Font Size
Zechariah 12-13
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Zechariah 12-13
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Judah’s Security
12 An Oracle
The word of the Lord concerning Israel.
A declaration of the Lord,
who stretched out the heavens,(A)
laid the foundation of the earth,(B)
and formed the spirit of man within him.
2 “Look, I will make Jerusalem a cup that causes staggering(C) for the peoples who surround the city. The siege against Jerusalem will also involve Judah. 3 On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples; all who try to lift it will injure themselves severely when all the nations of the earth gather against her.(D) 4 On that day”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“I will strike every horse with panic and its rider with madness.(E) I will keep a watchful eye on(F) the house of Judah but strike all the horses of the nations with blindness. 5 Then each of the leaders of Judah will think to himself: The residents of Jerusalem are my strength through the Lord of Hosts, their God. 6 On that day I will make the leaders of Judah like a firepot in a woodpile, like a flaming torch among sheaves; they will consume all the peoples around them on the right and the left, while Jerusalem continues to be inhabited on its site, in Jerusalem. 7 The Lord will save the tents of Judah first, so that the glory of David’s house and the glory of Jerusalem’s residents may not be greater than that of Judah. 8 On that day the Lord will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that on that day the one who is weakest among them will be like David on that day, and the house of David will be like God, like the Angel of the Lord, before them. 9 On that day I will set out to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
Mourning for the Pierced One
10 “Then I will pour out a spirit[a](G) of grace and prayer on the house of David and the residents of Jerusalem, and they will look at[b] Me whom they pierced. They will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only child and weep bitterly for Him as one weeps for a firstborn.(H) 11 On that day the mourning in Jerusalem will be as great as the mourning of Hadad-rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. 12 The land will mourn, every family by itself: the family of David’s house by itself and their women by themselves; the family of Nathan’s[c](I) house by itself and their women by themselves; 13 the family of Levi’s house by itself and their women by themselves; the family of Shimei[d](J) by itself and their women by themselves; 14 all the remaining families, every family by itself, and their women by themselves.
God’s People Cleansed
13 “On that day a fountain will be opened for the house of David and for the residents of Jerusalem, to wash away sin and impurity.(K) 2 On that day”—this is the declaration of the Lord of Hosts—“I will erase the names of the idols from the land, and they will no longer be remembered. I will remove the prophets[e] and the unclean spirit from the land. 3 If a man still prophesies, his father and his mother who bore him will say to him: You cannot remain alive because you have spoken falsely in the name of Yahweh. When he prophesies, his father and his mother who bore him will pierce him through.(L) 4 On that day every prophet will be ashamed of his vision when he prophesies; they will not put on a hairy cloak(M) in order to deceive. 5 He will say: I am not a prophet; I work the land, for a man purchased[f] me as a servant since my youth.(N) 6 If someone asks him: What are these wounds(O) on your chest?[g]—then he will answer: I received the wounds in the house of my friends.
7 Sword, awake against My shepherd,
against the man who is My associate—
this is the declaration of the Lord of Hosts.
Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered;(P)
I will also turn My hand against the little ones.
8 In the whole land—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
two-thirds[h] will be cut off and die,
but a third will be left in it.
9 I will put this third through the fire;
I will refine them as silver is refined
and test them as gold is tested.
They will call on My name,
and I will answer them.
I will say: They are My people,
and they will say: Yahweh is our God.”
Footnotes
- Zechariah 12:10 Or out the Spirit
- Zechariah 12:10 Or to
- Zechariah 12:12 = a son of David
- Zechariah 12:13 = a descendant of Levi
- Zechariah 13:2 = false prophets
- Zechariah 13:5 Or sold
- Zechariah 13:6 Lit wounds between your hands
- Zechariah 13:8 Lit two-thirds in it
Zechariah 12-13
New International Version
Zechariah 12-13
New International Version
Jerusalem’s Enemies to Be Destroyed
12 A prophecy:(A) The word of the Lord concerning Israel.
The Lord, who stretches out the heavens,(B) who lays the foundation of the earth,(C) and who forms the human spirit within a person,(D) declares: 2 “I am going to make Jerusalem a cup(E) that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling.(F) Judah(G) will be besieged as well as Jerusalem. 3 On that day, when all the nations(H) of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock(I) for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure(J) themselves. 4 On that day I will strike every horse with panic and its rider with madness,” declares the Lord. “I will keep a watchful eye over Judah, but I will blind all the horses of the nations.(K) 5 Then the clans of Judah will say in their hearts, ‘The people of Jerusalem are strong,(L) because the Lord Almighty is their God.’
6 “On that day I will make the clans of Judah like a firepot(M) in a woodpile, like a flaming torch among sheaves. They will consume(N) all the surrounding peoples right and left, but Jerusalem will remain intact(O) in her place.
7 “The Lord will save the dwellings of Judah first, so that the honor of the house of David and of Jerusalem’s inhabitants may not be greater than that of Judah.(P) 8 On that day the Lord will shield(Q) those who live in Jerusalem, so that the feeblest(R) among them will be like David, and the house of David will be like God,(S) like the angel of the Lord going before(T) them. 9 On that day I will set out to destroy all the nations(U) that attack Jerusalem.(V)
Mourning for the One They Pierced
10 “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit[a](W) of grace and supplication.(X) They will look on[b] me, the one they have pierced,(Y) and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child,(Z) and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.(AA) 11 On that day the weeping(AB) in Jerusalem will be as great as the weeping of Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo.(AC) 12 The land will mourn,(AD) each clan by itself, with their wives by themselves: the clan of the house of David and their wives, the clan of the house of Nathan and their wives, 13 the clan of the house of Levi and their wives, the clan of Shimei and their wives, 14 and all the rest of the clans and their wives.(AE)
Cleansing From Sin
13 “On that day a fountain(AF) will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse(AG) them from sin and impurity.
2 “On that day, I will banish the names of the idols(AH) from the land, and they will be remembered no more,”(AI) declares the Lord Almighty. “I will remove both the prophets(AJ) and the spirit of impurity from the land. 3 And if anyone still prophesies, their father and mother, to whom they were born, will say to them, ‘You must die, because you have told lies(AK) in the Lord’s name.’ Then their own parents will stab the one who prophesies.(AL)
4 “On that day every prophet will be ashamed(AM) of their prophetic vision. They will not put on a prophet’s garment(AN) of hair(AO) in order to deceive.(AP) 5 Each will say, ‘I am not a prophet. I am a farmer; the land has been my livelihood since my youth.[c]’(AQ) 6 If someone asks, ‘What are these wounds on your body[d]?’ they will answer, ‘The wounds I was given at the house of my friends.’
The Shepherd Struck, the Sheep Scattered
7 “Awake, sword,(AR) against my shepherd,(AS)
against the man who is close to me!”
declares the Lord Almighty.
“Strike the shepherd,
and the sheep will be scattered,(AT)
and I will turn my hand against the little ones.
8 In the whole land,” declares the Lord,
“two-thirds will be struck down and perish;
yet one-third will be left in it.(AU)
9 This third I will put into the fire;(AV)
I will refine them like silver(AW)
and test them like gold.(AX)
They will call(AY) on my name(AZ)
and I will answer(BA) them;
I will say, ‘They are my people,’(BB)
and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God.(BC)’”
Footnotes
- Zechariah 12:10 Or the Spirit
- Zechariah 12:10 Or to
- Zechariah 13:5 Or farmer; a man sold me in my youth
- Zechariah 13:6 Or wounds between your hands
Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.