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13 “In that day there will be a spring opened to David’s house and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness. It will come to pass in that day, says Yahweh of Armies, that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they will be remembered no more. I will also cause the prophets and the spirit of impurity to pass out of the land. It will happen that, when anyone still prophesies, then his father and his mother who bore him will tell him, ‘You must die, because you speak lies in Yahweh’s name;’ and his father and his mother who bore him will stab him when he prophesies. It will happen in that day, that the prophets will each be ashamed of his vision, when he prophesies; neither will they wear a hairy mantle to deceive: but he will say, ‘I am no prophet, I am a tiller of the ground; for I have been made a bondservant from my youth.’ One will say to him, ‘What are these wounds between your arms?’ Then he will answer, ‘Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.’

“Awake, sword, against my shepherd,
    and against the man who is close to me,” says Yahweh of Armies.
“Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered;
    and I will turn my hand against the little ones.
It shall happen that in all the land,” says Yahweh,
    “two parts in it will be cut off and die;
    but the third will be left in it.
I will bring the third part into the fire,
    and will refine them as silver is refined,
    and will test them like gold is tested.
They will call on my name, and I will hear them.
    I will say, ‘It is my people;’
    and they will say, ‘Yahweh is my God.’”

13 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

“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. 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. 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

“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.’

“Someone will say to him, ‘What are these injuries to your hands?’

“He will reply, ‘…what I received at my friend’s house.’

“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.
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.
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

  1. Zechariah 13:1 Lit. day
  2. Zechariah 13:1 The Heb. lacks so they can be cleansed from
  3. Zechariah 13:2 Lit. day
  4. Zechariah 13:2 Lit. and unclean spirit
  5. Zechariah 13:3 Lit. would still
  6. Zechariah 13:4 Lit. day
  7. Zechariah 13:4 The Heb. lacks others
  8. Zechariah 13:5 MT subject is third sing.; i.e. the Lord.
  9. Zechariah 13:5 The Heb. lacks mere
  10. Zechariah 13:5 The Heb. lacks to this