“ Ask all the people of the land and the priests: When you fasted and lamented in the fifth and in the seventh months for these 70 years, did you really fast for Me?

“你要宣告国内的众民和祭司，说：‘你们这七十年，在五月、七月禁食悲哀，岂是丝毫向我禁食吗？

“你要向这地全体百姓和祭司说：‘你们这七十年来，在五月、七月禁食悲哀，岂是真的向我禁食吗？

“你要向这地全体百姓和祭司说：‘你们这七十年来，在五月、七月禁食悲哀，岂是真的向我禁食吗？

“你要对境内的民众和祭司说，‘七十年来，你们在五月和七月禁食、哀伤，难道真的是为了我吗？

“你要告诉这地的人民和祭司说：‘这七十年来，你们在五月和七月禁食哀哭，岂是真的为我禁食呢？

「你要宣告國內的眾民和祭司，說：『你們這七十年，在五月、七月禁食悲哀，豈是絲毫向我禁食嗎？

「你要向這地全體百姓和祭司說：『你們這七十年來，在五月、七月禁食悲哀，豈是真的向我禁食嗎？

「你要向這地全體百姓和祭司說：『你們這七十年來，在五月、七月禁食悲哀，豈是真的向我禁食嗎？

「你要對境內的民眾和祭司說，『七十年來，你們在五月和七月禁食、哀傷，難道真的是為了我嗎？

“你要告訴這地的人民和祭司說：‘這七十年來，你們在五月和七月禁食哀哭，豈是真的為我禁食呢？

『你要告訴國中的眾民和祭司說：你們這七十年在五月間和七月間禁食和舉哀，哪裏真是向我而禁食呢？

「你要對這地所有的民眾和祭司說：『這七十年來，你們在五月和七月禁食、哀哭，是真的為我禁食嗎？

其告斯土之民、及諸祭司曰、爾於五月七月、禁食哭泣、歷七十年、豈為我禁食乎、

云、爾歷七十年、五月七月間、禁食哭泣、豈為我乎、

當告國民與祭司曰、爾歷七十年、五月七月間、禁食哭泣、豈為我禁食乎、

“ Ask all the people of the land and the priests,‘ When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months for the past seventy years, was it really for me that you fasted?

“ Ask the priests and all the people in the land a question for me. Say to them,‘ You mourned and fasted in the fifth and seventh months. You did it for the past 70 years. But did you really do it for me?

“ Say to all the people of the land and the priests,‘ When you fasted and mourned in the fifth month and in the seventh, for these seventy years, was it for me that you fasted?

“ Say to all your people and your priests,‘ During these seventy years of exile, when you fasted and mourned in the summer and in early autumn, was it really for me that you were fasting?

“ Ask all the people of the land and the priests: When you fasted and lamented in the fifth and in the seventh months for these seventy years, did you really fast for me?

“ Say to all the people of the land and to the priests,‘ When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months these seventy years, was it actually for Me that you fasted?

“ Say to all the people of the land, and to the priests:‘ When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months during those seventy years, did you really fast for Me— for Me?

Speak unto all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and in the seventh month, even these seventy years, did ye at all fast unto me, even to me?

Speak unto all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh[ month], even those seventy years, did ye at all fast unto me,[ even] to me?

“ Speak to all the people and priests of the land as follows:‘ When you fasted and lamented in the fifth and seventh months through all these seventy years, did you truly fast for me– for me, indeed?

“ Speak to all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying,‘ When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and in the seventh month for these seventy years, did you at all fast to me, really to me?

Then the Angel of the Lord responded,“ How long, Lord of Hosts, will You withhold mercy from Jerusalem and the cities of Judah that You have been angry with these 70 years?”

for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.Whoever serves Christ in this way is acceptable to God and approved by men.

Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for God’s glory.

“ What are all your sacrifices to Me?” asks the Lord.“ I have had enough of burnt offerings and rams and the fat of well-fed cattle; I have no desire for the blood of bulls, lambs, or male goats.When you come to appear before Me, who requires this from you— this trampling of My courts?

You fast with contention and strife to strike viciously with your fist. You cannot fast as you do today, hoping to make your voice heard on high.Will the fast I choose be like this: A day for a person to deny himself, to bow his head like a reed, and to spread out sackcloth and ashes? Will you call this a fast and a day acceptable to the Lord?Isn’t the fast I choose: To break the chains of wickedness, to untie the ropes of the yoke, to set the oppressed free, and to tear off every yoke?

Whoever observes the day, observes it for the honor of the Lord. Whoever eats, eats for the Lord, since he gives thanks to God; and whoever does not eat, it is for the Lord that he does not eat it, yet he thanks God.For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself.If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.Christ died and came to life for this: that He might rule over both the dead and the living.

by asking the priests who were at the house of the Lord of Hosts as well as the prophets,“ Should we mourn and fast in the fifth month as we have done these many years?”

So whenever you give to the poor, don’t sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be applauded by people. I assure you: They’ve got their reward!

When all the commanders of the armies— they and their men— heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah, they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah. The commanders included Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan son of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah son of the Maacathite— they and their men.

This whole land will become a desolate ruin, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon for 70 years.

“ Whenever you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by people. I assure you: They’ve got their reward!

“ The Lord of Hosts says this: The fast of the fourth month, the fast of the fifth, the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth will become times of joy, gladness, and cheerful festivals for the house of Judah. Therefore, love truth and peace.”

They do everything to be observed by others: They enlarge their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels.

Whatever you do, do it enthusiastically, as something done for the Lord and not for men,

In the same way, let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.“ Don’t assume that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.For I assure you: Until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or one stroke of a letter will pass from the law until all things are accomplished.

When you eat and drink, don’t you eat and drink simply for yourselves?

“ Whenever you fast, don’t be sad-faced like the hypocrites. For they make their faces unattractive so their fasting is obvious to people. I assure you: They’ve got their reward!

And He died for all so that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for the One who died for them and was raised.

In the seventh month, Ishmael son of Nethaniah, son of Elishama, of the royal family and one of the king’s chief officers, came with 10 men to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah. They ate a meal together there in Mizpah,but then Ishmael son of Nethaniah and the 10 men who were with him got up and struck down Gedaliah son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, with the sword; he killed the one the king of Babylon had appointed in the land.Ishmael also struck down all the Judeans who were with Gedaliah at Mizpah, as well as the Chaldean soldiers who were there.On the second day after he had killed Gedaliah, when no one knew yet,