Zechariah 3-6

New Life Version

Zechariah Sees a Religious Leader

3 Then he showed me Joshua the head religious leader standing before the angel of the Lord. And Satan was standing at his right side to blame him. ² The Lord said to Satan, “May the Lord’s Word be sharp against you, Satan! May the Lord who has chosen Jerusalem speak sharp words against you! Is not this a burning stick saved from the fire?” ³ Now Joshua was dressed in dirty clothes and standing in front of the angel. ⁴ The angel said to those who were standing in front of him, “Take off his dirty clothes.” And he said to him, “See, I have taken your sin away from you, and will dress you in beautiful clothes.” ⁵ Then I said, “Let them put a clean covering on his head.” So they put a clean covering on his head and dressed him in clothes, while the angel of the Lord was standing by.

⁶ The angel of the Lord told Joshua in strong words, ⁷ “The Lord of All says, ‘If you will walk in My ways and do My work, then you will rule My house and everything around it. And I will give you a place among these who are standing here. ⁸ Now listen, Joshua the head religious leader, and your friends who are sitting in front of you are men who show a part of the good things to come in the future. See, I am going to bring My Servant the Branch. ⁹ See the stone that I have set in front of Joshua. There are seven eyes on that one stone, and I will cut writings on it,’ says the Lord of All. ‘And I will take away the sin of that land in one day. ¹⁰ In that day,’ says the Lord of All, ‘every one of you will ask his neighbor to come sit under his vine and under his fig tree.’”

Zechariah Sees a Lamp-Stand

4 Then the angel who was speaking with me returned and woke me up like a man would be made to wake up from his sleep. ² He said to me, “What do you see?” And I said, “I see a gold lamp-stand with a cup at the top and seven lamps on it. And there are seven places to hold oil, one on the top of each of the lamps. ³ There are two olive trees by it, one on the right side of the cup and the other on its left side.” ⁴ Then I said to the angel who was speaking with me, “What are these, my lord?” ⁵ So the angel who was speaking with me said, “Do you not know what these are?” And I said, “No, my lord.”

God’s Promise to Zechariah

⁶ Then he said to me, “This is the Word of the Lord to Zerubbabel saying, ‘Not by strength nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of All. ⁷ ‘What are you, O great mountain? In front of Zerubbabel you will become a plain. Then he will bring out the top stone and call out, “May God give it loving-favor!”’” ⁸ Also the Word of the Lord came to me saying, ⁹ “Zerubbabel’s hands have laid the first stones of this house, and his hands will finish it. Then you will know that the Lord of All has sent me to you. ¹⁰ Who has hated the day of small things? Men will be glad when they see Zerubbabel building the walls of the Lord’s house. These seven are the eyes of the Lord which travel over all the earth.”

¹¹ Then I said to him, “What are these two olive trees on the right and left sides of the lamp-stand?” ¹² A second time I said to him, “What are the two olive branches beside the two gold places that hold the oil to be poured out?” ¹³ He answered me saying, “Do you not know what these are?” And I said, “No, my lord.” ¹⁴ Then he said, “These are the two who are set apart to serve the Lord of All the earth.”

Zechariah Sees a Flying Book

5 I looked up again and saw a flying book. ² And the angel said to me, “What do you see?” I said, “I see a flying book, as long as ten long steps and as wide as five long steps.” ³ Then he said to me, “This is the curse that is going out over all the land. Everyone who steals will be cut off by what is written on one side. And everyone who swears will be cut off by what is written on the other side. ⁴ I will send it out,” says the Lord of All, “and it will go into the house of the robber and the house of the one who makes false promises using My name. It will spend the night in that house and destroy it, both its wood and stones.”

Zechariah Sees a Woman in a Basket

⁵ Then the angel who was speaking with me came out and said to me, “Look up and see what this is that is going out.” ⁶ And I said, “What is it?” He said, “This is the large basket going out.” And he said, “This is the sin of all the people in all the land.” ⁷ Then the lead cover was lifted up, and there was a woman sitting in the large basket. ⁸ The angel said, “This is Sin!” And he threw her back into the basket and threw the lead weight on its opening. ⁹ Then I looked up and saw two women coming out with the wind in their wings. They had wings like the wings of a stork. And they lifted up the large basket between earth and heaven. ¹⁰ I said to the angel who was speaking with me, “Where are they taking the basket?” ¹¹ He said to me, “To build a house for it in the land of Shinar. When it is ready, it will be put in its place.”

Zechariah Sees Four War-Wagons

6 I looked up again and saw four war-wagons coming out from between the two mountains. The mountains were made of brass. ² The first war-wagon had red horses. The second war-wagon had black horses. ³ The third war-wagon had white horses, and the fourth war-wagon had strong horses with spots. ⁴ Then I said to the angel who was speaking with me, “What are these, my lord?” ⁵ The angel said to me, “These are the four spirits of heaven, going away from standing before the Lord of All the earth. ⁶ The war-wagon with the black horses is going toward the north country. The white ones follow them. And the horses with spots go toward the south country. ⁷ When the strong horses went out, they were in a hurry to look over all the earth.” And he said, “Go, look over all the earth.” So they went over the whole earth. ⁸ Then he called to me, “See, those who are going to the land of the north have given My Spirit rest in the north country.”

The Crown on Joshua

⁹ The Word of the Lord came to me saying, ¹⁰ “Take the gifts from Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah, who have returned from Babylon. And go the same day to the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah. ¹¹ Take the silver and gold and make a crown, and set it on the head of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the head religious leader. ¹² Then tell him, ‘The Lord of All says, “See, the man whose name is the Branch, for He will branch out from where He is. And He will build the house of the Lord. ¹³ Yes, He is the One Who will build the house of the Lord. He will be honored as King, and sit and rule on His throne. And He will be a religious leader on His throne, and there will be peace between the two.”’ ¹⁴ The crown will be in the Lord’s house, that people may remember Helem, Tobijah, Jedaiah, and Hen the son of Zephaniah. ¹⁵ Those who are far away will come to build the house of the Lord. Then you will know that the Lord of All has sent me to you. This will happen if you are careful to obey the Lord your God.”