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Zechariah 6
New International Version
Zechariah 6
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.”
Footnotes
- Zechariah 6:5 Or winds
- Zechariah 6:6 Or horses after them
- Zechariah 6:8 Or spirit
- Zechariah 6:11 Hebrew Jehozadak, a variant of Jozadak
- Zechariah 6:13 Or there
- Zechariah 6:14 Syriac; Hebrew Helem
- Zechariah 6:14 Or and the gracious one, the
Zechariah 6
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Zechariah 6
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 6
Seventh Vision: Four Chariots.(A) 1 Again I raised my eyes and saw four chariots[a] coming out from between two mountains; and the mountains were of bronze. 2 The first chariot had red horses, the second chariot black horses, 3 the third chariot white horses, and the fourth chariot dappled horses—all of them strong horses. 4 I asked the angel who spoke with me, “What are these, my lord?” 5 The angel answered me, “These are the four winds of the heavens,[b] which are coming forth after presenting themselves before the Lord of all the earth.(B) 6 The one with the black horses is going toward the land of the north, and the white horses go toward the west, and the dappled ones go toward the land of the south.” 7 These strong horses went out, eager to set about patrolling the earth, for he said, “Go, patrol the earth!” So they patrolled the earth. 8 Then he cried out to me and said, “See, those who go forth to the land of the north provide rest for my spirit in the land of the north.”[c]
The Crowning. 9 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 10 Take from the exiles—Heldai, Tobijah, Jedaiah—and go the same day to the house of Josiah, son of Zephaniah. (These had come from Babylon.) 11 You will take silver and gold, and make crowns;[d] place one on the head of Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest. 12 And say to him: Thus says the Lord of hosts: There is a man whose name is Branch[e](C)—and from his place he will branch out and he will build the temple of the Lord. 13 He will build the temple of the Lord, and taking up the royal insignia, he will sit as ruler upon his throne. The priest will be at his right hand, and between the two of them there will be peaceful understanding.[f](D) 14 The other crown will be in the temple of the Lord as a gracious reminder to Heldai, Tobijah, Jedaiah, and the son of Zephaniah. 15 And they who are from afar will come and build the temple of the Lord, and you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. This will happen if you truly obey the Lord your God.(E)
Footnotes
- 6:1 Four chariots: vehicles with horses of four different colors (vv. 2–3) represent God’s presence throughout the world and correspond to the four horses of 1:7–11.
- 6:5 Four winds of the heavens: four compass directions and therefore the whole world.
- 6:8 Land of the north: the enemy (cf. 2:10). This emphasis on the land of the north refers to the fact that God will deal with Israel’s foes and order will be re-established.
- 6:11 Crowns: two crowns made of precious metals and representing two high offices (compare the symbolism of the two olive trees in 4:14). One crown is for the high priest Joshua, who, with the governor Zerubbabel, was one of the recognized rulers of the Persian province of Judah. The other crown would have been for a royal ruler, a Davidic descendant. Zerubbabel was a Davidide but could not be king because the Persians would not allow such autonomy. The second crown was thus put in storage in the Temple (v. 14) for the crowning of a future king, or “branch” (see 3:8), from the house of David.
- 6:12 Branch: future Davidic ruler. See note on 3:8.
- 6:13 Peaceful understanding: harmonious rule of both the high priest and the king.
Zechariah 6
New King James Version
Zechariah 6
New King James Version
Vision of the Four Chariots
6 Then I turned and raised my eyes and looked, and behold, four chariots were coming from between two mountains, and the mountains were mountains of bronze. 2 With the first chariot were (A)red horses, with the second chariot (B)black horses, 3 with the third chariot white horses, and with the fourth chariot dappled horses—strong steeds. 4 Then I answered (C)and said to the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?”
5 And the angel answered and said to me, (D)“These are four spirits of heaven, who go out from their (E)station before the Lord of all the earth. 6 [a]The one with the black horses is going to (F)the north country, the white are going after them, and the dappled are going toward the south country.” 7 Then the strong steeds went out, eager to go, that they might (G)walk to and fro throughout the earth. And He said, “Go, walk to and fro throughout the earth.” So they walked to and fro throughout the earth. 8 And He called to me, and spoke to me, saying, “See, those who go toward the north country have given rest to My (H)Spirit in the north country.”
The Command to Crown Joshua
9 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: 10 “Receive the gift from the captives—from Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah, who have come from Babylon—and go the same day and enter the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah. 11 Take the silver and gold, make (I)an[b] elaborate crown, and set it on the head of (J)Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest. 12 Then speak to him, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, saying:
“Behold, (K)the Man whose name is the (L)BRANCH!
From His place He shall [c]branch out,
(M)And He shall build the temple of the Lord;
13 Yes, He shall build the temple of the Lord.
He (N)shall bear the glory,
And shall sit and rule on His throne;
So (O)He shall be a priest on His throne,
And the counsel of peace shall be between [d]them both.” ’
14 “Now the [e]elaborate crown shall be (P)for a memorial in the temple of the Lord [f]for Helem, Tobijah, Jedaiah, and Hen the son of Zephaniah. 15 Even (Q)those from afar shall come and build the temple of the Lord. Then you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent Me to you. And this shall come to pass if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God.”
Footnotes
- Zechariah 6:6 The chariot
- Zechariah 6:11 Lit. crowns
- Zechariah 6:12 Lit. sprout up
- Zechariah 6:13 Both offices
- Zechariah 6:14 Lit. crowns
- Zechariah 6:14 So with MT, Tg., Vg.; Syr. for Heldai (cf. v. 10); LXX for the patient ones
Zechariah 6
English Standard Version
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,[b] 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[c] 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,[d] (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 6:5 Or These are the four winds of heaven going out
- Zechariah 6:13 Or he
- Zechariah 6:14 An alternate spelling of Heldai (verse 10)
New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.
New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.