ዘካርያስ 6

Four chariots

¹Again I looked up, and I saw four chariots coming out from between two mountains, and the mountains were made of bronze.^{a 2}The first chariot had red horses, the second black horses, ³the third white horses, and the fourth dappled horses, powerful ones.^{b 4}I asked the angel who talked with me, “My lord, what are these?” ⁵The angel answered me, “These are the four winds of heaven, going out after presenting themselves before the Lord of all the earth.^{c 6}The chariot pulled by the black horses is heading for the land of the north, the white horses have gone out after them, and the dappled horses have gone toward the land of the south.”^{d 7}When the powerful horses came out, they were eager to set off and patrol the earth. He said, “Go, patrol the earth!” So they patrolled the earth. ⁸Then he called out to me, “Look, those going toward the land of the north have given my spirit rest in the land of the north.”^e

A crown and the Branch

⁹Then the word of the LORD came to me: ¹⁰Take a gift from the exiles Heldai, Tobiah and Jedaiah, who have just come from Babylon, and on that same 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.^{fg 12}Say to him, “The LORD of Armies says this: Here is the man whose name is the Branch. He will branch out from his place, and he will build the temple of the LORD.^{h 13}It is he who will build the temple of the LORD, and he will be clothed with majesty, and he will sit and rule on his throne. There will be a priest on his throne, and the two of them will be in peaceful agreement.”^{i 14}The crown will be kept in the temple of the LORD as a memorial to Helem, Tobiah, Jedaiah and Hen son of Zephaniah.^{j 15}People who are far away will come and help build the temple of the LORD. Then you will know that the LORD of Armies has sent me to you. All this will come about if you carefully obey the LORD your God.