1“On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem to cleanse them from sin and impurity. 2On that day”, says the LORD Almighty, “I will banish the names of the idols from the land, and they shall be remembered no more; and I will remove both the false prophets and the unclean spirit from the land. 3And if anyone still prophesies, then his father and mother, to whom he was born, shall say to him, ‘You must die; because you speak lies in the name of the LORD’; and his father and his mother, shall thrust him through (stab) as he prophesies. 4On that day, every prophet shall be ashamed of his prophetic vision; nor shall they wear a rough (hairy) prophet’s garment to deceive, 5But each shall say, ‘I am no prophet, I am a farmer; I was taught to keep cattle from my youth’. 6And if someone asks him, ‘What are these wounds on your body?’, then he shall answer, ‘Those wounds I received at the house of my friends’. 7“Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, and against the Man Who is My Fellow”, says the LORD Almighty; “Strike the Shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered; and I will turn My hand upon the little ones. Here in verse 7, the prophet Zechariah foretells the events that Our Savior applied to Himself a few hours before He was apprehended in the garden (Matt. 26:31 and Mark 14:27). The meaning of the last part of verse 7, “and I will turn My hand upon the little ones”, is a bit obtuse; but its meaning is revealed by verses 8-9, where the LORD says that two thirds of the Jews will reject their Messiah and slain (by the Romans); but the other third part shall receive the gospel, be refined, and saved. 8“And in all the land”, says the LORD, “two-thirds of the people shall be struck down and perish; but one third shall be left in the land. 9And I will bring this third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will test them as gold is tested; they shall call upon My name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are My people;’ and they shall say, ‘The LORD is my God.’” Reader-Friendly Bible: Purple Letter Edition © 2024 by Jim Musser. Used by Permission. All rights Reserved. Bible Hub |