Zechariah 13

1 “In that day there is a fountain opened To the house of David And to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, For sin and for impurity.

At that time [it will be as though] [MET] there will be a fountain from which water flows continually to cleanse the descendants [MTY] of [King] David and [all] the [other] people in Jerusalem from the guilt of the sins that they have committed, [especially] from becoming unacceptable to me [by worshiping idols].

2 And it has come to pass in that day,” A declaration of YHWH of Hosts, “I cut off the names of the idols from the land, And they are not remembered anymore, And also the prophets and the spirit of uncleanness I cause to pass away from the land.

The Commander of the armies of angels says, “At that time, I will prevent [people from even mentioning] the names of the idols in their country, and no one will remember them any more. I will also expel from the land all the people who falsely claim that they are prophets [DOU].

3 And it has been, when one prophesies again, That his parents, his father and his mother, Have said to him, You do not live, For you have spoken falsehood in the Name of YHWH, And his father and his mother, his parents, Have pierced him through in his prophesying.

If someone continues to prophesy [falsely], his parents must say to him, ‘You have told lies saying that Yahweh [MTY] gave those messages to you, so you must be executed.’ [So] if someone prophesies [like that], his own father and mother must stab him [and kill him].

4 And it has come to pass in that day, The prophets are ashamed, each of his vision, in his prophesying, And they do not put on a hairy robe to deceive.

At that time, the false prophets will be ashamed [that they claimed to have received messages from me in] their visions and prophesies [that they told to people]. They will no [longer] deceive people by wearing the clothes [that prophets usually wear], clothes made of [animals’] hair.

5 And [one] has said, I am not a prophet, A man—I am a tiller of ground, For ground [is] my possession from my youth.

[So] each of them will say, ‘I am not [really] a prophet; I am a farmer, and I have been a farmer on my land ever since I was a boy!’

6 And [one] has said to him, What [are] these wounds in your hands? And he has said, Because I was struck [at] home by my lovers.

But someone, [seeing the wounds on one of those prophet’s bodies, will suspect that he injured himself during rituals to worship idols, and he] will ask ‘Why are those wounds on your body?’ And he [will lie, saying] ‘I was injured [when I was] at my friend’s house.’”

7 Sword, awake against My Shepherd, And against a hero—My Fellow,” A declaration of YHWH of Hosts. “Strike the Shepherd, and the flock is scattered, And I have put back My hand on the little ones.

The Commander of the armies of angels says, “[My] sword [APO] must strike [the one who is like] [MET] my shepherd, the man who is (my companion/very (close/dear) to me). When the shepherd is killed, [those who are like] [MET] his sheep will scatter. [And those who are like] [MET] my little sheep will [also] be attacked [IDM].”

8 And it has come to pass, In all the land,” a declaration of YHWH, “Two parts in it are cut off—they expire, And the third is left in it.

Yahweh [also] says, “Two-thirds [of the people in Judah] will die [DOU]. [Only] one-third [of the people in Judah] will remain alive.

9 And I have brought the third into fire, And refined them like a refining of silver, And have tried them like a trying of gold, It calls in My Name, and I answer it, I have said, It [is] My people, And it says, YHWH [is] my God!”

And I will test the ones that remain alive [by causing them to experience great difficulties, to find out if they will continue to worship me]. I will purify them like [MET] a man purifies gold or silver by putting it into a [very hot] fire. [Then] my people will call to me [MTY] [for help], and I will answer them. I will say [to them], ‘You are my people,’ and they will say, ‘Yahweh is our God.’”