Zechariah 7:1-3

The Hypocrisy of False Fasting

7:1 In King Darius’ fourth year, on the fourth day of Kislev, the ninth month, ¹  the word of the Lord came to Zechariah. 7:2 Now the people of Bethel ²  had sent Sharezer and Regem-Melech and their companions to seek the Lord’s favor 7:3 by asking both the priests of the temple ³  of the Lord who rules over all and the prophets, “Should we weep in the fifth month, ⁴  fasting as we have done over the years?”

¹ sn The fourth day of Kislev, the ninth month would be December 7, 518 b.c., 22 months after the previous eight visions.

² map For location see Map4-G4; Map5-C1; Map6-E3; Map7-D1; Map8-G3.

³ tn Heb “house” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV).

⁴ sn This lamentation marked the occasion of the destruction of Solomon’s temple on August 14, 586 b.c., almost exactly 70 years earlier (cf. 2 Kgs 25:8).