Ezekiel 36:25-26

36:25 I will sprinkle you with pure water ¹  and you will be clean from all your impurities. I will purify you from all your idols. 36:26 I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit within you. I will remove the heart of stone ²  from your body and give you a heart of flesh. ³ 

Zechariah 13:1-2

The Refinement of Judah

13:1 “In that day there will be a fountain opened up for the dynasty ⁴  of David and the people of Jerusalem ⁵  to cleanse them from sin and impurity. ⁶  13:2 And also on that day,” says the Lord who rules over all, “I will remove ⁷  the names of the idols from the land and they will never again be remembered. Moreover, I will remove the prophets and the unclean spirit from the land.

Colossians 1:1

Salutation

1:1 From Paul, ⁸  an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

[36:25]  ¹ sn The Lord here uses a metaphor from the realm of ritual purification. For the use of water in ritual cleansing, see Exod 30:19-20; Lev 14:51; Num 19:18; Heb 10:22.

[36:26]  ² sn That is, a heart which symbolizes a will that is stubborn and unresponsive (see 1 Sam 25:37). In Rabbinic literature a “stone” was associated with an evil inclination (b. Sukkah 52a).

[36:26]  ³ sn That is, a heart which symbolizes a will that is responsive and obedient to God.

[13:1]  ⁴ tn Heb “house” (so NIV, NRSV), referring to dynastic descendants.

[13:1]  ⁵ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[13:1]  ⁶ tn Heb “for sin and for impurity.” The purpose implied here has been stated explicitly in the translation for clarity.

[13:2]  ⁷ tn Heb “cut off” (so NRSV); NAB “destroy”; NIV “banish.”

[1:1]  ⁸ tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.