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Zechariah 1:1-14:21
ZECHARIAH. PART 1 (Zch.1-8. 520-518bce). The LORD calls his people to repentance. (Zch.1.1-6)
11 In the second year of Darius, in the eighth month, the word of Yahweh was addressed to the prophet Zechariah (son of Berechiah), son of Iddo, as follows, 2 'Yahweh was deeply angry with your ancestors. 3 So say this to them, 'Yahweh Sabaoth says this: Return to me—Yahweh Sabaoth declares—and I will return to you, says Yahweh Sabaoth. 4 Do not be like your ancestors when the prophets in the past cried to them: Yahweh Sabaoth says this: Turn back from your evil ways and evil deeds—they would not listen or pay attention to me—Yahweh declares. 5 Where are your ancestors now? And the prophets, do they live for ever? 6 But did not my words and statutes, with which I had charged my servants the prophets, overtake your ancestors just the same?' ' So they repented and said, 'Yahweh Sabaoth has treated us as he resolved to do, and as our ways and deeds deserved.'
The vision of the horses. (Zch.1.7-17)
7 On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month (the month of Shebat), in the second year of Darius, the word of Yahweh was addressed to the prophet Zechariah (son of Berechiah), son of Iddo, as follows, 8 'I had a vision during the night. There was a man riding a red horse standing among the deep-rooted myrtles; behind him were other horses-red, chestnut and white. 9 I said, 'What are these, my lord?' And the angel who was talking to me said, 'I will show you what they are.' 10 The man standing among the myrtles then replied, 'Those are they whom Yahweh has sent to patrol the world.' 11 They reported to the angel of Yahweh as he stood among the myrtles, 'We have been patrolling the world, and indeed the whole world is still and at peace.' 12 The angel of Yahweh then spoke and said, 'Yahweh Sabaoth, how long will you wait before taking pity on Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, on which you have inflicted your anger for the past seventy years?' 13 Yahweh then replied with kind and comforting words to the angel who was talking to me. 14 The angel who was talking to me then said to me, 'Make this proclamation: Yahweh Sabaoth says this: I am burning with jealousy for Jerusalem and Zion 15 but am deeply angry with the nations now at ease; before, I was only mildly angry, but they contributed to the disaster. 16 So now Yahweh says this: In compassion I have returned to Jerusalem; my Temple will be rebuilt there—Yahweh Sabaoth declares—and the measuring line will be stretched over Jerusalem. 17 Make this proclamation too: Yahweh Sabaoth says this: My cities are once more to be very prosperous. Yahweh will comfort Zion once again, and again make Jerusalem his choice.' '
The vision of the measuring-line. (Zch.2.1-5)
21 Then, raising my eyes, I had a vision. It was this: There were four horns. 2 I said to the angel who was talking to me, 'What are these?' He said to me, 'These are the horns which scattered Judah (Israel) and Jerusalem.' 3 Yahweh then showed me four smiths. 4 And I said, 'What are these coming to do?' He said to me, '(Those horns scattered Judah so completely that no one dared to raise his head; but) these have come to terrify them, to throw down the horns of the nations who raised their horns over the land of Judah to scatter it.' 5 Then, raising my eyes, I had a vision. There was a man with a measuring line in his hand.
The exiles are called to return. (Zch.2.6-13)
6 I asked him, 'Where are you going?' He said, 'To measure Jerusalem, to calculate her width and length.' 7 And then, while the angel who was talking to me walked away, another angel came out to meet him. 8 He said to him, 'Run, and tell that young man this, 'Jerusalem is to remain unwalled, because of the great number of men and cattle inside. 9 For I—Yahweh declares—shall be a wall of fire all round her and I shall be the Glory within her.' '
10 Look out! Look out! Flee from the land of the north
—Yahweh declares—
for I have scattered you to the four winds of heaven
—Yahweh declares. 11 Look out! Make your escape, Zion,
now living with the daughter of Babylon! 12 For Yahweh Sabaoth says this,
since the Glory commissioned me,
about the nations who plundered you,
'Whoever touches you touches the apple of my eye. 13 Now look, I shall wave my hand over them
and they will be plundered by those whom they have enslaved.'
