False Prophets Ashamed

13 “On that day a (A)fountain will be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for (B)sin and for (C)defilement.

“And it will come about on that day,” declares the Lord of armies, “that I will (D)eliminate the names of the idols from the land, and they will no longer be remembered; and I will also remove the (E)prophets and the (F)unclean spirit from the land. And if anyone still (G)prophesies, then his father and mother who gave birth to him will say to him, ‘You shall (H)not live, because you have spoken (I)falsely in the name of the Lord’; and his (J)father and mother who gave birth to him shall pierce him through when he prophesies. Also it will come about on that day that the prophets will each be (K)ashamed of his vision when he prophesies, and they will not put on a (L)hairy robe in order to deceive; but he will say, ‘I am (M)not a prophet; I am a cultivator of the ground, because a man [a]sold me as a slave in my youth.’ And someone will say to him, ‘What are these wounds (N)between your [b]arms?’ Then he will say, ‘Those with which I was wounded at the house of [c]my friends.’

“Awake, (O)sword, against My (P)Shepherd,
And against the Man, My (Q)Associate,”
Declares the Lord of armies.
(R)Strike the Shepherd and the sheep will be scattered;
And I will (S)turn My hand [d]against the little ones.
And it will come about in all the land,”
Declares the Lord,
“That (T)two parts in it will be cut off and perish;
But the third will be left in it.
And I will bring the third part through the (U)fire,
Refine them as silver is refined,
And test them as gold is tested.
They will (V)call on My name,
And I will (W)answer them;
I will say, ‘They are (X)My people,’
And they will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’”

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Footnotes

  1. Zechariah 13:5 Lit caused another to buy me
  2. Zechariah 13:6 Lit hands
  3. Zechariah 13:6 Lit those who love me
  4. Zechariah 13:7 Or upon

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)’”

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Footnotes

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

The Purifier

(A)Behold, I am sending (B)My [a]messenger, and he will (C)clear a way before Me. And the Lord, whom you are seeking, will suddenly come to His temple; [b]and the [c](D)messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says the Lord of armies. “But who can (E)endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a (F)refiner’s fire, and like launderer’s soap. And He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will (G)purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may (H)present to the Lord [d]offerings in righteousness. Then the [e]offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be (I)pleasing to the Lord as in the (J)days of old, and as in former years.

“Then I will come near to you for judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the (K)sorcerers, the (L)adulterers, against those who (M)swear falsely, those who [f]oppress the (N)wage earner in his wages or the (O)widow or the [g]orphan, and those who turn away the (P)stranger from justice and do not [h]fear Me,” says the Lord of armies. “For [i]I, the Lord, (Q)do not change; therefore you, the sons of Jacob, have not come to an end.

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Footnotes

  1. Malachi 3:1 Or angel
  2. Malachi 3:1 Or that is, the
  3. Malachi 3:1 Or angel
  4. Malachi 3:3 Or grain offerings
  5. Malachi 3:4 Or grain offering
  6. Malachi 3:5 Or exploit
  7. Malachi 3:5 Or fatherless
  8. Malachi 3:5 Or revere
  9. Malachi 3:6 Or I am the Lord; I do not

“I will send my messenger,(A) who will prepare the way before me.(B) Then suddenly the Lord(C) you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant,(D) whom you desire,(E) will come,” says the Lord Almighty.

But who can endure(F) the day of his coming?(G) Who can stand(H) when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire(I) or a launderer’s soap.(J) He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver;(K) he will purify(L) the Levites and refine them like gold and silver.(M) Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness,(N) and the offerings(O) of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord, as in days gone by, as in former years.(P)

“So I will come to put you on trial. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers,(Q) adulterers(R) and perjurers,(S) against those who defraud laborers of their wages,(T) who oppress the widows(U) and the fatherless, and deprive the foreigners(V) among you of justice, but do not fear(W) me,” says the Lord Almighty.

Breaking Covenant by Withholding Tithes

“I the Lord do not change.(X) So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.(Y)

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26 and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written:

(A)The Deliverer will come from Zion,
He will remove ungodliness from Jacob.”
27 (B)This is [a]My covenant with them,
(C)When I take away their sins.”

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Footnotes

  1. Romans 11:27 Lit the covenant from Me

26 and in this way[a] all Israel will be saved.(A) As it is written:

“The deliverer will come from Zion;
    he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.
27 And this is[b] my covenant with them
    when I take away their sins.”[c](B)

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Footnotes

  1. Romans 11:26 Or and so
  2. Romans 11:27 Or will be
  3. Romans 11:27 Isaiah 59:20,21; 27:9 (see Septuagint); Jer. 31:33,34