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Zechariah 6-7
New American Standard Bible

The Four Chariots

6 Now I raised my eyes again and looked, and behold, (A)four chariots were going out from between the two mountains; and the mountains were bronze mountains. 2 With the first chariot were (B)red horses, with the second chariot (C)black horses, 3 with the third chariot (D)white horses, and with the fourth chariot strong (E)spotted horses. 4 So I responded and said to the angel who was speaking with me, “(F)What are these, my lord?” 5 The angel replied to me, “These are the (G)four spirits of heaven, going out after taking their stand before the Lord of all the earth, 6 with one of which the black horses are going out to the (H)north country; and the white ones are to go out after them, while the spotted ones are to go out to the (I)south country.” 7 When the strong ones went out, they [a]were eager to go to [b](J)patrol the earth. And He said, “Go, [c]patrol the earth.” So they [d]patrolled the earth. 8 Then He called out to me and spoke to me, saying, “See, those who are going to the land of the north have [e](K)appeased My wrath in the land of the north.”

9 The (L)word of the Lord also came to me, saying, 10 “(M)Take an offering from the exiles, from Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah; and you shall go the same day and enter the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah, where they have arrived from Babylon.

The Symbolic Crowns

11 Also take silver and gold, make an ornate (N)crown, and set it on the head of (O)Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest. 12 Then say to him, ‘The Lord of armies says this: “Behold, there is a Man whose name is [f](P)Branch, for He will [g](Q)branch out from where He is; and He will (R)build the temple of the Lord. 13 Yes, it is He who will build the temple of the Lord, and He who will (S)bear the majesty and sit and (T)rule on His throne. So He will be a (U)priest on His throne, and the counsel of peace will be between the two [h]offices.”’ 14 Now the (V)crown will become a reminder in the temple of the Lord to Helem, Tobijah, Jedaiah, and [i]Hen the son of Zephaniah. 15 (W)Those who are far away will come and [j]build the temple of the Lord.” Then you will (X)know that the Lord of armies has sent me to you. And it will take place if you completely (Y)obey [k]the Lord your God.

7 In the fourth year of King Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, which is (Z)Chislev. 2 Now the town of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regemmelech and [l]their men to [m](AA)seek the favor of the Lord, 3 speaking to the (AB)priests who belong to the house of the Lord of armies, and to the prophets, saying, “Shall I weep in the (AC)fifth month [n]and fast, as I have done these many years?” 4 Then the word of the Lord of armies came to me, saying, 5 “Say to all the people of the land and to the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months [o]these (AD)seventy years, was it actually for (AE)Me that you fasted? 6 And when you eat and drink, [p]do you not eat for yourselves and drink for yourselves? 7 Are these not the words which the Lord (AF)proclaimed by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and (AG)carefree along with its cities around it, and the [q](AH)Negev and the [r]foothills were inhabited?’”

8 Then the word of the Lord came to Zechariah, saying, 9 “This is what the Lord of armies has said: ‘(AI)Dispense true justice and practice (AJ)kindness and compassion each to his brother; 10 and (AK)do not oppress the widow or the [s]orphan, the stranger or the poor; and do (AL)not devise evil in your hearts against one another.’ 11 But they (AM)refused to pay attention, and [t](AN)turned a stubborn shoulder and [u](AO)plugged their ears from hearing. 12 They also made their (AP)hearts as hard as (AQ)a diamond [v]so that they could not hear the Law and the (AR)words which the Lord of armies had sent by His Spirit through the (AS)former prophets; therefore great (AT)wrath came from the Lord of armies. 13 And just as (AU)He called and they would not listen, so (AV)they called and I would not listen,” says the Lord of armies; 14 “but I [w](AW)scattered them with a (AX)storm wind among all the nations whom they did not know. So the land was (AY)desolated behind them [x]so that (AZ)no one went back and forth, since they (BA)made the pleasant land desolate.”

Footnotes

  1. Zechariah 6:7 Lit sought to go
  2. Zechariah 6:7 Lit walk about through
  3. Zechariah 6:7 Lit walk about through
  4. Zechariah 6:7 Lit walked about through
  5. Zechariah 6:8 Lit pacified My spirit in
  6. Zechariah 6:12 Lit Sprout
  7. Zechariah 6:12 Lit sprout up
  8. Zechariah 6:13 Lit of them
  9. Zechariah 6:14 I.e., Josiah
  10. Zechariah 6:15 Lit build in
  11. Zechariah 6:15 Lit the voice of the Lord
  12. Zechariah 7:2 Lit his
  13. Zechariah 7:2 Lit soften the face of
  14. Zechariah 7:3 Lit to fast
  15. Zechariah 7:5 Lit and this
  16. Zechariah 7:6 Lit is it not you who eat and you who drink
  17. Zechariah 7:7 I.e., South country
  18. Zechariah 7:7 Heb Shephelah
  19. Zechariah 7:10 Or fatherless
  20. Zechariah 7:11 Lit gave
  21. Zechariah 7:11 Lit made their ears heavy
  22. Zechariah 7:12 Lit from hearing
  23. Zechariah 7:14 Lit stormed them away upon all
  24. Zechariah 7:14 Lit from passing and from returning
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Zechariah 6-7
New International Version