Then you will know that Yahweh Sabaoth has sent me! 14 Sing, rejoice, daughter of Zion,
for now I am coming to live among you
—Yahweh declares! 15 And on that day many nations
will be converted to Yahweh.
Yes, they will become his people,
and they will live among you.
Then you will know that Yahweh Sabaoth has sent me to you! 16 Yahweh will take possession of Judah,
his portion in the Holy Land,
and again make Jerusalem his choice. 17 Let all people be silent before Yahweh,
now that he is stirring from his holy Dwelling!
The vision of the High-priest. (Zch.3.1-10)
31 He then showed me the high priest Joshua, standing before the angel of Yahweh, with Satan standing on his right to accuse him. 2 The angel of Yahweh said to Satan, 'May Yahweh rebuke you, Satan! May Yahweh rebuke you, since he has made Jerusalem his choice. Is not this man a brand snatched from the fire?' 3 Now Joshua was dressed in dirty clothes as he stood before the angel. 4 The latter then spoke as follows to those who were standing before him, 'Take off his dirty clothes [4c] and dress him in splendid robes 5 and put a clean turban on his head.' So they put a clean turban on his head and dressed him in clean clothes, while the angel of Yahweh stood by [4b] and said, 'You see, I have taken your guilt away.' 6 The angel of Yahweh then made this declaration to Joshua, 7 'Yahweh Sabaoth says this, 'If you walk in my ways and keep my ordinances, you shall govern my house, you shall watch over my courts, and I will give you free access among those in attendance here. 9 [9a] For this is the stone which I have put before Joshua, a stone on which are seven eyes; and I myself shall cut the inscription on it—Yahweh Sabaoth declares.' 8 'So listen, High Priest Joshua, you and the colleagues over whom you preside—for they are an omen of things to come—for now I shall bring in my servant the Branch, and I shall remove this country's guilt in a single day. 10 [9b] On that day—Yahweh Sabaoth declares—invite each other to come under your vine and your fig tree.' '
The vision of the lamp-stand. (Zch.4.1-14)
41 The angel who was talking to me came back and roused me as though rousing someone who was asleep. 2 And he asked me, 'What do you see?' I replied, 'As I look, there is a lamp-stand entirely of gold with a bowl at the top of it; it holds seven lamps, with seven openings for the lamps on it. 3 By it are two olive trees, one to the right and the other to the left.' 4 I then said to the angel who was talking to me, 'What are those things, my lord?' 5 The angel who was talking to me replied, 'Do you not know what they are?' I said, 'No, my lord.' 6 [6a] He then gave me this answer, [10b] 'These seven are the eyes of Yahweh, which range over the whole world.' 11 [11] Then I went on to ask him, 'What is the meaning of these two olive trees, to right and left of the lamp-stand?' 12 [12] (And I went on to ask him further, 'What is the meaning of the two olive branches discharging oil through the two golden openings?') 13 [13] He replied, 'Do you not know what they are?' I said, 'No, my lord.' 14 [14] He said, 'These are the two anointed ones in attendance on the Lord of the whole world.
[6b] This is the word of Yahweh with regard to Zerubbabel, 'Not by might and not by power, but by my spirit'—says Yahweh Sabaoth. 7 'What are you, great mountain? Beside Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! He will bring out the keystone while it is cheered with Hurrah! Hurrah!' 8 The word of Yahweh was addressed to me as follows, 9 'The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this Temple; his hands will finish it. (Then you will know that Yahweh Sabaoth has sent me to you.) 10 A day of little things, no doubt, but who would dare despise it? How they will rejoice when they see the chosen stone in the hands of Zerubbabel!'
The vision of the scroll. (Zch.5.1-4)
51 Again raising my eyes, I had a vision. There was a flying scroll. 2 The angel who was talking to me said, 'What do you see?' I replied, 'I see a flying scroll; it is twenty cubits long and ten cubits wide.' 3 He then said to me, 'This is God's curse sweeping across the face of the whole country; for, according to what it says on one side, every thief will be banished and, according to what it says on the other, everyone who commits perjury in my name will be banished from it. 4 I am going to release it—Yahweh Sabaoth declares—for it to enter the house of the thief and of anyone who commits perjury in my name, for it to settle deep within his house and consume it, timber, stone and all.'
