Zechariah 13

1 On that day a spring will be opened and continually flow for the house of David and for the people of Jerusalem to wash away their sin and impurity.

On that day shall there be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for cleansing from sin and for purification.

2 On that day, declares the Lord Almighty, I will wipe out idol worship from the land—the idols will not be remembered any longer. I will remove the false prophets and the spirit of impurity from the land.

And it shall come to pass on that day, saith the Lord of hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they shall not be remembered any more: and also the prophets and the unclean spirit will I remove out of the land.

3 If anyone continues to prophesy, his father and mother to whom he was born will tell him, “You shall not live, because you have told lies in the Lord's name.” Then his parents shall kill him because he has prophesied.

And it shall come to pass, if any one should yet prophesy, that his father and his mother who have begotten him shall say unto him, Thou shalt not live; for falsely hast thou spoken in the name of the Lord: and his father and his mother who have begotten him shall thrust him through when he prophesieth.

4 On that day such prophets will be too humiliated to prophesy their supposed visions. In order to deceive they will not put on their prophet's clothes made of coarse hair.

And it shall come to pass on that day, that the prophets shall be ashamed every one because of his vision, when he prophesieth; and they shall not clothe themselves with a hairy cloak in order to deceive.

5 They will say, “I'm not a prophet, I'm a farmer. I've worked on the land since I was a child.”

But he will say, I am no prophet, a man that tilleth the ground am I; for some one hath taught me to keep cattle from my youth.

6 If somebody asks him, “What are those wounds on your back?” he will answer, “I was wounded in my friend's house.”

And should some one say unto him, What are these wounds between thy hands? Then will he say, Those with which I have been wounded in the house of my [vicious] friends.

7 Wake up, my sword! Attack my shepherd, the man who stands beside me! declares the Lord. Strike the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered, and I will raise my hand against the lambs.

Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man whom I have associated with me, saith the Lord of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered; but I will turn my hand toward the feeble ones.

8 Two thirds of the people of the land will be cut down, only one third will remain, says the Lord.

And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the Lord, two parts [of those] therein shall be cut off, shall perish; but the third part shall be left therein.

9 I will place this one third in the fire, and I will refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested. They will call on me for help, and I will answer them. I will say, “These are my people,” and they will say, “The Lord is my God.”

And I will bring the third part into the fire, and I will refine them as one refineth silver, and will probe them as gold is probed: they will call on my name, and I will answer their prayer; I will say, They arc my people; and they will say, The Lord is my God.