the Fourth Week of Advent
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New Century Version
Zechariah 13
1 "At that time a fountain will be open for David's descendants and for the people of Jerusalem to cleanse them of their sin and uncleanness."
2 The Lord All-Powerful says, "At that time I will get rid of the names of the idols from the land; no one will remember them anymore. I will also remove the prophets and unclean spirits from the land. 3 If a person continues to prophesy, his own father and mother, the ones who gave birth to him, will tell him, ‘You have told lies using the Lord's name, so you must die.' When he prophesies, his own father and mother who gave birth to him will stab him.
4 "At that time the prophets will be ashamed of their visions and prophecies. They won't wear the prophet's clothes made of hair to trick people. 5 Each of them will say, ‘I am not a prophet. I am a farmer and have been a farmer since I was young.' 6 But someone will ask, ‘What are the deep cuts on your body?' And each will answer, ‘I was hurt at my friend's house.'
The Shepherd Is Killed
7 "Sword, hit the shepherd.
Attack the man who is my friend,"
says the Lord All-Powerful.
"Kill the shepherd,
and the sheep will scatter,
and I will punish the little ones."
8 The Lord says, "Two-thirds of the people
through all the land will die. They will be gone,
and one-third will be left.
9 The third that is left I will test with fire,
purifying them like silver,
testing them like gold.
Then they will call on me,
and I will answer them.
I will say, ‘You are my people,'
and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God.'"
New Century Version
The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
