairly. “Demonstrate tender love and compassion toward all. “Never oppress the widow and the fatherless, the foreigner and the poor. “And do not secretly plot to harm someone.” But they would not listen; they turned their backs on him, and they stopped up their ears rather than stopping to hear. Their hearts became as hard as a rock. They refused to listen to the teaching of YAHWEH, Commander of Angel Armies. And they would not hear the words he spoke by his Spirit through the earlier prophets. So YAHWEH, Commander of Angel Armies, became very angry. YAHWEH, Commander of Angel Armies, says, “Even when I called for them, they would not listen. Therefore, I would not listen when they prayed to me for help. Like a whirlwind, I swept them away to live in distant lands as foreigners.” After they were scattered, the country was left so desolate that it became impassable. What once was a land of delights they turned into a desert of desolation.