Zechariah 13
Names of God Bible
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 Yahweh Tsebaoth, “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 Yahweh.’ 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
7 “Arise, sword, against my shepherd,
against the man who is my friend,” declares Yahweh Tsebaoth.
“Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.
Then I will turn my hand against the little ones.”
8 Yahweh declares,
“Throughout the land two-thirds will be cut off and die.
Yet, one-third will be left in it.
9 I will bring this third of the people through the fire.
I will refine them as silver is refined.
I will test them as gold is tested.
They will call on me, and I will answer them.
I will say, ‘They are my people.’
They will reply, ‘Yahweh is our Elohim.’”
Footnotes
- Zechariah 13:2 “Unclean” refers to anything that Moses’ Teachings say is not presentable to God.
Zechariah 13
Expanded Bible
13 “·At that time [L In that day] a fountain will be open for ·David’s descendants [L the house of David] and for the ·people [inhabitants] of Jerusalem to cleanse them of their sin and ·uncleanness [impurity; defilement].”
2 The Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] says, “·At that time [L On that day] I will ·get rid of [remove; cut off] the names of the idols from the land; no one will remember them anymore. I will also remove the prophets and ·unclean spirits [or spirit of uncleanness/impurity] from the land [C unlike true prophecy from the Spirit of God]. 3 If a person continues to prophesy, his own father and mother, the ones who gave birth to him, will tell him, ‘You have told lies ·using [in] the Lord’s name, so you must die.’ When he prophesies, his own father and mother who gave birth to him will ·stab [pierce] him.
4 “·At that time [L On that day] the prophets will be ashamed of their visions and prophecies. They won’t wear the prophet’s clothes made of hair [C like Elijah (1 Kin. 19:13) and Elisha (1 Kin. 19:19); cf. John the Baptist (Matt. 3:4)] to ·trick [deceive] people. 5 Each of them will say, ‘I am not a prophet. I am a farmer ·and have been a farmer since I was young [L for a man sold me in my youth; C as an indentured servant to work the land].’ 6 But someone will ask, ‘What are the ·deep cuts [wounds] ·on your body [or on your chest; L between your hands; C pagan prophets often cut themselves to appeal to their gods]?’ And each will answer, ‘I was ·hurt [wounded] at my friend’s house.’
The Shepherd Is Killed
7 “·Sword, hit the [L Awake, Sword, against my] shepherd.
·Attack [L …against] the man who is my ·friend [associate],”
says the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts].
“·Kill [Strike] the shepherd,
and the sheep will scatter [Matt. 26:31; Mark 14:27],
and I will ·punish [L turn my hand against] the little ones.”
8 The Lord says, “Two-thirds of the people
through all the land will die. They will be ·gone [struck down; L cut off],
and one-third will be left.
9 The third that is left I will ·test with [L bring into the] fire,
·purifying [refining] them like silver,
testing them like gold.
Then they will call on ·me [my name],
and I will answer them.
I will say, ‘These are my people,’
and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God.’”
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.