Zechariah 13
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
13 On that day a fountain shall be opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity.(A)
Idolatry Cut Off
2 On that day, says the Lord of hosts, I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, so that they shall be remembered no more, and also I will remove from the land the prophets and the unclean spirit.(B) 3 And if any prophets appear again, their fathers and mothers who bore them will say to them, “You shall not live, for you speak lies in the name of the Lord,” and their fathers and their mothers who bore them shall pierce them through when they prophesy.(C) 4 On that day the prophets will be ashamed, every one, of their visions when they prophesy; they will not put on a hairy mantle in order to deceive,(D) 5 but each of them will say, “I am no prophet; I am a tiller of the soil, for the land has been my possession[a] since my youth.” 6 And if anyone asks them, “What are these wounds on your chest?”[b] the answer will be “The wounds I received in the house of my friends.”
The Shepherd Struck, the Flock Scattered
7 “Awake, O sword, against my shepherd,
against the man who is my associate,”
says the Lord of hosts.
“Strike the shepherd, that the sheep may be scattered;
I will turn my hand against the little ones.(E)
8 In the whole land, says the Lord,
two-thirds shall be cut off and perish,
and one-third shall be left alive.(F)
9 And I will put this third into the fire,
refine them as one refines silver,
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, ‘The Lord is our God.’ ”(G)
Zechariah 13
International Standard Version
13 1 At that time,[a] a fountain will be opened for the house of David and for those who live in Jerusalem so they can be cleansed from[b] sin and ceremonial impurity.
Cessation of Prophecy
2 “At that time,”[c] declares the Lord of the Heavenly Armies, “I will eliminate the names of the idols from the land, and they will not be remembered anymore. I will also force both prophet and demon[d] to leave the land. 3 It will also come about that if any man would dare to[e] prophesy, then his father and his mother who bore him will respond to him, ‘You will not live, because you are speaking lies in the name of the Lord.’ Then his father and mother who bore him will stab him for prophesying. 4 Furthermore, it will come about at that time[f] that every prophet will become ashamed of his vision as he prophesies. They will wear no rough garments intended to deceive others.”[g]
The Injured Servant of Mankind
5 “He[h] will say, ‘I am no mere[i] prophet. A servant of mankind am I, because a man dedicated to this[j] have I been from my youth.’
6 “Someone will say to him, ‘What are these injuries to your hands?’
“He will reply, ‘…what I received at my friend’s house.’
7 “Arise, sword, against my shepherd,
against the mighty one who is related to me,”
declares the Lord of the Heavenly Armies.
“Strike the shepherd,
the sheep will be scattered,
and I will turn against the insignificant ones.
8 It will come about in all of the land,”
declares the Lord,
“that two thirds of the people living there will die,
but a third will survive who live there.
9 And I will bring that surviving third through,
testing them as if through fire,
purifying them like silver,
assaying them like gold.
They will call on my name,
and I will answer them.
I will say, ‘This is my people,’
and they will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’”
Footnotes
- Zechariah 13:1 Lit. day
- Zechariah 13:1 The Heb. lacks so they can be cleansed from
- Zechariah 13:2 Lit. day
- Zechariah 13:2 Lit. and unclean spirit
- Zechariah 13:3 Lit. would still
- Zechariah 13:4 Lit. day
- Zechariah 13:4 The Heb. lacks others
- Zechariah 13:5 MT subject is third sing.; i.e. the Lord.
- Zechariah 13:5 The Heb. lacks mere
- Zechariah 13:5 The Heb. lacks to this
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Copyright © 1995-2014 by ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission of Davidson Press, LLC.