Four Chariots

6 I looked up again, and there before me were four chariots(A) coming out from between two mountains—mountains of bronze. 2 The first chariot had red horses, the second black,(B) 3 the third white,(C) and the fourth dappled—all of them powerful. 4 I asked the angel who was speaking to me, “What are these, my lord?”

5 The angel answered me, “These are the four spirits[a](D) of heaven, going out from standing in the presence of the Lord of the whole world.(E) 6 The one with the black horses is going toward the north country, the one with the white horses toward the west,[b] and the one with the dappled horses toward the south.”

7 When the powerful horses went out, they were straining to go throughout the earth.(F) And he said, “Go throughout the earth!” So they went throughout the earth.

8 Then he called to me, “Look, those going toward the north country have given my Spirit[c] rest(G) in the land of the north.”(H)

A Crown for Joshua

9 The word of the Lord came to me: 10 “Take silver and gold from the exiles Heldai, Tobijah and Jedaiah, who have arrived from Babylon.(I) Go the same day to the house of Josiah son of Zephaniah. 11 Take the silver and gold and make a crown,(J) and set it on the head of the high priest, Joshua(K) son of Jozadak.[d](L) 12 Tell him this is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Here is the man whose name is the Branch,(M) and he will branch out from his place and build the temple of the Lord.(N) 13 It is he who will build the temple of the Lord, and he will be clothed with majesty and will sit and rule on his throne. And he[e] will be a priest(O) on his throne. And there will be harmony between the two.’ 14 The crown will be given to Heldai,[f] Tobijah, Jedaiah and Hen[g] son of Zephaniah as a memorial(P) in the temple of the Lord. 15 Those who are far away will come and help to build the temple of the Lord,(Q) and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you.(R) This will happen if you diligently obey(S) the Lord your God.”

Justice and Mercy, Not Fasting

7 In the fourth year of King Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah(T) on the fourth day of the ninth month, the month of Kislev.(U) 2 The people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regem-Melek, together with their men, to entreat(V) the Lord(W) 3 by asking the priests of the house of the Lord Almighty and the prophets, “Should I mourn(X) and fast in the fifth(Y) month, as I have done for so many years?”

4 Then the word of the Lord Almighty came to me: 5 “Ask all the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you fasted(Z) and mourned in the fifth and seventh(AA) months for the past seventy years,(AB) was it really for me that you fasted? 6 And when you were eating and drinking, were you not just feasting for yourselves?(AC) 7 Are these not the words the Lord proclaimed through the earlier prophets(AD) when Jerusalem and its surrounding towns were at rest(AE) and prosperous, and the Negev and the western foothills(AF) were settled?’”(AG)

8 And the word of the Lord came again to Zechariah: 9 “This is what the Lord Almighty said: ‘Administer true justice;(AH) show mercy and compassion to one another.(AI) 10 Do not oppress the widow(AJ) or the fatherless, the foreigner(AK) or the poor.(AL) Do not plot evil against each other.’(AM)

11 “But they refused to pay attention; stubbornly(AN) they turned their backs(AO) and covered their ears.(AP) 12 They made their hearts as hard as flint(AQ) and would not listen to the law or to the words that the Lord Almighty had sent by his Spirit through the earlier prophets.(AR) So the Lord Almighty was very angry.(AS)

13 “‘When I called, they did not listen;(AT) so when they called, I would not listen,’(AU) says the Lord Almighty.(AV) 14 ‘I scattered(AW) them with a whirlwind(AX) among all the nations, where they were strangers. The land they left behind them was so desolate that no one traveled through it.(AY) This is how they made the pleasant land desolate.(AZ)’”

Footnotes

  1. Zechariah 6:5 Or winds
  2. Zechariah 6:6 Or horses after them
  3. Zechariah 6:8 Or spirit
  4. Zechariah 6:11 Hebrew Jehozadak, a variant of Jozadak
  5. Zechariah 6:13 Or there
  6. Zechariah 6:14 Syriac; Hebrew Helem
  7. Zechariah 6:14 Or and the gracious one, the
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