The Lord Will Save Jerusalem

12 This is the prophetic revelation, the Lord’s word about Israel. The Lord—who spread out the heavens, laid the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit in a person—says, ² “I’m going to make Jerusalem like a cup ⌞of wine⌟ that makes all the surrounding people stagger. They will attack Judah along with Jerusalem. ³ On that day I will make Jerusalem a stone too heavy for all the nations to lift. All who try to lift it will be severely injured. All the nations in the world will gather ⌞to fight⌟ against Jerusalem.”

⁴ The Lord declares, “On that day I will strike every horse with panic and every rider with madness. I will watch over the people of Judah, but I will strike all the horses of the nations blind. ⁵ Then the leaders of Judah will think to themselves, ‘The people who live in Jerusalem are strong because of the Lord of Armies, their God.’

⁶ “On that day I will make the leaders of Judah like a fire on a pile of wood and like a burning torch among freshly cut straw. They will burn up all the surrounding nations to the right and to the left. But the people of Jerusalem will remain safe in Jerusalem.

⁷ “The Lord will save Judah’s tents first so that the honor of David’s family and the honor of those who live in Jerusalem will not be greater than the honor of Judah. ⁸ On that day the Lord will defend those who live in Jerusalem so that even those who stumble will be like David, and David’s family will be like God, like the Messenger of the Lord ahead of them.

⁹ “On that day I will seek to destroy all the nations who attack Jerusalem.

The People of Jerusalem Will Look at the One They Stabbed

¹⁰ “I will pour out the Spirit of blessing and mercy on David’s family and on those who live in Jerusalem. They will look at me, whom they have stabbed. Then they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only son, and they will cry bitterly for him as one cries for a firstborn son. ¹¹ On that day the mourning in Jerusalem will be as intense as the mourning at Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. ¹² The land will mourn, each family by itself: the family of David by itself, and the wives by themselves; the family of Nathan by itself, and the wives by themselves; ¹³ the family of Levi by itself, and the wives by themselves; the family of Shimei by itself, and the wives by themselves. ¹⁴ All the families that are left ⌞will mourn⌟, each by itself, and the wives by themselves.”

13 ⌞The Lord declares,⌟ “On that day a fountain will be opened for David’s family and for those who live in Jerusalem to wash away ⌞their⌟ sin and stain.

False Prophets Will Be Judged

² “On that day,” declares the Lord of Armies, “I will wipe away the names of the idols from the land. They will no longer be remembered. I will also remove the ⌞false⌟ prophets and the unclean ^[a] spirit from the land.

³ “If a man still prophesies, his father and his mother, who gave birth to him, will say, ‘You don’t deserve to live because you speak lies in the name of the Lord.’ Then his father and his mother, who gave birth to him, will stab him when he prophesies.

⁴ “On that day every prophet will be ashamed of his vision when he prophesies. He won’t deceive people by dressing ⌞like a prophet⌟ in a coat made of hair. ⁵ He will say, ‘I am not a prophet. I’m a farmer. I’ve owned this land since I was a child.’

⁶ “When someone asks him, ‘What are these scars on your chest?’ he will answer, ‘I was hurt at my friend’s house.’

The Shepherd Struck, the Sheep Scattered

⁸ The Lord declares,

Greeting

1 From Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ. I was sent to lead God’s chosen people to faith and to the knowledge of the truth that leads to a godly life. ² My message is based on the confidence of eternal life. God, who never lies, promised this eternal life before the world began. ³ God has revealed this in every era by spreading his word. I was entrusted with this word by the command of God our Savior.

⁴ To Titus, a genuine child in the faith we share.

Good will ^[a] and peace from God the Father and from Christ Jesus our Savior are yours!

Guidelines for Leaders in the Church

⁵ I left you in Crete to do what still needed to be done—appointing spiritual leaders ^[b] in every city as I directed you. ⁶ A spiritual leader must have a good reputation. He must have only one wife and have children who are believers. His children shouldn’t be known for having wild lifestyles or being rebellious. ⁷ Because a bishop is a supervisor appointed by God, he must have a good reputation. He must not be a stubborn or irritable person. He must not drink too much or be a violent person. He must not use shameful ways to make money. ⁸ Instead, he must be hospitable, love what is good, use good judgment, be fair and moral, and have self-control. ⁹ He must be devoted to the trustworthy message we teach. Then he can use these accurate teachings to encourage people and correct those who oppose the word.

Correct Whoever Teaches What Is Wrong

¹⁰ There are many believers, especially converts from Judaism, who are rebellious. They speak nonsense and deceive people. ¹¹ They must be silenced because they are ruining whole families by teaching what they shouldn’t teach. This is the shameful way they make money.

¹² Even one of their own prophets said, “Cretans are always liars, savage animals, and lazy gluttons.” ¹³ That statement is true. For this reason, sharply correct believers so that they continue to have faith that is alive and well. ¹⁴ They shouldn’t pay attention to Jewish myths or commands given by people who are always rejecting the truth. ¹⁵ Everything is clean ^[c] to those who are clean. But nothing is clean to corrupt unbelievers. Indeed, their minds and their consciences are corrupted. ¹⁶ They claim to know God, but they deny him by what they do. They are detestable, disobedient, and unfit to do anything good.

Guidelines for Christian Living

2 Tell believers to live the kind of life that goes along with accurate teachings. ² Tell older men to be sober. Tell them to be men of good character, to use good judgment, and to be well-grounded in faith, love, and endurance.

³ Tell older women to live their lives in a way that shows they are dedicated to God. Tell them not to be gossips or addicted to alcohol, but to be examples of virtue. ⁴ In this way they will teach young women to show love to their husbands and children, ⁵ to use good judgment, and to be morally pure. Also, tell them to teach young women to be homemakers, to be kind, and to place themselves under their husbands’ authority. Then no one can speak evil of God’s word.

⁶ Encourage young men to use good judgment.