Zechariah 4–6

Zechariah’s Fifth Vision

4And the angel who was talking with me returned, and he wakened me as one who is wakened from his sleep. ²And he said to me, “What do you see?” And I said, “I see, and look, a lampstand all of gold,^a and a bowl was on its top, and its seven lamps on it, and seven lips on each of the lamps that are on its top. ³And there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.” ⁴And I answered and said to the angel who was talking to me, “What are these, my lord?” ⁵And the angel who was talking with me answered and said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” And I said, “No, my lord.” ⁶And he answered and said to me, “This is the word of Yahweh to Zerubbabel, saying, ‘Not by strength and not by power, but only by my Spirit,’ says Yahweh of hosts. ⁷‘Who are you O great mountain? Before^b Zerubbabel you will become level ground, and he will bring out the top stone amid the shouts of “Grace, grace to it!” ’ ” ⁸And the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ⁹“The hands of Zerubbabel have founded this house, and his hands will finish it. And you will know that Yahweh of hosts has sent me to you. ¹⁰For whoever has despised the day of small things will rejoice and will see the plumb line^c in the hand of Zerubbabel.”

These seven are the eyes of Yahweh which are ranging throughout the whole earth.^{d 11}And I answered and said to him, “What are these two olive trees on the right of the lampstand and on its left?” ¹²And I replied a second time and asked him, “What are these two twigs of olive trees^e beside^f the two golden pipes that pour forth from themselves the golden oil?” ¹³And he replied to me, “Do you not know what these are?” And I said, “No, my lord.” ¹⁴And he said, “These are the two anointed ones^g standing by the Lord of the whole earth.”

Zechariah’s Sixth Vision

5I looked up again,^a and I saw, and look!—a flying scroll! ²And he asked me, “What are you seeing?” And I said, “I am seeing a flying scroll twenty cubits long and ten cubits wide.”^{b 3}And he said to me, “This is the curse going out over the surface of the whole earth. For everyone who steals has gone unpunished^c according to it, and likewise everyone who swears falsely has gone unpunished according to it. ⁴‘I have sent it out,’ declares^d Yahweh of hosts, ‘and it will go into the house of the thief and into the house of the one swearing falsely by my name,^e and it will spend the night in that^f house and will destroy it, with its timber and its stone.’ ”

Zechariah’s Seventh Vision

⁵And the angel who was speaking to me went out, and he said to me, “Please look up!^g See what this is going out.” ⁶And I asked, “What is it?” And he said, “This is a basket^h going out. And he said, “This is their iniquityⁱ throughout all the earth. ⁷And look, the lead cover was lifted and a woman was sitting inside the basket.^{j 8}And he said, “This is Wickedness!” And he thrust her back down into the basket,^k and threw the lead cover on top of it.^{l 9}And I looked up^m and saw, and look!—two women coming forward, and the wind was in their wings, and they had wings like those of a stork, and they lifted up the basketⁿ between the earth and the sky.^{o 10}And I asked the angel who was talking to me, “Where are they taking the basket?”^{p 11}And he said to me, “To build for it a house^q in the land of Shinar,^r and when it is put in place, it will be placed there on its site.”

Zechariah’s Eighth Vision

6I looked up again,^a and I saw, and look!—four chariots coming out from between two mountains, and the mountains were mountains of bronze. ²With the first chariot there were red horses, and with the second chariot there were black horses. ³And with the third chariot there were white horses, and with the fourth chariot there were strong^b dappled horses. ⁴And I answered and said to the angel that was talking to me, “What are these, my lord?” ⁵And the angel answered and said to me, “These are the four winds^c of the heavens going out after presenting themselves before the Lord of all the earth. ⁶The one with^d the black horses is going out to the north country, and the white horses go after them,^e while the dappled ones go to the south country.” ⁷When the strong horses went out, they were anxious to go to patrol the earth. And he^f said, “Go, patrol the earth.” And they patrolled the earth. ⁸And he cried out to me and said to me, “See those going out to the north country have set my spirit at rest in the north country.”

The Branch is Crowned

⁹And the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ¹⁰“Collect^g from the exiles—from Heldai, Tobijah, and from Jedaiah, all of whom came from Babylon—and go on that day, go to the house of Josiah son of Zephaniah. ¹¹Take the silver and gold and make a crown, and set it on the head of Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest. ¹²And say to him, ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts: “Look, here is a man whose name is Branch,^h and from his place he will sprout, and he will build the temple of Yahweh. ¹³And he will build the temple of Yahweh, and he will bear majesty and will sit and rule on his throne. And he shall be a priest on his throne, and the counsel of peace will be between the two of them.” ’^{i 14}And the crown will be for Helem,^j for Tobijah, for Jedaiah, and for Hen^k son of Zephaniah, as a memorial in the temple of Yahweh. ¹⁵And those who are far off will come and build the temple of Yahweh, and you will know that Yahweh of hosts has sent me to you. And it will happen if you will listen diligently to the voice of Yahweh your God.”