Zechariah 6
World English Bible
6 Again I lifted up my eyes, and saw, and behold, four chariots came out from between two mountains; and the mountains were mountains of bronze. 2 In the first chariot were red horses. In the second chariot were black horses. 3 In the third chariot were white horses. In the fourth chariot were dappled horses, all of them powerful. 4 Then I asked the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?”
5 The angel answered me, “These are the four winds of the sky, which go out from standing before the Lord of all the earth. 6 The one with the black horses goes out toward the north country; and the white went out after them; and the dappled went out toward the south country.” 7 The strong went out, and sought to go that they might walk back and forth through the earth. He said, “Go around and through the earth!” So they walked back and forth through the earth.
8 Then he called to me, and spoke to me, saying, “Behold, those who go toward the north country have quieted my spirit in the north country.”
9 Yahweh’s word came to me, saying, 10 “Take of them of the captivity, even of Heldai, of Tobijah, and of Jedaiah; and come the same day, and go into the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah, where they have come from Babylon. 11 Yes, take silver and gold, and make crowns, and set them on the head of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest; 12 and speak to him, saying, ‘Yahweh of Armies says, “Behold, the man whose name is the Branch! He will grow up out of his place; and he will build Yahweh’s temple. 13 He will build Yahweh’s temple. He will bear the glory, and will sit and rule on his throne. He will be a priest on his throne. The counsel of peace will be between them both. 14 The crowns shall be to Helem, to Tobijah, to Jedaiah, and to Hen the son of Zephaniah, for a memorial in Yahweh’s temple.
15 Those who are far off shall come and build in Yahweh’s temple; and you shall know that Yahweh of Armies has sent me to you. This will happen, if you will diligently obey Yahweh your God’s voice.”’”[a]
Footnotes
- 6:15 The Hebrew word rendered “God” is “אֱלֹהִ֑ים” (Elohim).
Zechariah 6
Easy-to-Read Version
The Four Chariots
6 Then I turned around. I looked up and saw four chariots going between two bronze mountains. 2 Red horses were pulling the first chariot. Black horses were pulling the second chariot. 3 White horses were pulling the third chariot, and horses with red spots were pulling the fourth chariot. 4 I asked the angel who was talking with me, “Sir, what does this mean?”
5 The angel said, “These are the four winds.[a] They have just come from the Lord of the whole world. 6 The black horses will go north, the red horses will go east, the white horses will go west, and the horses with red spots will go south.”
7 The red spotted horses were anxious to go look at their part of the earth, so the angel told them, “Go walk through the earth.” So they went walking through their part of the earth.
8 Then he shouted at me and said, “Look, those horses that were going north finished their job in Babylon. They have calmed my spirit; I am not angry now!”
Joshua the Priest Gets a Crown
9 Then I received another message from the Lord. He said, 10 “Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah have come from the captives[b] in Babylon. Get silver and gold from these men and then go to the house of Josiah son of Zephaniah. 11 Use the silver and gold to make a crown. Put it on the head of the high priest, Joshua son of Jehozadak. 12 Then tell him this is what the Lord All-Powerful says:
‘There is a man called the Branch.
He will grow strong,
and he will build the Lord’s Temple.
13 He will build the Lord’s Temple,
and he will receive the honor.
He will sit on his throne and be the ruler,
and a priest will stand by his throne.
These two men will work together in peace.’
14 The crown will be kept in my Temple,[c] so that when people see it, they will remember Heldai, Tobijah, Jedaiah, and the kindness of Zephaniah’s son Josiah.”
15 People living far away will come and build the Lord’s Temple. Then you will know for sure that the Lord All-Powerful sent me to you people. All these things will happen if you do what the Lord your God says.
Footnotes
- Zechariah 6:5 four winds Or “four spirits.” Four winds often means “winds that blow from every direction: north, south, east, and west.”
- Zechariah 6:10 captives People taken away as prisoners. Here, it means the Jewish people who were taken to Babylon.
- Zechariah 6:14 my Temple Literally, “the Temple of the Lord.”
Zechariah 6
King James Version
6 And I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came four chariots out from between two mountains; and the mountains were mountains of brass.
2 In the first chariot were red horses; and in the second chariot black horses;
3 And in the third chariot white horses; and in the fourth chariot grisled and bay horses.
4 Then I answered and said unto the angel that talked with me, What are these, my lord?
5 And the angel answered and said unto me, These are the four spirits of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth.
6 The black horses which are therein go forth into the north country; and the white go forth after them; and the grisled go forth toward the south country.
7 And the bay went forth, and sought to go that they might walk to and fro through the earth: and he said, Get you hence, walk to and fro through the earth. So they walked to and fro through the earth.
8 Then cried he upon me, and spake unto me, saying, Behold, these that go toward the north country have quieted my spirit in the north country.
9 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
10 Take of them of the captivity, even of Heldai, of Tobijah, and of Jedaiah, which are come from Babylon, and come thou the same day, and go into the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah;
11 Then take silver and gold, and make crowns, and set them upon the head of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest;
12 And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The Branch; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord:
13 Even he shall build the temple of the Lord; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.
14 And the crowns shall be to Helem, and to Tobijah, and to Jedaiah, and to Hen the son of Zephaniah, for a memorial in the temple of the Lord.
15 And they that are far off shall come and build in the temple of the Lord, and ye shall know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto you. And this shall come to pass, if ye will diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God.
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