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.
Zechariah 6
Common English Bible
Eighth night vision
6 I looked up again
and saw four chariots coming out from between two mountains;
the mountains were made of bronze.
2 The first chariot had red horses,
and the second chariot had black horses.
3 The third chariot had white horses,
and the fourth chariot had horses that were heavily spotted.
4 I responded and said to the messenger speaking with me,
“What are these, sir?”
5 The messenger answered and said to me,
“These are the four winds of heaven that are going out
after presenting themselves to the Lord of all the earth.
6 The one with the black horses is going to the north country;
the white ones are going to the west;[a]
and the spotted ones are going south.”
7 Then the powerful ones approached, intent on going to patrol the earth.
He said, “Go! Patrol the earth!”
So they patrolled the earth.
8 Then he called out and said to me,
“Look, the ones going north have provided rest for my spirit in the north.”
9 The Lord’s word came to me:
10 Take silver and gold[b] from the exiles who came from Babylon,
from Heldai, from Tobijah, and from Jedaiah.
As for you, go that same day to the house of Josiah son of Zephaniah.
11 Take silver and gold and make a crown.[c]
Place it on the head of the high priest Joshua, Jehozadak’s son.
12 Say to him,
“The Lord of heavenly forces proclaims:
Here is a man.
His name is Branch, and he will branch out from his place;
he will build the Lord’s temple.
13 He will build the Lord’s temple.
He will be majestic;
he will sit and rule on his throne.
There will be a priest on his throne,
and the two of them will share a peaceable plan.
14 The crown will be a memorial in the Lord’s temple
for Helem, Tobijah, Jedaiah, and for Hen, Zephaniah’s son.
15 People from far away will come and build the Lord’s temple
so you might know that the Lord of heavenly forces has sent me to you.
It will happen if you truly obey the voice of the Lord your God.”
Footnotes
- Zechariah 6:6 Or after them
- Zechariah 6:10 Heb lacks silver and gold; cf 6:11.
- Zechariah 6:11 LXX; Heb crowns, so also 6:14
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.
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible