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13
Getting rid of idols and false prophets
1 At that time it will be as though [MET] there will be a fountain from which water flows continually to cleanse the descendants [MTY] of King David and all the other people in Jerusalem from the guilt of the sins that they have committed, especially from becoming unacceptable to me by worshiping idols.
2 The Commander of the armies of angels says, “At that time, I will prevent people from even mentioning the names of the idols in their country, and no one will remember them anymore. I will also expel from the land all the people who falsely claim that they are prophets [DOU]. 3 If someone continues to prophesy falsely, his parents must say to him, ‘You have told lies saying that Yahweh [MTY] gave those messages to you, so you must be executed.’ So if someone prophesies like that, his own father and mother must stab him and kill him.
4 At that time, the false prophets will be ashamed that they claimed to have received messages from me in their visions and prophesies that they told to people. They will no longer deceive people by wearing the clothes that prophets usually wear, clothes made of animals' hair. 5 So each of them will say, ‘I am not really a prophet; I am a farmer, and I have been a farmer on my land ever since I was a boy!’ 6 But others, seeing the wounds on his body will suspect that he injured himself during rituals to worship idols, and they will ask, ‘Why are those wounds on your body?’ And each of them will lie and reply, ‘I was injured when I was at my friend's house.’ ”
What will happen to the shepherd and the sheep
7 The Commander of the armies of angels says,
“ My sword [APO] must strike the one who is like [MET] my shepherd,
the man who is ◄my companion/very ‘close/dear’ to me►.
When the shepherd is killed,
those who are like [MET] his sheep will scatter.
And those who are like [MET] my little sheep will also be attacked [IDI].”
8 Yahweh also says, “Two-thirds of the people in Judah will die [DOU].
Only one-third of the people in Judah will remain alive.
9 And I will test the ones that remain alive by causing them to experience great difficulties, to find out if they will continue to worship me.
I will purify them like [MET] a man purifies gold or silver by putting it into a very hot fire.
Then my people will call to me [MTY] for help,
and I will answer them.
I will say to them, ‘You are my people,’
and they will say, ‘Yahweh is our God.’ ”

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© 2008-2016 Ellis W. Deibler, Jr.