Zechariah 6
English Standard Version
A Vision of Four Chariots
6 Again I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, four chariots came out from between two mountains. And the mountains were mountains of (A)bronze. 2 The first chariot had (B)red horses, the second (C)black horses, 3 the third (D)white horses, and the fourth chariot dappled horses—all of them strong.[a] 4 Then I answered and said to (E)the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?” 5 And the angel answered and said to me, (F)“These are going out to the four winds of heaven, after (G)presenting themselves before (H)the Lord of all the earth. 6 The chariot with the black horses goes toward (I)the north country, the white ones go after them, and the dappled ones go toward (J)the south country.” 7 When the strong horses came out, they were impatient to go and (K)patrol the earth. And he said, “Go, (L)patrol the earth.” (M)So they patrolled the earth. 8 Then he cried to me, “Behold, those who go toward (N)the north country have set my Spirit at rest in (O)the north country.”
The Crown and the Temple
9 And the word of the Lord came to me: 10 “Take from the exiles (P)Heldai, Tobijah, and (Q)Jedaiah, who have arrived from Babylon, and go the same day to the house of Josiah, the son of (R)Zephaniah. 11 Take from them silver and gold, and make a crown, (S)and set it on the head of (T)Joshua, the son of Jehozadak, the high priest. 12 And say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, “Behold, the man whose name is (U)the Branch: for he shall branch out from his place, and (V)he shall build the temple of the Lord. 13 (W)It is he who shall build the temple of the Lord (X)and shall bear royal honor, and shall sit and rule on his throne. And there[b] shall be a (Y)priest on his throne, (Z)and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.”’ 14 And the crown shall be in the temple of the Lord as (AA)a reminder to (AB)Helem,[c] (AC)Tobijah, (AD)Jedaiah, and Hen (AE)the son of Zephaniah.
15 (AF)“And those who are far off shall come and (AG)help to build the temple of the Lord. (AH)And you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. (AI)And this shall come to pass, if you will diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God.”
Footnotes
- Zechariah 6:3 Or and the fourth chariot strong dappled horses
- Zechariah 6:13 Or he
- Zechariah 6:14 An alternate spelling of Heldai (verse 10)
Zechariah 6
New Living Translation
Four Chariots
6 Then I looked up again and saw four chariots coming from between two bronze mountains. 2 The first chariot was pulled by red horses, the second by black horses, 3 the third by white horses, and the fourth by powerful dappled-gray horses. 4 “And what are these, my lord?” I asked the angel who was talking with me.
5 The angel replied, “These are the four spirits[a] of heaven who stand before the Lord of all the earth. They are going out to do his work. 6 The chariot with black horses is going north, the chariot with white horses is going west,[b] and the chariot with dappled-gray horses is going south.”
7 The powerful horses were eager to set out to patrol the earth. And the Lord said, “Go and patrol the earth!” So they left at once on their patrol.
8 Then the Lord summoned me and said, “Look, those who went north have vented the anger of my Spirit[c] there in the land of the north.”
The Crowning of Jeshua
9 Then I received another message from the Lord: 10 “Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah will bring gifts of silver and gold from the Jews exiled in Babylon. As soon as they arrive, meet them at the home of Josiah son of Zephaniah. 11 Accept their gifts, and make a crown from the silver and gold. Then put the crown on the head of Jeshua[d] son of Jehozadak, the high priest. 12 Tell him, ‘This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Here is the man called the Branch. He will branch out from where he is and build the Temple of the Lord. 13 Yes, he will build the Temple of the Lord. Then he will receive royal honor and will rule as king from his throne. He will also serve as priest from his throne,[e] and there will be perfect harmony between his two roles.’
14 “The crown will be a memorial in the Temple of the Lord to honor those who gave it—Heldai,[f] Tobijah, Jedaiah, and Josiah[g] son of Zephaniah.”
15 People will come from distant lands to rebuild the Temple of the Lord. And when this happens, you will know that my messages have been from the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. All this will happen if you carefully obey what the Lord your God says.
Footnotes
- 6:5 Or the four winds.
- 6:6 Hebrew is going after them.
- 6:8 Hebrew have given my Spirit rest.
- 6:11 Hebrew Joshua, a variant spelling of Jeshua.
- 6:13 Or There will be a priest by his throne.
- 6:14a As in Syriac version (compare 6:10); Hebrew reads Helem.
- 6:14b As in Syriac version (compare 6:10); Hebrew reads Hen.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
