3
speaking to the priestswho belong to the house of the LORD of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, "Shall I weep in the fifthmonth and abstain, as I have donethesemanyyears?"
4
Then the word of the LORD of hostscame to me, saying,
r{mael y;lea tw{a'b.c h'wh.y -r;b.D yih.y;w
5
"Say to all the people of the land and to the priests, 'When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months theseseventyyears, was it actually for Me that you fasted?
7
'Are not these the wordswhich the LORDproclaimed by the formerprophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and prosperous along with its citiesaround it, and the Negev and the foothills were inhabited?' "
12
"They made their hearts like flintso that they could not hear the law and the wordswhich the LORD of hosts had sent by His Spiritthrough the formerprophets; therefore greatwrathcame from the LORD of hosts.
14
"but I scattered them with a stormwindamongall the nationswhom they have not known. Thus the land is desolatedbehind them so that no one wentback and forth, for they made the pleasantlanddesolate."