Vision of the High Priest

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. 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?”

Now Joshua was clothed with (F)filthy garments, and was standing before the Angel.

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.”

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

Then the Angel of the Lord admonished Joshua, saying, “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.

‘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.
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

  1. Zechariah 3:1 Lit. the Adversary
  2. Zechariah 3:8 Lit. men of a sign or wonder

A prophecy of Christ and of his kingdom.

And he showed me Joshua the high Priest, [a]standing before the Angel of the Lord, and [b]Satan stood at his right hand to resist him.

And the [c]Lord said unto Satan, The Lord reprove thee, O Satan: even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem, reprove thee. Is not this a [d][brand] taken out of the fire?

Now Joshua was clothed with [e]filthy garments, and stood before the Angel.

And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the [f]filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have [g]caused thine iniquity to depart from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.

And I said, Let them [h]set a fair diadem upon his head. So they set a fair diadem upon his head, and clothed him with garments, and the Angel of the Lord stood by.

And the Angel of the Lord testified unto Joshua, saying,

Thus saith the Lord of hosts, If thou wilt walk in my ways, and keep my watch, thou shalt also [i]judge mine house, and shalt also keep my [j]courts, and I will give thee place among [k]these that stand by.

Hear now, O Joshua the high Priest, thou and thy fellows that sit before thee: for they [l]are monstrous persons: but behold, I will bring forth the [m]Branch my servant.

For lo, the [n]stone that I have laid before Joshua: upon one stone shall be seven eyes: behold, I [o]will cut out the graving thereof, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will take [p]away the iniquity of this land in one day.

10 In that day, saith the Lord of hosts, shall ye call every man his neighbor under the [q]vine, and under the fig tree.

Footnotes

  1. Zechariah 3:1 He prayed to Christ the Mediator for the state of the Church.
  2. Zechariah 3:1 Which declareth that the faithful have not only war with flesh and blood, but with Satan himself and spiritual wickedness, Eph. 6:12.
  3. Zechariah 3:2 That is, Christ speaketh to God as the Mediator of his Church, that he would rebuke Satan: and here he showeth himself to be the continual preserver of his Church.
  4. Zechariah 3:2 Meaning, that Joshua was wonderfully preserved in the captivity, and now Satan sought to afflict and trouble him when he was doing his office.
  5. Zechariah 3:3 In respect of the glorious garments and precious stones that the Priests did wear before the captivity: and by this contemptible state the Prophet signifieth, that these small beginnings should be made excellent when Christ shall make the full restitution of his Church.
  6. Zechariah 3:4 See verse 3.
  7. Zechariah 3:4 He showeth of what apparel he speaketh, which is, when our filthy sins are taken away, and we are clad with God’s mercies, which is meant of the spiritual restitution.
  8. Zechariah 3:5 The Prophet prayeth, that besides the raiment, the Priest might also have tyre for his head accordingly, that is, that the dignity of the Priesthood might be perfect: and this was fulfilled in Christ, who was both Priest and King: and here all such are condemned, that can content themselves with any mean reformation in religion, seeing the Prophet desireth the perfection, and obtaineth it.
  9. Zechariah 3:7 That is, have rule and government in my Church, as thy predecessors have had.
  10. Zechariah 3:7 Whereby he meaneth to have the whole charge and ministry of the Church.
  11. Zechariah 3:7 That is, the Angels, who represented the whole number of the faithful: signifying that all the godly should willingly receive him.
  12. Zechariah 3:8 Because they follow my word, they are contemned in the world, and esteemed as monsters, Isa. 8:18.
  13. Zechariah 3:8 That is, Christ, who did so humble himself, that not only he became the servant of God, but also the servant of men: and therefore in him they should have comfort, although in the world they were contemned, Isa. 11:1; Jer. 23:5 and 33:14, 15.
  14. Zechariah 3:9 He showeth that the ministers cannot build, before God lay the first stone, which is Christ, who is full of eyes, both because he giveth light unto all others, and that all ought to seek light at him, Zech. 4:10.
  15. Zechariah 3:9 That is, I will make perfect in all points, as a thing wrought by the hand of GOD.
  16. Zechariah 3:9 Though I have punished this land for a time, yet I will even now be pacified, and visit their sins no more.
  17. Zechariah 3:10 Ye shall then live in peace and quietness, that is, in the kingdom of Christ, Isa. 2:2; Mic. 4:4; Hag. 2:10.

And the Lord showed to me the great priest Joshua, standing before the angel of the Lord; and Satan stood on his right half, that he should be adversary to him. (And the Lord showed me Joshua, the High Priest, standing before the angel of the Lord; and Satan stood at his right hand/and the Adversary stood at his right hand, so that he could accuse him, or so that he could be adverse, or hostile, to him.)

And the Lord said to Satan, The Lord blame in thee, Satan, and the Lord that chose Jerusalem, blame in thee. Whether this is not a dead brand ravished from the fire? (And the Lord said to Satan/And the Lord said to the Adversary, The Lord rebuketh thee, Satan, yea, the Lord who chose Jerusalem, rebuketh thee. Is not this man like a firebrand snatched from the fire?)

And Joshua was clothed with foul clothes, and stood before the face of the angel. (And Joshua was clothed with filthy clothes, and stood before the angel.)

Which answered, and said to them that stood before him, and he said, Do ye away foul clothes from him. And he said to him, Lo! I have done away from thee thy wickedness, and I have clothed thee with changing (of) clothes. (Who answered, and said to those who stood before him, and he said, Do ye away his filthy clothes. And then he said to him, Lo! I have done away thy wickedness from thee, and I have clothed thee with a change of clothing/and I have clothed thee with clean clothes.)

And he said, Put ye a clean mitre on his head. And they putted a clean mitre on his head, and clothed him with clothes. And the angel of the Lord stood, (And he said, Put ye a clean turban upon his head. And they put a clean turban upon his head, and clothed him with clean clothes. And the angel of the Lord stood by,)

and the angel of the Lord witnessed to Joshua, and said,

The Lord of hosts saith these things, If thou shalt go in my ways, and shalt keep my keeping, also and thou shalt deem mine house, and shalt keep my porches; and I shall give to thee goers, of these that now here stand nigh. (The Lord of hosts saith these things, If thou shalt go in my ways, and shalt perform your duties, then thou shalt judge, or thou shalt rule, my House, and shalt keep charge of my courtyards, and I shall give thee the right to come and go amongst those who now stand here nearby.)

Hear thou, Joshua, great priest, thou and thy friends that dwell before thee, for they be men signifying thing[s] to coming. Lo! soothly I shall bring my servant springing up, either Christ born. (Hear thou, Joshua, the High Priest, thou and thy friends who be seated before thee, for they signify the things to come. Lo! truly I shall bring forth my servant, The Branch.)

For lo! the stone which I gave before Joshua, on one stone be seven eyes; and lo! I shall grave the graving thereof, saith the Lord of hosts, and I shall do away the wickedness of that land in one day. (For lo! the stone which I put before Joshua, and on that one stone be seven eyes, or seven facets; and lo! I shall engrave its engraving, or its inscription, saith the Lord of hosts, and I shall do away the wickedness of that land in one day.)

10 In that day, saith the Lord of hosts, a man shall call his friend under a vine, and under a fig tree. (On that day, saith the Lord of hosts, a man shall call his friends to come, and sit down, and rest under a vine, and under a fig tree.)