Zechariah 3-6

Contemporary English Version

Fourth Vision: Joshua and Satan

3 ^(A) I was given another vision. This time Joshua the high priest was standing in front of the Lord's angel. And there was Satan, standing at Joshua's right side, ready to accuse him. ²^(B) But the Lord said, “Satan, you are wrong. Jerusalem is my chosen city, and this man was rescued like a stick from a flaming fire.”

³Joshua's clothes were filthy. ⁴So the angel told some of the people to remove Joshua's filthy clothes. Then he said to Joshua, “This means you are forgiven. Now I will dress you in priestly clothes.”

⁵I spoke up and said, “Also put a clean priestly turban on his head.” Then they dressed him in priestly clothes and put the turban on him, while the Lord's angel stood there watching.

⁶After this, the angel encouraged Joshua by telling him that the Lord All-Powerful had promised:

⁷If you truly obey me, I will put you in charge of my temple, including the courtyard around it, and you will be allowed to speak at any time with the angels standing beside me.^[a] ⁸^(C) Listen carefully, High Priest Joshua and all of you other priests. You are a sign of things to come, because I am going to bring my servant, the Chosen King.^[b]

⁹Joshua, I have placed in front of you a stone with seven sides.^[c] I will engrave something on that stone, and in a single day I will forgive this guilty country. ¹⁰^(D) Then each of you will live at peace and entertain your friends in your own vineyard and under your own fig trees.

Fifth Vision: A Lampstand and Olive Trees

4 The angel who explained the visions woke me from what seemed like sleep. ²Then he asked, “What do you see?”

“A solid gold lampstand with an oil container above it,” I answered. “On the stand are seven lamps, each with seven flames. ³^(E) One olive tree is on the right side and another on the left of the oil container. ⁴But, sir, what do these mean?”

⁵Then he asked, “Don't you know?”

“No sir,” I replied.

⁶^(F) So the angel explained that it was the following message of the Lord to Zerubbabel:^[d]

I am the Lord All-Powerful. So don't depend on your own power or strength, but on my Spirit. ⁷Zerubbabel, that mountain in front of you will be leveled to the ground. Then you will bring out the temple's most important stone and shout, “God has been very kind.”^[e]

⁸The Lord spoke to me again and said:

⁹Zerubbabel laid the foundation for the temple, and he will complete it. Then everyone will know that you were sent by me, the Lord All-Powerful. ¹⁰^(G) Those who have made fun of this day of small beginnings will celebrate when they see Zerubbabel holding this important stone.^[f]

Those seven lamps represent my eyes—the eyes of the Lord—and they see everything on this earth.

¹¹^(H) Then I asked the angel, “What about the olive trees on each side of the lampstand? What do they represent? ¹²And what is the meaning of the two branches from which golden olive oil^[g] flows through the two gold pipes?”

¹³“Don't you know?” he asked.

“No sir, I don't,” was my answer.

¹⁴Then he told me, “These branches are the two chosen leaders^[h] who stand beside the Lord of all the earth.”

Sixth Vision: A Flying Scroll

5 When I looked the next time, I saw a flying scroll,^[i] ²and the angel asked, “What do you see?”

“A flying scroll,” I answered. “About nine meters long and four and a half meters wide.”

³Then he told me:

This scroll puts a curse on everyone in the land who steals or tells lies. The writing on one side tells about the destruction of those who steal, while the writing on the other side tells about the destruction of those who lie.

⁴The Lord All-Powerful has said, “I am sending this scroll into the house of everyone who is a robber or tells lies in my name, and it will remain there until every piece of wood and stone in that house crumbles.”

Seventh Vision: A Woman in a Basket

⁵Now the angel who was there to explain the visions came over and said, “Look up and tell me what you see coming.”

⁶“I don't know what it is,” was my reply.

“It's a big basket,” he said. “And it shows what everyone in the land has in mind.”^[j]

⁷The lead cover of the basket was opened, and in the basket was a woman. ⁸“This woman represents evil,” the angel explained. Then he threw her back into the basket and slammed the heavy cover down tight.

