Zechariah 7:5-12

5He said, ‘Say this to all the people in this country and to the priests: “You lived in Babylon for many years. You ate no food and you were sad in the fifth month and in the seventh month. But you did not do this for me.

6You ate and you drank. But you ate and you drank for yourselves.

7These are the words that I, the Lord, spoke by my prophets in past years. At that time, the people in Jerusalem lived without trouble. Many rich people lived in Jerusalem. People in the Negev region in the south and in the low hills in the west also lived safely.” ’

8The Lord spoke again to Zechariah. He said,

9‘The Lord Almighty has said, “Be sure that you are fair to all people. Be kind to each other.

10Do not cheat widows or children who have no family. Do not cheat foreigners or poor people. Do not think secretly of ways to hurt each other.”

11But the people would not listen and they turned away. They put their hands over their ears, because they did not want to hear.

12They decided that they would not listen to God's rules or to the messages from the prophets. But the Lord Almighty had sent those messages by His Spirit. So I, the Lord Almighty, was very angry.