1Ese día se abrirá una fuente que brotará continuamente porque la casa de David y el pueblo de Jerusalén para limpiar su pecado e impureza.
2Ese día, declara el Señor Todopoderoso, eliminaré la idolatría de la tierra, y no habrá nunca más memoria de los ídolos. Yo quitaré a los falsos profetas y al espíritu de impureza de la tierra.
3Si alguno sigue profetizando, su padre o madre le dirán: “No vivirás, porque has engañado en nombre del Señor”. Entonces sus padres lo matarán, porque ha profetizado.
4Ese día, tales profetas sentirán vergüenza de profetizar sus supuestas visiones. Para engañar no se pondrán más sus vestiduras de profetas, hechas de pelo áspero.
5Dirán entonces: “No soy profeta, soy un granjero. He labrado la tierra desde que era pequeño”.
6Y si alguien le pregunta: “¿Cuál es el motivo de esas heridas en tu espalda?” él responderá: “Fui herido en la casa de un amigo”.
7¡Levántate, espada mía! ¡Ataca a mi pastor, al hombre que ha estado junto a mi! declara el Señor. Golpea al pastor y las ovejas serán dispersas, y yo levantaré mi mano contra los corderos.
8Dos tercios de los habitantes de la tierra serán destruidos, y solo un tercio quedará, dice el Señor.
9Yo pondré este tercio en el fuego, y lo refinaré como la plata, los probaré como se prueba al oro. Ellos clamarán por mi ayuda, y yo les responderé. Diré: “Este es mi pueblo”, y ellos dirán: “El Señor es mi Dios”.
📖 Chapter study
Summary
God promises to open a fountain for the cleansing of sin, to remove idolatry and false prophets from the land, and to purify His people through a refining process like fire, leaving only a third who will survive.
Explanation
The 'fountain opened' for washing away sin and impurity continues the theme of purification that runs through the entire book of Zechariah, pointing to a decisive act of spiritual cleansing made available to 'the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.' The radical elimination of false prophets, to the point that their own parents would denounce them for lying in the name of the Lord, shows how seriously God treats false religious prophecy. The chapter also introduces the enigmatic figure of the 'shepherd' struck at God's command, whose death causes the sheep to be scattered — an image that points prophetically to the suffering of the Messiah. The final refining process, in which only a third of the people survive, purified 'as silver is refined,' describes a severe judgment carried out with a redemptive purpose. The application for today: true spiritual purification often involves a painful refining process, but its ultimate purpose is to restore a genuine relationship between God and His people.
Fun facts
- Zechariah 13:7 ('Smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered') is quoted directly by Jesus in Matthew 26:31, on the night of His arrest, referring to the scattering of the disciples after His capture, directly linking this prophecy to the events of the Passion.
- The practice of parents themselves putting their own child to death for false prophecy (v.3) literally reflects the law of Deuteronomy 13:1-5 and 18:20, showing how the Mosaic law treated false prophecy as a capital crime because of the seriousness of deceiving the people in God's name.