God’s People Cleansed

1 “On that day a fountain† will be opened for the house of David and for the residents of Jerusalem, to wash away sin and impurity.† 2On that day” — this is the declaration of the Lord of Armies — “I will remove the names of the idols from the land, and they will no longer be remembered.† I will banish the prophets† and the unclean spirit from the land. 3If a man still prophesies, his father and his mother who bore him will say to him, ‘You cannot remain alive because you have spoken a lie in the name of the Lord.’ When he prophesies, his father and his mother who bore him will pierce him through.† 4On that day every prophet will be ashamed of his vision when he prophesies; they will not put on a hairy cloak† in order to deceive. 5He will say, ‘I am not a prophet; I work the land, for a man purchased† me as a servant since my youth.’† 6If someone asks him, ‘What are these wounds† on your chest?’† — then he will answer, ‘I received the wounds in the house of my friends.’

7Sword, awake against my shepherd,

against the man who is my associate —

this is the declaration of the Lord of Armies.

Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered;†

I will turn my hand against the little ones.

8In the whole land —

this is the Lord’s declaration —

two-thirds† will be cut off and die,

but a third will be left in it.

9I will put this third through the fire;

I will refine them as silver is refined

and test them as gold is tested.†

They will call on my name,

and I will answer them.†

I will say, ‘They are my people,’

and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God.’ ”†