^6:5The messenger replied, “These are the four spirits⁴ of heaven that have been presenting themselves before the Lord of all the earth. ^6:6The chariot with the black horses is going to the north country and the white ones are going after them, but the spotted ones are going to the south country. ^6:7All these strong ones⁵ are scattering; they have sought permission to go and walk about over the earth.” The Lord had said, “Go! Walk about over the earth!” So they are doing so. ^6:8Then he cried out to me, “Look! The ones going to the northland have brought me⁶ peace about the northland.”⁷

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Footnotes

4 The Hebrew term translated “spirit” here may also be translated “wind” or “breath” depending on the context (cf. , , “the four winds of heaven”; similar).
5 The present translation takes אֲמֻצִּים (’amutsim, “strong”) to be a descriptive of all the horses—white, black, red, and spotted (cf. , , ).
6 Heb “my spirit.” The subject appears to be the Lord who exclaims here that the horsemen have accomplished their task of bringing peace.
7 The immediate referent of peace about the northland is to the peace brought by Persia’s conquest of Babylonia, a peace that allowed the restoration of the Jewish people (cf. 2 Chr 36:22–23; Isa 44:28; 45:1–2). However, there is also an eschatological dimension, referring to a time when there will be perfect and universal peace.

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

And the angel answered and said to me, “These are going out to the four winds of heaven, after presenting themselves before the Lord of all the earth. The chariot with the black horses goes toward the north country, the white ones go after them, and the dappled ones go toward the south country.” When the strong horses came out, they were impatient to go and patrol the earth. And he said, “Go, patrol the earth.” So they patrolled the earth. Then he cried to me, “Behold, those who go toward the north country have set my Spirit at rest in the north country.”

NIVNew International Version (2011)

The angel answered me, “These are the four spirits of heaven, going out from standing in the presence of the Lord of the whole world. The one with the black horses is going toward the north country, the one with the white horses toward the west, and the one with the dappled horses toward the south.”

When the powerful horses went out, they were straining to go throughout the earth. And he said, “Go throughout the earth!” So they went throughout the earth.

Then he called to me, “Look, those going toward the north country have given my Spirit rest in the land of the north.”

CSBChristian Standard Bible

The angel told me, “These are the four spirits of heaven going out after presenting themselves to the Lord of the whole earth. The one with the black horses is going to the land of the north, the white horses are going after them, but the dappled horses are going to the land of the south.” As the strong horses went out, they wanted to go patrol the earth, and the Lord said, “Go, patrol the earth.” So they patrolled the earth. Then he summoned me saying, “See, those going to the land of the north have pacified my Spirit in the northern land.”

NLTNew Living Translation

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

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.

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

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

And the angel answered and said to me, “These are the four winds of the heavens going out after presenting themselves before the Lord of all the earth. The one with the black horses is going out to the north country, and the white horses go after them, while the dappled ones go to the south country.” When the strong horses went out, they were anxious to go to patrol the earth. And he said, “Go, patrol the earth.” And they patrolled the earth. And 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.”

KJV 1900King James Version

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. 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. 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. 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.

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