Zechariah 13

Washing Away Sins

1 "On the Big Day, a fountain will be opened for the family of David and all the leaders of Jerusalem for washing away their sins, for scrubbing their stained and soiled lives clean.

2 "On the Big Day"-this is God-of-the-Angel-Armies speaking-"I will wipe out the store-bought gods, erase their names from memory. People will forget they ever heard of them. And I'll get rid of the prophets who polluted the air with their diseased words.3 If anyone dares persist in spreading diseased, polluting words, his very own parents will step in and say, 'That's it! You're finished! Your lies about God put everyone in danger,' and then they'll stab him to death in the very act of prophesying lies about God-his own parents, mind you!

4 "On the Big Day, the lying prophets will be publicly exposed and humiliated. Then they'll wish they'd never swindled people with their 'visions.' No more masquerading in prophet clothes.5 But they'll deny they've even heard of such things: 'Me, a prophet? Not me. I'm a farmer-grew up on the farm.'6 And if someone says, 'And so where did you get that black eye?' they'll say, 'I ran into a door at a friend's house.'

7 "Sword, get moving against my shepherd, against my close associate!" Decree of God-of-the-Angel-Armies. "Kill the shepherd! Scatter the sheep! The back of my hand against even the lambs!8 All across the country"-God's Decree-"two-thirds will be devastated and one-third survive.9 I'll deliver the surviving third to the refinery fires. I'll refine them as silver is refined, test them for purity as gold is tested. Then they'll pray to me by name and I'll answer them personally. I'll say, 'That's my people.' They'll say, 'God-my God!'"

Zechariah 14

The Day Is Coming

1 Note well: God's Judgment Day is on the way: "Plunder will be piled high and handed out.2 I'm bringing all the godless nations to war against Jerusalem-Houses plundered, women raped, Half the city taken into exile, the other half left behind."

3 But then God will march out against the godless nations and fight-a great war!4 That's the Day he'll take his stand on the Mount of Olives, facing Jerusalem from the east. The Mount of Olives will be split right down the middle, from east to west, leaving a wide valley. Half the mountain will shift north, the other half south.5 Then you will run for your lives down the valley, your escape route that will take you all the way to Azal. You'll run for your lives, just as you ran on the day of the great earthquake in the days of Uzziah, king of Judah. Then my God will arrive and all the holy angels with him.

6 What a Day that will be! No more cold nights-in fact, no more nights!7 The Day is coming-the timing is God's-when it will be continuous day. Every evening will be a fresh morning.

8 What a Day that will be! Fresh flowing rivers out of Jerusalem, half to the eastern sea, half to the western sea, flowing year-round, summer and winter!

9 God will be king over all the earth, one God and only one. What a Day that will be!

10 The land will stretch out spaciously around Jerusalem-to Geba in the north and Rimmon in the south, with Jerusalem towering at the center, and the commanding city gates-Gate of Benjamin to First Gate to Corner Gate to Hananel Tower to the Royal Winery-ringing the city11 full of people. Never again will Jerusalem be totally destroyed. From now on it will be a safe city.

12 But this is what will happen to all who fought against Jerusalem: God will visit them with a terrible plague. People's flesh will rot off their bones while they are walking around; their eyes will rot in their sockets and their tongues in their mouths; people will be dying on their feet!13 Mass hysteria when that happens-total panic! Fellow soldiers fighting and killing each other-holy terror!

14 And then Judah will jump into the fray!15 The plague will also hit the animals-horses, mules, camels, donkeys. Everything alive in the military camps will be hit by the plague.

16 All the survivors from the godless nations that fought against Jerusalem will travel to Jerusalem every year to worship the King, God-of-the-Angel-Armies, and celebrate the Feast of Booths.17 If any of these survivors fail to make the annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem to worship the King, God-of-the-Angel-Armies, there will be no rain.18 If the Egyptians don't make the pilgrimage and worship, there will be no rain for them. Every nation that does not go up to celebrate the Feast of Booths will be hit with the plague.19 Egypt and any other nation that does not make pilgrimage to celebrate the Feast of Booths gets punished.

20 On that Day, the Big Day, all the horses' harness bells will be inscribed "Holy to God." The cooking pots in the Temple of God will be as sacred as chalices and plates on the altar.21 In fact, all the pots and pans in all the kitchens of Jerusalem and Judah will be holy to God-of-the-Angel-Armies. People who come to worship, preparing meals and sacrifices, will use them. On that Big Day there will be no buying or selling in the Temple of God-of-the-Angel-Armies.

Malachi 1

No More of This So-Called Worship!

1 A Message. God's Word to Israel through Malachi:

2 God said, "I love you." You replied, "Really? How have you loved us?"3 and hated Esau. I reduced pretentious Esau to a molehill, turned his whole country into a ghost town."

4 When Edom (Esau) said, "We've been knocked down, but we'll get up and start over, good as new," God-of-the-Angel-Armies said, "Just try it and see how far you get. When I knock you down, you stay down. People will take one look at you and say, 'Land of Evil!' and 'the God-cursed tribe!'

5 "Yes, take a good look. Then you'll see how faithfully I've loved you and you'll want even more, saying, 'May God be even greater, beyond the borders of Israel!'

6 "Isn't it true that a son honors his father and a worker his master? So if I'm your Father, where's the honor? If I'm your Master, where's the respect?" God-of-the-Angel-Armies is calling you on the carpet: "You priests despise me! "You say, 'Not so! How do we despise you?' "By your shoddy, sloppy, defiling worship. "You ask, 'What do you mean, "defiling"? What's defiling about it?'

7 "When you say, 'The altar of God is not important anymore; worship of God is no longer a priority,' that's defiling.8 And when you offer worthless animals for sacrifices in worship, animals that you're trying to get rid of-blind and sick and crippled animals-isn't that defiling? Try a trick like that with your banker or your senator-how far do you think it will get you?" God-of-the-Angel-Armies asks you.

9 "Get on your knees and pray that I will be gracious to you. You priests have gotten everyone in trouble. With this kind of conduct, do you think I'll pay attention to you?" God-of-the-Angel-Armies asks you.

10 "Why doesn't one of you just shut the Temple doors and lock them? Then none of you can get in and play at religion with this silly, empty-headed worship. I am not pleased. The God-of-the-Angel-Armies is not pleased. And I don't want any more of this so-called worship! Offering God Something Hand-Me-Down, Broken, or Useless

Offering God Something Hand-Me-Down, Broken, or Useless

11 "I am honored all over the world. And there are people who know how to worship me all over the world, who honor me by bringing their best to me. They're saying it everywhere: 'God is greater, this God-of-the-Angel-Armies.'

12 "All except you. Instead of honoring me, you profane me. You profane me when you say, 'Worship is not important, and what we bring to worship is of no account,'13 and when you say, 'I'm bored-this doesn't do anything for me.' You act so superior, sticking your noses in the air-act superior to me, God-of-the-Angel-Armies! And when you do offer something to me, it's a hand-me-down, or broken, or useless. Do you think I'm going to accept it? This is God speaking to you!

14 "A curse on the person who makes a big show of doing something great for me-an expensive sacrifice, say-and then at the last minute brings in something puny and worthless! I'm a great king, God-of-the-Angel-Armies, honored far and wide, and I'll not put up with it!