⁹Right after this I saw two women coming through the sky with wings outstretched like a stork in the wind. Suddenly they lifted the basket into the air, ¹⁰and I asked the angel, “Where are they taking the basket?”

¹¹“To Babylonia,”^[k] he answered, “where they will build a house for the basket and set it down inside.”

Eighth Vision: Four Chariots

6 Finally, I looked up and saw four chariots coming from between two bronze mountains. ²^(I) The first chariot was pulled by red horses, and the second by black horses; ³^(J) the third chariot was pulled by white horses, and the fourth by spotted gray^[l] horses.

⁴“Sir,” I asked the angel. “What do these stand for?”

⁵^(K) Then he explained, “These are the four winds^[m] of heaven, and now they are going out, after presenting themselves to the Lord of all the earth. ⁶The chariot with black horses goes toward the north, the chariot with white horses goes toward the west,^[n] and the one with spotted horses goes toward the south.”

⁷The horses came out eager to patrol the earth, and the angel told them, “Start patrolling the earth.”

When they had gone on their way, ⁸he shouted to me, “Those that have gone to the country in the north will do what the Lord's Spirit^[o] wants them to do there.”^[p]

The Chosen Leader

⁹The Lord said to me:

^10-11Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah have returned from Babylonia. Collect enough silver and gold from them to make a crown.^[q] Then go with them to the house of Josiah son of Zephaniah and put the crown on the head of the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak.^[r] ^12-13^(L) Tell him that I, the Lord All-Powerful, say, “Someone will reach out from here like a branch and build a temple for me. I will name him ‘Branch,’ and he will rule with royal honors. A priest will stand beside his throne,^[s] and the two of them will be good friends. ¹⁴This crown will be kept in my temple as a reminder and will be taken care of by Heldai,^[t] Tobijah, Jedaiah, and Josiah.”^[u]

¹⁵When people from distant lands come and help build the temple of the Lord All-Powerful, you will know that the Lord is the one who sent me. And this will happen, if you truly obey the Lord your God.

Footnotes

3.7 with the angels … me: Or “with me.” The angels are members of God's Council, who stand beside the throne of God in heaven and are allowed to speak with him and for him.
3.8 Chosen King: The Hebrew text has “Sprout” or “Branch,” a term used of royalty (see Isaiah 11.1).
3.9 seven sides: Or “seven eyes.”
4.6 Zerubbabel: Governor of Judah (see Haggai 1.1).
4.7 God … kind: Or “What a beautiful stone.”
4.10 important stone: Or “measuring line (with a stone attached to the end).”
4.12 golden olive oil: The Hebrew text has “gold,” which possibly refers to the color of the olive oil as it flows through the gold pipe.
4.14 chosen leaders: The Hebrew text has “people of oil.” In ancient times prophets, priests, and kings had olive oil poured over their heads to show that they had been chosen (see 1 Samuel 10.1; 16.13).
5.1 scroll: A roll of paper or special leather used for writing on.
5.6 what … mind: Hebrew; one ancient translation “the sin of everyone in the land.”
5.11 Babylonia: The Hebrew text has “Shinar,” an ancient name for Babylonia.
6.3 spotted gray: Or “strong.”
6.5 winds: Or “spirits.” The Hebrew word may mean either.
6.6 goes toward the west: Or “follows behind.”
6.8 Lord's Spirit: Or “Lord.”
6.8 will do … to do there: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
6.10,11 a crown: Two ancient translations; Hebrew “some crowns.”
6.10,11 Heldai … Jehozadak: Or “Go to the house of Josiah son of Zephaniah, where you will find Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah, who have returned from Babylonia. Collect enough silver and gold from them to make a crown. Then put it on the head of the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak.”
6.12,13 stand beside his throne: Or “sit on a throne.”
6.14 Heldai: One ancient translation; Hebrew “Helem.”
6.14 Josiah: One ancient translation; Hebrew “Hen.”