The wages of thirty silver shekels (Zech 11:12-11:13)

“Then I said to them.

‘If it seems right to you,

Give me my wages.

But if not,

Keep them.’

Thus,

They weighed out,

As my wages,

Thirty shekels of silver.

Then Yahweh said to me.

‘Throw it into the treasury.’

This is the lordly price

At which I was valued

By them.

Thus,

I took the thirty shekels

Of silver.

I threw them

Into the treasury

In the house of Yahweh.”

Zechariah asked the sheep merchants whether he would he be paid any wages.  Then they weighted out 30 silver shekels, the price of a slave.  This insult was added to injury.  Next Yahweh told Zechariah to throw this money, the lordly price of a slave, into the Temple treasury.  They obviously had not understood his value.  Like all good prophets, Zechariah did what Yahweh asked him to do.  He threw the 30 silver shekels into the treasury in the house of Yahweh.

The new leader (Dan 11:19-11:20)

“Then he shall turn back

Toward the fortresses

Of his own land.

But he shall stumble.

He shall fall.

He shall not be found.

Then shall arise

In his place,

One who shall send

An official

For the glory

Of the kingdom.

But within a few days,

He shall be broken,

But not in anger,

Nor in battle.”

King Antiochus III turned back to Syria. However, he stumbled and fell. In other words, he died. Then, his son, Seleucus IV (187-175 BCE), took over as king of Syria and Babylon. However, he sent one of his officials, Heliodorus, to take money from the Temple treasury in Jerusalem. However, this official was not successful. He died, not in anger or battle, but was a broken man. Actually, Heliodorus assassinated King Seleucus IV in 175 BCE.