The vision of the basket. (Zch.5.5-11)
5 The angel who was talking to me appeared and said to me, 'Raise your eyes, and see what this is, going along.' 6 I said, 'What is it?' He said, 'It is a bushel measure going along.' He went on, 'This is their guilt throughout the country.' 7 At this, a disc of lead was raised, and I saw a woman sitting inside the barrel. 8 He said, 'This is Wickedness.' And he rammed her back into the barrel and jammed its mouth shut with the mass of lead. 9 I raised my eyes, and there were two women appearing. The wind caught their wings—they had wings like a stork's; they raised the barrel midway between earth and heaven. 10 I then said to the angel who was talking to me, 'Where are they taking the barrel?' 11 He replied, 'To build a temple for it in the land of Shinar and make a pedestal on which to put it.'
The vision of the chariots. (Zch.6.1-8)
61 Again I raised my eyes, and this is what I saw: four chariots coming out between two mountains, and the mountains were mountains of bronze. 2 The first chariot had red horses, the second chariot had black horses, 3 the third chariot had white horses and the fourth chariot had vigorous, piebald horses. 4 I asked the angel who was talking to me, 'What are these, my lord?' 5 The angel replied, 'They are the four winds of heaven now leaving, after attending the Lord of the whole world. 6 The black horses are leaving for the land of the north; the white are following them, and the piebald are leaving for the land of the south.' 7 They came out vigorously, eager to patrol the world. He said to them, 'Go and patrol the world.' And they patrolled the world. 8 He called to me and said, 'Look, the ones going to the land of the north brought my spirit to rest on the land of the north.'
The command to crown Joshua. (Zch.6.9-15)
9 Then the word of Yahweh was addressed to me as follows, 10 'Collect silver and gold from the exiles, from Heldai, Tobijah and Jedaiah, then (you yourself go the same day) go to the house of Josiah son of Zephaniah, who has arrived from Babylon. 11 Then, taking the silver and gold, make a crown and place it on the head of the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak. 12 And say this to him, 'Yahweh Sabaoth says this: Here is a man whose name is Branch; where he is, there will be a branching out (and he will rebuild Yahweh's sanctuary). 13 Yes, he is the one who will rebuild Yahweh's sanctuary; he will wear the royal insignia and sit on his throne and govern, with a priest on his right. Perfect peace will reign between these two. 14 And the crown will serve Heldai, Tobijah, Jedaiah and the son of Zephaniah as a memorial of favour in Yahweh's sanctuary. 15 And those now far away will come and work on the building of Yahweh's sanctuary.'
'Then you will know that Yahweh Sabaoth has sent me to you. It will happen if you diligently obey the voice of Yahweh your God.'
the LORD condemns insincere fasting. (Zch.7.1-7)
71 In the fourth year of King Darius, the word of Yahweh was addressed to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, the month of Chislev. 2 Bethel sent Sharezer with a deputation to entreat Yahweh's favour 3 and to ask the priests in the Temple of Yahweh Sabaoth and the prophets, 'Ought I to go on mourning and fasting in the fifth month as I have been doing for so many years past?' 4 Then the word of Yahweh Sabaoth was addressed to me as follows, 5 'Say to all the people of the country and to the priests, 'While you have been fasting and mourning in the fifth and seventh months for the past seventy years, have you really been fasting for my sake? 6 And when you were eating and drinking, were you not eating and drinking for your own sake? 7 Do you not know the words which Yahweh proclaimed through the prophets in the past, when Jerusalem was inhabited and secure, as were her surrounding towns, and when the Negeb and the lowlands were inhabited?' ' (
The cause of the Exile. (Zch.7.8-14)
8 The word of Yahweh was addressed to Zechariah as follows, 9 'Yahweh Sabaoth says this.) He said, 'Apply the law fairly, and show faithful love and compassion towards one another. 10 Do not oppress the widow and the orphan, the foreigner and the poor, and do not secretly plan evil against one another.' 11 But they would not listen; they turned a rebellious shoulder; they stopped their ears rather than hear; 12 they made their hearts adamant rather than listen to the teaching and the words that Yahweh Sabaoth had sent—by his spirit—through the prophets in the past; and consequently the fury of Yahweh Sabaoth overtook them. 13 And so, since when he called they would not listen, 'I would not listen when they called', says Yahweh Sabaoth, 14 'but scattered them among all the nations unknown to them. Hence, after they had gone, the country was deserted, and no one came or went. They had turned a land of delights into a desert.' '
The LORD promises to restore Jerusalem. (Zch.8.1-23)
81 The word of Yahweh Sabaoth came as follows:
2 Yahweh Sabaoth says this:
I have been burning with jealousy for Zion,
with furious jealousy for her sake. 3 Yahweh says this:
I am coming back to Zion
and shall live in the heart of Jerusalem.
