12This is the Lord’s message about Israel. The Lord spread out the heavens. He laid the foundation of the earth. He created the spirits of all men. He says, ²“Jerusalem will be like a cup in my hand. It will make all of the surrounding nations drunk from the wine of my anger. Judah will be attacked by its enemies. So will Jerusalem.

³“At that time all of the nations on earth will gather together against Jerusalem. Then it will become like a rock that can’t be moved. All of the nations that try to move it will only hurt themselves. ⁴On that day I will fill every horse with panic. I will make every rider crazy,” announces the Lord. “I will watch over the people of Judah. But I will make all of the horses of the nations blind.

⁵“Then the leaders of Judah will say in their hearts, ‘The people of Jerusalem are strong. That’s because the Lord who rules over all is their God.’

⁶“At that time Judah’s leaders will be like a fire pot in a pile of wood. They will be like a burning torch among bundles of grain. They will destroy all of the surrounding nations on every side. But Jerusalem will remain unharmed in its place.

⁷“I will save the houses in Judah first. The honor of David’s family line is great. So is the honor of those who live in Jerusalem. But their honor will not be greater than the honor of the rest of Judah.

⁸“At that time I will be like a shield to those who live in Jerusalem. Then even the weakest among them will be great warriors like David. And David’s family line will be like the Angel of the Lord who leads them. ⁹On that day I will begin to destroy all of the nations that attack Jerusalem.

Israel’s People Will Sob Over the One They Pierced

¹⁰“I will pour out a spirit of grace and prayer on David’s family line. I will also send it on those who live in Jerusalem. They will look to me. I am the one they have pierced. They will sob over me as someone sobs over an only child who has died. They will be full of sorrow over me, just like someone who is full of sorrow over an oldest son.

¹¹“At that time there will be a lot of crying in Jerusalem. It will sound like the sobs of the people at Hadad Rimmon over Josiah’s death in the Valley of Megiddo. ¹²Everyone in the land will sob. Each family will cry by themselves and their wives by themselves. That will include the family lines of David, Nathan, ¹³Levi, Shimei and ¹⁴all of the others.

The Lord Makes Israel Pure and Clean

13“At that time a fountain will be opened for the benefit of David’s family line. It will also bless the others who live in Jerusalem. It will wash away their sins. It will make them pure and clean.

²“On that day I will remove the names of other gods from the land. They will not even be remembered anymore,” announces the Lord who rules over all. “I will drive the evil prophets out of the land. I will get rid of the spirit that put lies in their mouths. ³Some people might still prophesy. But their own fathers and mothers will speak to them. They will tell them, ‘You must die. You have told lies in the Lord’s name.’ When they prophesy, their own parents will stab them.

⁴“At that time every prophet will be ashamed of his vision. He will no longer pretend to be a true prophet. He will not put on clothes that are made out of hair in order to trick people. ⁵In fact, he will say, ‘I’m not really a prophet. I’m a farmer. I’ve farmed the land since I was young.’ ⁶Suppose someone asks him, ‘What are those wounds on your body?’ Then he will answer, ‘I was given these wounds at the house of my friends.’

The Good Shepherd Is Killed and the Sheep Are Scattered

⁷“My sword, wake up! Attack my shepherd!

Attack the man who is close to me,”

announces the Lord who rules over all.

“Strike the shepherd down.

Then the sheep will be scattered.

And I will turn my hand against their little ones.

⁸Here is what will happen in the whole land,”

announces the Lord.

“Two-thirds of the people will be struck down and die.

But one-third will be left.

⁹I will put that third in the fire.

I will make them as pure as silver.

I will test them like gold.

They will call out to me.

And I will answer them.

I will say, ‘They are my people.’

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

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