Cleansing for the High Priest

3 Then the angel showed me Jeshua^[a] the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord. The Accuser, Satan,^[b] was there at the angel’s right hand, making accusations against Jeshua. ² And the Lord said to Satan, “I, the Lord, reject your accusations, Satan. Yes, the Lord, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebukes you. This man is like a burning stick that has been snatched from the fire.”

³ Jeshua’s clothing was filthy as he stood there before the angel. ⁴ So the angel said to the others standing there, “Take off his filthy clothes.” And turning to Jeshua he said, “See, I have taken away your sins, and now I am giving you these fine new clothes.”

⁵ Then I said, “They should also place a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean priestly turban on his head and dressed him in new clothes while the angel of the Lord stood by.

⁶ Then the angel of the Lord spoke very solemnly to Jeshua and said, ⁷ “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: If you follow my ways and carefully serve me, then you will be given authority over my Temple and its courtyards. I will let you walk among these others standing here.

⁸ “Listen to me, O Jeshua the high priest, and all you other priests. You are symbols of things to come. Soon I am going to bring my servant, the Branch. ⁹ Now look at the jewel I have set before Jeshua, a single stone with seven facets.^[c] I will engrave an inscription on it, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, and I will remove the sins of this land in a single day.

¹⁰ “And on that day, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, each of you will invite your neighbor to sit with you peacefully under your own grapevine and fig tree.”

A Lampstand and Two Olive Trees

4 Then the angel who had been talking with me returned and woke me, as though I had been asleep. ² “What do you see now?” he asked.

I answered, “I see a solid gold lampstand with a bowl of oil on top of it. Around the bowl are seven lamps, each having seven spouts with wicks. ³ And I see two olive trees, one on each side of the bowl.” ⁴ Then I asked the angel, “What are these, my lord? What do they mean?”

⁵ “Don’t you know?” the angel asked.

“No, my lord,” I replied.

⁶ Then he said to me, “This is what the Lord says to Zerubbabel: It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. ⁷ Nothing, not even a mighty mountain, will stand in Zerubbabel’s way; it will become a level plain before him! And when Zerubbabel sets the final stone of the Temple in place, the people will shout: ‘May God bless it! May God bless it!’^[d]”

⁸ Then another message came to me from the Lord: ⁹ “Zerubbabel is the one who laid the foundation of this Temple, and he will complete it. Then you will know that the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has sent me. ¹⁰ Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand.”

(The seven lamps^[e] represent the eyes of the Lord that search all around the world.)

¹¹ Then I asked the angel, “What are these two olive trees on each side of the lampstand, ¹² and what are the two olive branches that pour out golden oil through two gold tubes?”

¹³ “Don’t you know?” he asked.

“No, my lord,” I replied.

¹⁴ Then he said to me, “They represent the two anointed ones^[f] who stand in the court of the Lord of all the earth.”

A Flying Scroll

5 I looked up again and saw a scroll flying through the air.

² “What do you see?” the angel asked.

“I see a flying scroll,” I replied. “It appears to be about 30 feet long and 15 feet wide.^[g]”

³ Then he said to me, “This scroll contains the curse that is going out over the entire land. One side of the scroll says that those who steal will be banished from the land; the other side says that those who swear falsely will be banished from the land. ⁴ And this is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: I am sending this curse into the house of every thief and into the house of everyone who swears falsely using my name. And my curse will remain in that house and completely destroy it—even its timbers and stones.”

A Woman in a Basket

⁵ Then the angel who was talking with me came forward and said, “Look up and see what’s coming.”

⁶ “What is it?” I asked.

He replied, “It is a basket for measuring grain,^[h] and it’s filled with the sins^[i] of everyone throughout the land.”

⁷ Then the heavy lead cover was lifted off the basket, and there was a woman sitting inside it. ⁸ The angel said, “The woman’s name is Wickedness,” and he pushed her back into the basket and closed the heavy lid again.

⁹ Then I looked up and saw two women flying toward us, gliding on the wind. They had wings like a stork, and they picked up the basket and flew into the sky.

¹⁰ “Where are they taking the basket?” I asked the angel.

¹¹ He replied, “To the land of Babylonia,^[j] where they will build a temple for the basket. And when the temple is ready, they will set the basket there on its pedestal.”

Four Chariots

6 Then I looked up again and saw four chariots coming from between two bronze mountains. ² The first chariot was pulled by red horses, the second by black horses, ³ the third by white horses, and the fourth by powerful dappled-gray horses. ⁴ “And what are these, my lord?” I asked the angel who was talking with me.

⁵ The angel replied, “These are the four spirits^[k] of heaven who stand before the Lord of all the earth. They are going out to do his work. ⁶ The chariot with black horses is going north, the chariot with white horses is going west,^[l] and the chariot with dappled-gray horses is going south.”

⁷ The powerful horses were eager to set out to patrol the earth. And the Lord said, “Go and patrol the earth!” So they left at once on their patrol.

⁸ Then the Lord summoned me and said, “Look, those who went north have vented the anger of my Spirit^[m] there in the land of the north.”

The Crowning of Jeshua

⁹ Then I received another message from the Lord: ¹⁰ “Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah will bring gifts of silver and gold from the Jews exiled in Babylon. As soon as they arrive, meet them at the home of Josiah son of Zephaniah. ¹¹ Accept their gifts, and make a crown from the silver and gold. Then put the crown on the head of Jeshua^[n] son of Jehozadak, the high priest. ¹² Tell him, ‘This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Here is the man called the Branch. He will branch out from where he is and build the Temple of the Lord. ¹³ Yes, he will build the Temple of the Lord. Then he will receive royal honor and will rule as king from his throne. He will also serve as priest from his throne,^[o] and there will be perfect harmony between his two roles.’

¹⁴ “The crown will be a memorial in the Temple of the Lord to honor those who gave it—Heldai,^[p] Tobijah, Jedaiah, and Josiah^[q] son of Zephaniah.”

¹⁵ People will come from distant lands to rebuild the Temple of the Lord. And when this happens, you will know that my messages have been from the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. All this will happen if you carefully obey what the Lord your God says.