Jerusalem will be called Faithful City
and the mountain of Yahweh Sabaoth, the Holy Mountain. 4 Yahweh Sabaoth says this:
Aged men and women once again will sit
in the squares of Jerusalem,
each with a stick to lean on
because of their great age. 5 And the squares of the city will be full
of boys and girls
playing there. 6 Yahweh Sabaoth says this:
If this seems a miracle
to the remnant of this people (in those days),
will it seem one to me?
declares Yahweh. 7 Yahweh Sabaoth says this:
Look, I shall rescue my people
from the countries of the east
and from the countries of the west. 8 I shall bring them back
to live in the heart of Jerusalem,
and they will be my people
and I shall be their God,
faithful and just.
9 'Yahweh Sabaoth says this, 'Take heart, you who today hear these promises uttered by the prophets since the day when the foundations of the Temple of Yahweh Sabaoth were laid, that the sanctuary would indeed be rebuilt. 10 For up to now, men were not paid their wages and nothing was paid for the animals either; and it has not been safe for anyone to come and go, because of the enemy, since I had set each one against everyone else. 11 But from now on, I shall not treat the remnant of this people as I have treated them in time past—declares Yahweh Sabaoth. 12 Now they will sow in peace; the vine will give its fruit, the soil will give its produce and heaven will give its dew. I shall bestow all these on the remnant of this people. 13 Just as once you were a curse among the nations, House of Judah and House of Israel, so now I shall save you, and you will be a blessing. Do not be afraid. Take heart!' 14 'For Yahweh Sabaoth says this, 'Just as I resolved to ill-treat you when your ancestors provoked me to anger and did not relent—says Yahweh Sabaoth- 15 so now I have changed my mind and intend to treat Jerusalem and the House of Judah well. Do not be afraid! 16 'These are the things that you must do. Speak the truth to one another; at your gates, administer fair Judgement conducive to peace; 17 do not secretly plot evil against one another; do not love perjury; since I hate all this—Yahweh declares.' ' 18 The word of Yahweh Sabaoth was addressed to me as follows: 19 'Yahweh Sabaoth says this, 'The fast of the fourth month, the fast of the fifth, the fast of the seventh and the fast of the tenth are to become glad, joyful, happy festivals for the House of Judah. So love truth and peace!' ' 20 'Yahweh Sabaoth says this, 'In the future, peoples and citizens of many cities will come; 21 and citizens of one city will go to the next and say: We must certainly go to entreat Yahweh's favour and seek out Yahweh Sabaoth; I am going myself. 22 Yes, many peoples and great nations will seek out Yahweh Sabaoth in Jerusalem and entreat Yahweh's favour.' 23 'Yahweh Sabaoth says this, 'In those days, ten men from nations of every language will take a Jew by the sleeve and say: We want to go with you, since we have learnt that God is with you.' '
PART 2 -(Zch.9-14). Judgement on neighbouring nations. (Zch.9.1-10)
91 A proclamation.
The word of Yahweh is against Hadrach,
it has come to rest on Damascus,
for the source of Aram belongs to Yahweh
no less than all the tribes of Israel; 2 on Hamath too, which borders on it,
and on (Tyre and) Sidon, despite her acumen. 3 Tyre has built herself a fortress,
has heaped up silver like dust
and gold like the dirt of the streets. 4 And now the Lord is going to dispossess her;
at sea he will break her power,
and she herself will go up in flames. 5 Seeing this, Ashkelon will be terrified,
Gaza too, and writhe with grief,
Ekron too, at the ruin of her prospects;
the king will vanish from Gaza
and Ashkelon be unpeopled, 6 while a half-breed will live in Ashdod!
Yes, I shall destroy the pride of the Philistine; 7 I shall snatch his blood from his mouth,
his abominations from between his teeth.
But his remnant too will belong to our God,
becoming like a clan in Judah,
and Ekron will become like a Jebusite. 8 I shall stand guard before my home
to defend it against all comers,
and no oppressor will overrun them ever again,
for now I am on the alert.
The Future King (Zech 9:9-10)
9 Rejoice heart and soul, daughter of Zion!
Shout for joy, daughter of Jerusalem!
Look, your king is approaching,
he is vindicated and victorious,
humble and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey. 10 He will banish chariots from Ephraim
and horses from Jerusalem;
the bow of war will be banished.
He will proclaim peace to the nations,
his empire will stretch from sea to sea,
from the River to the limits of the earth.
The restoration of God's people. (Zch.9.11-17)
11 As for you, because of the blood of your covenant
I have released your prisoners from the pit
in which there is no water. 12 Come back to the fortress,
you prisoners waiting in hope.
This very day, I vow,
I shall make it up to you twice over. 13 For I have strung Judah as a bow for myself,
laid Ephraim on the string as an arrow,
have roused your sons, Zion,
against your sons, Javan,
and have made you like a warrior's sword. 14 Then Yahweh will appear above them
and his arrow will flash out like lightning.
(The Lord) Yahweh will sound the trumpet
and advance in the storm-winds of the south. 15 Yahweh Sabaoth will protect them!
They will devour, will trample on the sling-stones,
they will drink blood like wine,
awash like bowls, like the corners of the altar. 16 Yahweh their God will give them victory
when that day comes,
like the sheep who are his people;
yes, the stones of a diadem
will sparkle over his country. 17 How fine, how splendid that will be,
with wheat to make the young men flourish,
and new wine the maidens!
The LORD promises deliverance. (Zch.10.1-12)
101 Ask Yahweh for rain in autumn
and at the time of the spring rains.
Yahweh is the one to make the storm-clouds.
He will give them showers of rain;
to each, grass in his field. 2 Since the domestic idols have talked nonsense,
and the diviners have seen false signs,
and dreams have purveyed delusions,
affording empty comfort,
that is why they have strayed like sheep,
in distress for want of a shepherd. 3 My anger has been roused by the shepherds,
and I shall vent it on the he-goats.
When Yahweh Sabaoth comes to visit his flock,
the House of Judah,
he will make it his royal war-horse. 4 From it will emerge Cornerstone and Tent-peg,
from it, Bow-ready-for-Battle,
from it, every type of leader.
Together 5 they will be like warriors
trampling the dirt of the streets in battle;
when they fight, because Yahweh is with them,
they will put mounted men to rout. 6 Then I shall make the House of Judah mighty
and the House of Joseph victorious.
I shall restore them, because I have taken pity on them,
and they will be as though I had never cast them off,
for I am Yahweh their God and shall answer their prayer. 7 Ephraim will be like a warrior.
Their hearts will be cheered as though by wine.
Their children will see this and rejoice,
their hearts will exult in Yahweh. 8 I shall whistle to them and gather them in,
for I have redeemed them;
they will be as numerous as they used to be. 9 I shall scatter them among the peoples
but in distant countries they will remember me,
they will instruct their children and then return. 10 I shall bring them home from Egypt
and gather them back from Assyria;
I shall lead them into Gilead and the Lebanon,
and even that will not be large enough for them. 11 They will cross the sea of Egypt
(and the waves of the sea will be struck);
all the depths of the River will be dried up.
The arrogance of Assyria will be cast down
and the sceptre of Egypt taken away. 12 I shall make them mighty in Yahweh,
and they will march in my name
—Yahweh declares.
The fall of tyrants. (Zch.11.1-3)
111 Open your gateways, Lebanon,
and the fire shall burn down your cedar trees! 2 Wail, juniper,
for the cedar tree has fallen,
the majestic ones have been ravaged!
Wail, oaks of Bashan,
for the impenetrable forest has been felled! 3 The sound of the wailing of shepherds!
Their majesty has been ravaged.
The sound of the roaring of young lions!
The pride of the Jordan has been ravaged.
