“ 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?

“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?

“ 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?

“ 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?

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?

Upon hearing this, the angel of the Lord prayed this prayer:“ O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, for seventy years now you have been angry with Jerusalem and the towns of Judah. How long until you again show mercy to them?”

For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.If you serve Christ with this attitude, you will please God, and others will approve of you, too.

So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

“ What makes you think I want all your sacrifices?” says the Lord.“ I am sick of your burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fattened cattle. I get no pleasure from the blood of bulls and lambs and goats.When you come to worship me, who asked you to parade through my courts with all your ceremony?

What good is fasting when you keep on fighting and quarreling? This kind of fasting will never get you anywhere with me.You humble yourselves by going through the motions of penance, bowing your heads like reeds bending in the wind. You dress in burlap and cover yourselves with ashes. Is this what you call fasting? Do you really think this will please the Lord?“ No, this is the kind of fasting I want: Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you. Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people.

Those who worship the Lord on a special day do it to honor him. Those who eat any kind of food do so to honor the Lord, since they give thanks to God before eating. And those who refuse to eat certain foods also want to please the Lord and give thanks to God.For we don’t live for ourselves or die for ourselves.If we live, it’s to honor the Lord. And if we die, it’s to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.Christ died and rose again for this very purpose— to be Lord both of the living and of the dead.

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?”

When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do— blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get.

When all the army commanders and their men learned that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah as governor, they went to see him at Mizpah. These included Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan son of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, Jezaniah son of the Maacathite, and all their men.

This entire land will become a desolate wasteland. Israel and her neighboring lands will serve the king of Babylon for seventy years.

“ When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get.

“ This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: The traditional fasts and times of mourning you have kept in early summer, midsummer, autumn, and winter are now ended. They will become festivals of joy and celebration for the people of Judah. So love truth and peace.

“ Everything they do is for show. On their arms they wear extra wide prayer boxes with Scripture verses inside, and they wear robes with extra long tassels.

Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.

In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.“ Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose.I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved.

And even now in your holy festivals, aren’t you eating and drinking just to please yourselves?

“ And when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get.

He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.

But in midautumn of that year, Ishmael son of Nethaniah and grandson of Elishama, who was a member of the royal family and had been one of the king’s high officials, went to Mizpah with ten men to meet Gedaliah. While they were eating together,Ishmael and his ten men suddenly jumped up, drew their swords, and killed Gedaliah, whom the king of Babylon had appointed governor.Ishmael also killed all the Judeans and the Babylonian soldiers who were with Gedaliah at Mizpah.The next day, before anyone had heard about Gedaliah’s murder,