Zechariah 3
Amplified Bible
Joshua, the High Priest
3 Then the guiding angel showed me Joshua the high priest [representing disobedient, sinful Israel] standing before the [a]Angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at Joshua’s right hand to be his adversary and to accuse him. 2 And the Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan! Even the Lord, who [now and ever] has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is this not a [b]log snatched and rescued from the fire?”(A) 3 Now Joshua was clothed with [c]filthy (nauseatingly vile) garments and was standing before the Angel [of the Lord]. 4 He spoke to those who stood before Him, saying, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” And He said to Joshua, “See, I have caused your wickedness to be taken away from you, and I will clothe and beautify you with rich robes [of forgiveness].” 5 And I (Zechariah) said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with [rich] garments. And the Angel of the Lord stood by.
6 And the Angel of the Lord [solemnly and earnestly] admonished Joshua, saying, 7 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘If you will walk in My ways [that is, remain faithful] and perform My service, then you will also govern My house and have charge of My courts, and I will give you free access [to My presence] among these who are standing here.
The Branch
8 Now listen, Joshua, the high priest, you and your colleagues who are sitting in front of you—indeed they are men who are a symbol [of what is to come]—for behold, I am going to bring in My servant the [d]Branch [in Messianic glory].(B) 9 For behold, the [e]stone which I have set before Joshua; on that one stone are seven eyes (symbolizing infinite intelligence, omniscience). Behold, I will engrave an inscription on it,’ declares the Lord of hosts, ‘and I will remove the wickedness and guilt of this land in a single day.(C) 10 In that day,’ declares the Lord of hosts, ‘every one of you will invite his neighbor to sit under his vine and his fig tree [enjoying peace and prosperity in the kingdom].’”(D)
Footnotes
- Zechariah 3:1 “Angel” has been capitalized here to reflect the likelihood that it is God appearing in a visible form (see note Gen 16:7).
- Zechariah 3:2 The log represents the returned Jews who had nearly been consumed by the “fire” of the Babylonian captivity.
- Zechariah 3:3 Symbolic of Judah’s (the Southern Kingdom) disgusting sins.
- Zechariah 3:8 A Messianic title.
- Zechariah 3:9 Probably typifying the Messiah.
Zechariah 3
New King James Version
Vision of the High Priest
3 Then he showed me (A)Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the Lord, and (B)Satan[a] standing at his right hand to oppose him. 2 And the Lord said to Satan, (C)“The Lord rebuke you, Satan! The Lord who (D)has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! (E)Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?”
3 Now Joshua was clothed with (F)filthy garments, and was standing before the Angel.
4 Then He answered and spoke to those who stood before Him, saying, “Take away the filthy garments from him.” And to him He said, “See, I have removed your iniquity from you, (G)and I will clothe you with rich robes.”
5 And I said, “Let them put a clean (H)turban on his head.”
So they put a clean turban on his head, and they put the clothes on him. And the Angel of the Lord stood by.
The Coming Branch
6 Then the Angel of the Lord admonished Joshua, saying, 7 “Thus says the Lord of hosts:
‘If you will walk in My ways,
And if you will (I)keep My command,
Then you shall also (J)judge My house,
And likewise have charge of My courts;
I will give you places to walk
Among these who (K)stand here.
8 ‘Hear, O Joshua, the high priest,
You and your companions who sit before you,
For they are (L)a[b] wondrous sign;
For behold, I am bringing forth (M)My Servant the (N)BRANCH.
9 For behold, the stone
That I have laid before Joshua:
(O)Upon the stone are (P)seven eyes.
Behold, I will engrave its inscription,’
Says the Lord of hosts,
‘And (Q)I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.
10 (R)In that day,’ says the Lord of hosts,
‘Everyone will invite his neighbor
(S)Under his vine and under his fig tree.’ ”
Footnotes
- Zechariah 3:1 Lit. the Adversary
- Zechariah 3:8 Lit. men of a sign or wonder
Zechariah 3
Lexham English Bible
Zechariah’s Fourth Vision
3 And he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before[a] the angel of Yahweh; and Satan[b] was standing on his right to accuse him. 2 But Yahweh said to Satan,[c] “Yahweh rebukes you, O Satan![d] Yahweh who has chosen Jerusalem rebukes you! Is this not a stick snatched from the fire?” 3 And Joshua was clothed in filthy garments and was standing before[e] the angel. 4 And he answered and said to the ones standing before[f] him, saying, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” And he said to him, “See, I have taken away your guilt[g] from you, and will clothe you with rich garments.” 5 And I said, “Let them put a clean headband[h] on his head.” And they put a clean headband on his head, and they clothed him with garments. And the angel of Yahweh was standing by.
6 And the angel of Yahweh assured Joshua, saying, 7 “Thus says Yahweh of hosts: ‘If you will walk in my ways, and if you will keep my requirements, then you will judge[i] my house, and you will also guard my courtyards, and I will give to you passageways[j] among these that are standing here. 8 Listen, please, O Joshua the high priest, you and your companions[k] that are sitting before[l] you. For the men are a sign that,[m] look, I am going to bring my servant the Branch.[n] 9 For consider, the stone that I set before[o] Joshua, on one stone are seven eyes.[p] Look, I am going to engrave an inscription on it,’[q] declares[r] Yahweh of hosts, ‘and I will remove the guilt of that land in a single day. 10 On that day,’ declares[s] Yahweh of hosts, ‘you will invite one another[t] under the vine and under the fig tree.’”
Footnotes
- Zechariah 3:1 Literally “to the face of”
- Zechariah 3:1 Hebrew “the accuser,” or “the adversary”
- Zechariah 3:2 Hebrew “the accuser,” or “the adversary”
- Zechariah 3:2 Hebrew “the accuser,” or “the adversary”
- Zechariah 3:3 Literally “to the face of”
- Zechariah 3:4 Literally “to the face of”
- Zechariah 3:4 The Hebrew term refers to guilt caused by sin (HALOT 800 s.v. 2)
- Zechariah 3:5 Or “turban”
- Zechariah 3:7 Or “govern”
- Zechariah 3:7 Or “right of access”
- Zechariah 3:8 Possibly his fellow priests
- Zechariah 3:8 Literally “to the face of”
- Zechariah 3:8 Hebrew “for”
- Zechariah 3:8 Hebrew “Sprout” or “Shoot” (“Branch” is a traditional rendering in English)
- Zechariah 3:9 Literally “I gave to the face of, ”or “I gave in the presence of”
- Zechariah 3:9 Or “facets”
- Zechariah 3:9 Literally “I am going to engrave its engraving”
- Zechariah 3:9 Literally “declaration of”
- Zechariah 3:10 Literally “declaration of”
- Zechariah 3:10 Literally “a man to his friend”
Zechariah 3
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.”
3 Joshua's clothes were filthy. 4 So 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.”
5 I 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.
6 After this, the angel encouraged Joshua by telling him that the Lord All-Powerful had promised:
7 If 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]
9 Joshua, 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.
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.”
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