The two shepherds. (Zch.11.4-17)
4 Yahweh my God says this, 'Pasture the sheep for slaughter, 5 whose buyers kill them and go unpunished, whose sellers say of them, 'Blessed be Yahweh; now I am rich!' and whose own shepherds show them no pity. 6 For I shall show no further pity for the inhabitants of the country—Yahweh declares! Instead, I shall put everyone into the clutches of a neighbour, into the clutches of the king. They will crush the country and I shall not rescue anyone from their clutches.' 7 Then I pastured for slaughter the sheep belonging to the sheep-dealers. I took two staves: the one I called 'Goodwill', the other 'Couplers'; and I pastured the sheep myself, 8 getting rid of three shepherds in one month. But I lost patience with them, and they equally detested me. 9 I then said, 'I am not going to pasture you any more; the one doomed to die can die; the one doomed to perish can perish; and the rest can devour one another.' 10 I then took my staff, 'Goodwill', and broke it in half, to break my covenant, which I had made with all the peoples. 11 When it was broken, that day the sheep-dealers, who were watching me, realised that this had been a word of Yahweh. 12 I then said to them, 'If you see fit, give me my wages; if not, never mind.' So they weighed out my wages: thirty shekels of silver. 13 Yahweh said to me, 'Throw it to the smelter, this princely sum at which they have valued me!' Taking the thirty shekels of silver, I threw them into the Temple of Yahweh, for the smelter. 14 I then broke my second staff, 'Couplers,' in half, to rupture the brotherly relationship between Judah and Israel. 15 Next, Yahweh said to me, 'This time, take the gear of a good-for-nothing shepherd. 16 For I am now going to raise a shepherd in this country, who will not bother about the lost, who will not go in search of the stray, who will not heal the injured, who will not support the swollen, but who will eat the meat of the fat ones, tearing off their very hoofs.
17 Disaster to the shepherd
who deserts his flock!
May the sword attack his arm
and his right eye!
May his arm shrivel completely
and his right eye be totally blinded!'
The future deliverance of Jerusalem. (Zch.12.1-13.6)
121 A proclamation.
[1,2b] The word of Yahweh about Israel (and also about Judah). Yahweh, who spread out the heaven and founded the earth and formed the human spirit within, declares: 2 [2a] 'Look, I shall make Jerusalem a cup to set all the surrounding peoples reeling. (That will be at the time of the siege of Jerusalem.) 3 'When that day comes, I shall make Jerusalem a stone too heavy for all the peoples to lift; all those who try to lift it will hurt themselves severely, although all the nations of the world will be massed against her. 4 When that day comes—declares Yahweh—I shall strike all the horses with panic and their riders with madness. And I shall strike all the peoples with blindness. (But I shall keep watch over Judah.) 5 Then the rulers of Judah will say to themselves, 'The strength of the inhabitants of Jerusalem lies in Yahweh Sabaoth their God.' 6 When that day comes, I shall make the rulers of Judah like a brazier burning in a pile of wood, like a torch flaming in a sheaf; and they will devour all the peoples round them to right and left. And Jerusalem will be full of people as before, where she stands (in Jerusalem). 7 Yahweh will first save the tents of Judah, so that the glory of the House of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem do not increase at Judah's expense. 8 When that day comes, Yahweh will protect the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and the frailest of them will be like David when that day comes, and the House of David will be like God, like the angel of Yahweh, at their head. 9 'When that day comes, I shall set about destroying all the nations who advance against Jerusalem. 10 But over the House of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem I shall pour out a spirit of grace and prayer, and they will look to me. They will mourn for the one whom they have pierced as though for an only child, and weep for him as people weep for a first-born child. 11 When that day comes, the mourning in Jerusalem will be as great as the mourning for Hadad Rimmon in the Plain of Megiddo. 12 And the country will mourn clan by clan:
The clan of the House of David by itself,
and their women by themselves;
the clan of the House of Nathan by itself,
and their women by themselves; 13 the clan of the House of Levi by itself,
and their women by themselves;
the clan of the House of Shimei by itself,
and their women by themselves; 14 all the rest of the clans, every clan by itself,
and their women by themselves.'
