Zechariah 7:3

New Living Translation

They were to ask this question of the prophets and the priests at the Temple of the Lord of Heaven's Armies: "Should we continue to mourn and fast each summer on the anniversary of the Temple's destruction, as we have done for so many years?"

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
They went to the prophets and to the priests at the Temple of the Lord All-Powerful. They asked them this question: "For many years we have shown our sadness for the destruction of the Temple. In the fifth month of each year, we have had a special time of crying and fasting. Should we continue to do this?"

New American Standard Bible
speaking to the priests who belong to the house of the LORD of armies, and to the prophets, saying, "Shall I weep in the fifth month and fast, as I have done these many years?"

New Century Version
They went to the prophets and priests who were at the Temple of the Lord All-Powerful. The men said, "For years in the fifth month of each year we have shown our sadness and fasted. Should we continue to do this?"

Update Bible Version
[and] to speak to the priests of the house of Yahweh of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done these so many years?

Webster's Bible Translation
[And] to speak to the priests who [were] in the house of the LORD of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done these so many years?

Amplified Bible
speaking to the priests who belong to the house of the LORD of hosts and to the prophets, saying, "[Now that I am returned from exile] shall I weep in the fifth month [mourning the destruction of the temple], and fast as I have done these many years [in Babylon]?"

English Standard Version
saying to the priests of the house of the Lord of hosts and the prophets, "Should I weep and abstain in the fifth month, as I have done for so many years?"

World English Bible
and to speak to the priests of the house of Yahweh of Hosts, and to the prophets, saying, "Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done these so many years?"

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
that thei schulden seie to prestis of the hous of the Lord of oostis, and to profetis, and speke, Whether it is to wepe to me in the fyuethe monethe, ether Y schal halowe me, as Y dide now many yeeris?

English Revised Version
and to speak unto the priests of the house of the LORD of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done these so many years?

Berean Standard Bible
by asking the priests of the house of the LORD of Hosts as well as the prophets, "Should I weep and fast in the fifth month, as I have done these many years?"

American Standard Version
and to speak unto the priests of the house of Jehovah of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done these so many years?

Bible in Basic English
And to say to the priests of the house of the Lord of armies and to the prophets, Am I to go on weeping in the fifth month, separating myself as I have done in past years?

Complete Jewish Bible
as they inquired of the cohanim of the house of Adonai -Tzva'ot and the prophets, "Should we go into mourning and abstain from pleasure during the fifth month, as we have been doing for all these years?"

Darby Translation
[and] to speak unto the priests that were in the house of Jehovah of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done now so many years?

JPS Old Testament (1917)
and to speak unto the priests of the house of the LORD of hosts, and to the prophets, saying: 'Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done these so many years?'

King James Version (1611)
And to speake vnto the priestes, which were in the house of the Lord of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, Should I weepe in the fift moneth, separating my selfe, as I haue done these so many yeeres?

New Life Bible
They asked the religious leaders of the house of the Lord of All, and the men who speak for God, "Should I cry and go without food in the fifth month, as I have done these many years?"

New Revised Standard
and to ask the priests of the house of the Lord of hosts and the prophets, "Should I mourn and practice abstinence in the fifth month, as I have done for so many years?"

Geneva Bible (1587)
And to speake vnto the Priests, which were in the House of the Lorde of hostes, and to the Prophets, saying, Should I weepe in the fift moneth, and separate my selfe as I haue done these so many yeeres?

George Lamsa Translation
And to speak to the priests who were in the house of the LORD of hosts and to the prophets, saying, Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done these so many years?

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
to speak unto the priests that pertained to the house of Yahweh of hosts, and unto the prophets, saying, - Shall I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done these so many years?

Douay-Rheims Bible
To speak to the priests of the house of the Lord of hosts, and to the prophets, saying: Must I weep in the fifth month, or must I sanctify myself as I have now done for many years?

Revised Standard Version
and to ask the priests of the house of the LORD of hosts and the prophets, "Should I mourn and fast in the fifth month, as I have done for so many years?"

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And that they shoulde speake vnto the priestes which were in the house of the Lorde of hoastes, and to the prophetes, saying: should I wepe in the fifth moneth, & abstayne as I haue done nowe certaine yeres?

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
speaking to the priests that were in the house of the Lord Almighty, and to the prophets, saying, The holy offering has come in hither in the fifth month, as it has done already many years.

Good News Translation
and to ask the priests and the prophets this question: "Should we continue to mourn because of the destruction of the Temple, by fasting in the fifth month as we have done for so many years now?"

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

Hebrew Names Version
and to speak to the Kohanim of the house of the LORD of Hosts, and to the prophets, saying, "Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done these so many years?"

King James Version
And to speak unto the priests which were in the house of the Lord of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done these so many years?

Lexham English Bible
saying to the priests of the house of Yahweh of hosts and to the prophets, "Should I mourn in the fifth month and keep myself separate as I have done for these many years?"

