13 1 Of the fountain of grace. 2 Of the clean riddance of idolatry. 3 The zeal of the godly against false prophets.

In that day there [a]shall be a fountain opened to the house of David, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness.

And in that day, saith the Lord of hosts, I will cut off the [b]names of the idols out of the land: and they shall no more be remembered: and I will cause the [c]prophets, and the unclean spirit to depart out of the land.

And when any shall yet [d]prophesy, his father and his mother that begat him, shall say unto him, Thou shalt not live: for thou speakest lies in the Name of the Lord: and his father and his mother that begat him, [e]shall thrust him through, when he prophesieth.

And in that day shall the prophets [f]be ashamed everyone of his vision, when he hath prophesied: neither shall they wear a rough garment to deceive.

But he shall say, I am no [g]Prophet: I am an husbandman: for man taught me to be an herdsman from my youth up.

And one shall say unto him, What are these [h]wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Thus was I wounded in the house of my friends.

¶ Arise, O sword, upon my [i]shepherd, and upon the man, that is my fellow, saith the Lord of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones.

And in all the land, saith the Lord, [j]two parts therein shall be cut off, and die: but the third shall be left therein.

And I will bring that third part through the fire, and will fine them as the silver is fined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my Name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people, and they shall say, The Lord is my God.

Footnotes

  1. Zechariah 13:1 He showeth what shall be the fruit of their repentance, to wit, remission of sins by the blood of Christ, which shall be a continual running fountain, and purge them from all uncleanness.
  2. Zechariah 13:2 He promiseth that God will also purge them from all superstition, and that their religion shall be pure.
  3. Zechariah 13:2 Meaning, the false prophets and teachers, who are the corrupters of all religion, whom the Prophet here calleth unclean spirits.
  4. Zechariah 13:3 That is, when they shall prophesy lies, and make God, who is the author of truth, a cloak thereunto.
  5. Zechariah 13:3 He showeth what zeal the godly shall have under the kingdom of Christ, Deut. 13:6, 9.
  6. Zechariah 13:4 God shall make them ashamed of their errors and lies, and bring them to repentance, and they shall no more wear Prophet’s apparel to make their doctrine seem more holy.
  7. Zechariah 13:5 They shall confess their former ignorance, and be content to labor for their living.
  8. Zechariah 13:6 Hereby he showeth that though their parents and friends dealt more gently with them, and put them not to death, yet they would so punish their children, that became false prophets, that the marks and signs should remain forever.
  9. Zechariah 13:7 The Prophet warneth the Jews, that before this great comfort should come under Christ, there should be an horrible dissipation among the people: for their governors and pastors should be destroyed, and the people should be as scattered sheep: and the Evangelist applieth this to Christ, because he was the head of all Pastors, Matt. 26:31.
  10. Zechariah 13:8 The greatest part shall have no portion of these blessings, and yet they that shall enjoy them, shall be tried with great afflictions, so that it shall be known that only God’s power and his mercies do preserve them.

Cleansing From Sin

13 “On that day a fountain(A) will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse(B) them from sin and impurity.

“On that day, I will banish the names of the idols(C) from the land, and they will be remembered no more,”(D) declares the Lord Almighty. “I will remove both the prophets(E) and the spirit of impurity from the land. 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(F) in the Lord’s name.’ Then their own parents will stab the one who prophesies.(G)

“On that day every prophet will be ashamed(H) of their prophetic vision. They will not put on a prophet’s garment(I) of hair(J) in order to deceive.(K) Each will say, ‘I am not a prophet. I am a farmer; the land has been my livelihood since my youth.[a](L) If someone asks, ‘What are these wounds on your body[b]?’ they will answer, ‘The wounds I was given at the house of my friends.’

The Shepherd Struck, the Sheep Scattered

“Awake, sword,(M) against my shepherd,(N)
    against the man who is close to me!”
    declares the Lord Almighty.
“Strike the shepherd,
    and the sheep will be scattered,(O)
    and I will turn my hand against the little ones.
In the whole land,” declares the Lord,
    “two-thirds will be struck down and perish;
    yet one-third will be left in it.(P)
This third I will put into the fire;(Q)
    I will refine them like silver(R)
    and test them like gold.(S)
They will call(T) on my name(U)
    and I will answer(V) them;
I will say, ‘They are my people,’(W)
    and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God.(X)’”

Footnotes

  1. Zechariah 13:5 Or farmer; a man sold me in my youth
  2. Zechariah 13:6 Or wounds between your hands