131 'When that day comes, a fountain will be opened for the House of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to wash sin and impurity away. 2 'When that day comes—Yahweh declares—I shall cut off the names of the idols from the country, and they will never be remembered again; I shall also rid the country of the prophets, and of the spirit of impurity. 3 Then, if anyone still goes on prophesying, his parents, his own father and mother will say to him, 'You shall not live, since you utter lies in Yahweh's name.' And even while he is prophesying, his parents, his own father and mother will pierce him through. 4 When that day comes, the prophets will all be ashamed to relate their visions when they prophesy and no longer put on their hair cloaks with intent to deceive. 5 Instead, they will say, 'I am no prophet. I am a man who tills the soil, for the land has been my living since I was a boy.' 6 And if anyone asks him, 'What are those gashes on your chest?' he will reply, 'I got them when I was with my friends.' '
The command to kill God's shepherd. (Zch.13.7-9)
7 Awake, sword, against my shepherd,
against the man who is close to me—
declares Yahweh Sabaoth!
Strike the shepherd, scatter the sheep!
And I shall turn my hand against the young! 8 So it will be, throughout the country—
declares Yahweh Sabaoth—
two-thirds in it will be cut off (be killed)
and the other third will be left. 9 I shall pass this third through the fire,
refine them as silver is refined,
test them as gold is tested.
He will call on my name
and I shall answer him;
I shall say, 'He is my people,'
and he will say, 'Yahweh is my God!'
Jerusalem & the nations. (Zch.14.1-21)
141 Look, the Day of Yahweh is coming, when the spoils taken from you will be shared out among you. 2 For I shall gather all the nations to Jerusalem for battle. The city will be taken, the houses plundered, the women ravished. Half the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be ejected from the city. 3 Then Yahweh will sally out and fight those nations as once he fought on the day of battle. 4 When that day comes, his feet will rest on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives will be split in half from east to west, forming a huge valley; half the Mount will recede northwards, the other half southwards. 5 The valley between the hills will be filled in, yes, it will be blocked as far as Jasol, it will be filled in as it was by the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. And Yahweh my God will come, and all the holy ones with him. 6 That Day, there will be no light, but only cold and frost. 7 And it will be one continuous day—Yahweh knows—there will be no more day and night, and it will remain light right into the time of evening. 8 When that Day comes, living waters will issue from Jerusalem, half towards the eastern sea, half towards the western sea; they will flow summer and winter. 9 Then Yahweh will become king of the whole world. When that Day comes, Yahweh will be the one and only and his name the one name. 10 The entire country will be transformed into plain, from Geba to Rimmon in the Negeb, but Jerusalem will stand high in her place and be full of people from the Benjamin Gate to the site of the earlier gate, to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the king's wine-presses. 11 People will make their homes there. The curse of destruction will be lifted; Jerusalem will be safe to live in. 12 And this is the plague with which Yahweh will strike all the nations who have fought against Jerusalem; their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet; their eyes will rot in their sockets; their tongues will rot in their mouths. 13 When that Day comes, a great terror will fall on them from Yahweh; each man will grab his neighbour's hand and they will fall to fighting among themselves. 14 Even Judah will fight against Jerusalem. The wealth of all the surrounding nations will be heaped together: gold, silver, clothing, in vast quantity. 15 And the plague afflicting the horses, mules, camels, donkeys and all the other animals in those armies will be the same. 16 After this, all the survivors of all the nations which have attacked Jerusalem will come up year after year to worship the King, Yahweh Sabaoth, and to keep the feast of Shelters. 17 Should one of the races of the world fail to come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, Yahweh Sabaoth, there will be no rain for that one. 18 Should the race of Egypt fail to come up and pay its visit, on it will fall the plague which Yahweh will inflict on each of those nations which fail to come up to keep the feast of Shelters. 19 Such will be the punishment for Egypt and the punishment for all the nations which fail to come up to keep the feast of Shelters. 20 When that Day comes, the very bells on the horses will be inscribed with the words, 'Sacred to Yahweh', and the cooking pots of the house of Yahweh will be as holy as the sprinkling bowls before the altar. 21 Yes, every cooking pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be sacred to Yahweh Sabaoth, and all who come to offer sacrifice will help themselves and do their cooking in them, and there will be no more traders in the Temple of Yahweh Sabaoth, when that Day comes.
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