Zechariah 13
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 13
The Country Will Be Purified. 1 On that day a fountain will be opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to cleanse them from sin and impurity.
2 On that day, says the Lord of hosts: I will banish the names of the idols from the land, so that they will be remembered no more. I will also rid the land of the prophets and the spirit of impurity. 3 If a man continues to prophesy, his parents, his own father and mother, will say to him, “You will not live, for you have uttered lies in the name of the Lord.” And while he is prophesying, his parents, his own father and mother, will pierce him through.
4 On that day, every prophet will be ashamed to relate his own prophetic vision, and he will not wear a hairy mantle in order to deceive. 5 Rather, he will say, “I am no prophet. I am a tiller of soil, for the land has been my possession since my youth.” 6 And if anyone asks him, “What are these wounds on your chest?” he will reply, “I received them in the house of my friends.”
The Song of the Sword
7 Awake, O sword, against my shepherd,
against the man who is my associate,
says the Lord of hosts.
Strike the shepherd,
so that the sheep may be scattered,
and I will turn my hand against their young.[a]
8 Throughout the land, says the Lord,
two-thirds in it will be cut off and perish,
and one-third will be left.
9 I will put that one-third through fire,
and I will refine them as silver is refined,
and I will test them as gold is tested.
They will call on my name
and I will hear them.
I will say, “These are my people,”
and they will say, “The Lord is our God.”
Footnotes
- Zechariah 13:7 Jesus cites this verse in foretelling his passion and the flight of the apostles (Mt 26:31).
Zechariah 13
English Standard Version
13 (A)“On that day there shall be (B)a fountain opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness.
Idolatry Cut Off
2 “And (C)on that day, declares the Lord of hosts, (D)I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, so that (E)they shall be remembered no more. And also (F)I will remove from the land the prophets and the spirit of uncleanness. 3 And if anyone again prophesies, his father and mother who bore him will say to him, (G)‘You shall not live, for you speak lies in the name of the Lord.’ And his father and mother who bore him shall pierce him through when he prophesies.
4 “On that day (H)every prophet will be ashamed of his vision when he prophesies. He will not put on a hairy cloak in order to deceive, 5 but he will say, (I)‘I am no prophet, I am a worker of the soil, for a man sold me in my youth.’[a] 6 And if one asks him, ‘What are these wounds on your back?’[b] he will say, ‘The wounds I received in the house of my friends.’
The Shepherd Struck
7 “Awake, O sword, against (J)my shepherd,
against the man who stands next to me,”
declares the Lord of hosts.
(K)“Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered;
I will turn my hand against the little ones.
8 In the whole land, declares the Lord,
two thirds shall be cut off and perish,
(L)and one third shall be left alive.
9 And (M)I will put this third into the fire,
and refine them as one refines silver,
and test them as gold is tested.
(N)They will call upon my name,
and (O)I will answer them.
(P)I will say, ‘They are my people’;
and they will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’”
Footnotes
- Zechariah 13:5 Or for the land has been my possession since my youth
- Zechariah 13:6 Or on your chest; Hebrew wounds between your hands
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