Literal Translation
to speak to the priests who belong to the house of Jehovah of Hosts, and to the prophets, saying, Should I weep in the fifth month, consecrating myself as I have done these many years?

Young's Literal Translation
speaking unto the priests who [are] at the house of Jehovah of Hosts, and unto the prophets, saying, `Do I weep in the fifth month -- being separated -- as I have done these so many years?'

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
and that they shulde saye vnto the prestes, which were in the house of the LORDE of hoostes, and to the prophetes: Shulde I wepe in the fyfte moneth, and absteyne, as I haue done now certayne yeares?

New English Translation
by asking both the priests of the temple of the Lord who rules over all and the prophets, "Should we weep in the fifth month, fasting as we have done over the years?"

New King James Version
and to ask the priests who were in the house of the LORD of hosts, and the prophets, saying, "Should I weep in the fifth month and fast as I have done for so many years?"

New American Standard Bible (1995)
speaking to the priests who belong to the house of the LORD of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, "Shall I weep in the fifth month and abstain, as I have done these many years?"

Legacy Standard Bible
speaking to the priests, who belong to the house of Yahweh of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, "Shall I weep in the fifth month and abstain, as I have done these many years?"

Contextual Overview

¹ On December 7 of the fourth year of King Darius's reign, another message came to Zechariah from the Lord . ² The people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regemmelech, along with their attendants, to seek the Lord 's favor. ³ They were to ask this question of the prophets and the priests at the Temple of the Lord of Heaven's Armies: "Should we continue to mourn and fast each summer on the anniversary of the Temple's destruction, as we have done for so many years?" ⁴ The Lord of Heaven's Armies sent me this message in reply: ⁵ "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? ⁶ And even now in your holy festivals, aren't you eating and drinking just to please yourselves? ⁷ Isn't this the same message the Lord proclaimed through the prophets in years past when Jerusalem and the towns of Judah were bustling with people, and the Negev and the foothills of Judah were well populated?'"

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

speak: Deuteronomy 17:9-11, Deuteronomy 33:10, Ezekiel 44:23, Ezekiel 44:24, Hosea 4:6, Haggai 2:11, Malachi 2:7

Should: Zechariah 7:5, Nehemiah 8:9-11, Nehemiah 9:1-3, Ecclesiastes 3:4, Isaiah 22:12, Isaiah 22:13, Joel 2:17, Matthew 9:15, James 4:8-10

fifth: This was a fast for the burning of the temple, as that of the seventh month was for the death of Gedaliah; and seeing that the city and temple were in part rebuilt, they wished to know whether they should continue the observance of them. Zechariah 8:19, 2 Kings 25:8, 2 Kings 25:9, Jeremiah 52:12-14

separating: Zechariah 12:12-14, 1 Corinthians 7:5

Reciprocal: Exodus 19:15 - come not Exodus 33:4 - they mourned Numbers 29:7 - afflict 1 Samuel 21:4 - if the young Proverbs 18:1 - Through Joel 2:12 - with fasting Malachi 3:14 - and that Matthew 6:16 - be Matthew 20:12 - borne Luke 15:29 - Lo

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And to speak unto the priests which were in the house of the Lord of hosts,.... That ministered in the sanctuary, as the Targum explains it, who offered sacrifices, c. and who were to be consulted in matters of religion, Malachi 2:7:

and to the prophets who were then in being, as Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi:

saying, Should I weep in the fifth month; which is the month Ab, and answers to July: now on the seventh day of this month, according to

2 Kings 25:8, the temple was burnt by the Chaldeans; and, according to Jeremiah 3:12, it was on the tenth of this month, which day was kept by the Jews as a day of fasting and humiliation, in commemoration of it; and by the Misnic doctors u afterwards was removed, and kept on the ninth day of the said month; but, seeing the temple was in great forwardness of being rebuilt, the question with those Jews was, whether they should continue any longer mourning and fasting on that account:

separating myself: that is, from eating and drinking, and not taking the lawful pleasures and recreations of life:

as I have done these so many years? for the space of seventy years, as in Zechariah 7:5.

u Misn. Taanith, c. 4. sect. 7, 8. T. Bab. Taanith, fol. 29. 1.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself? - “In the fifth month,” from the seventh to the tenth day, Jerusalem was in flames, fired by Nebuchadnezzar. “He burnt the house of the Lord, and the king’s house, and all the houses of Jerusalem and every great man’s house he burnt with fire” .

Jerome: “Now since it is said that the temple is builded and we see that no cause of sorrow remaineth, answer, we pray, are we to do this or to change our sorrow into joy?”

Separating myself - This seems to be added, to intensify the fast which they had kept. The Nazarite was bound to “separate himself from wine and strong drink” Numbers 6:3, and so, they severed themselves to the Lord, and consecrated themselves to Him (Numbers 5:0. See the note at Amos 2:11). These had severed themselves from food, from things pleasant, from pleasure, from sin, it may be, for the day, but not abidingly: they had not given themselves to God.

As I have done these so many years - Literally, “how many.” As if, although they knew that they were seventy years, they could not count them.