3:1 Next I saw Joshua the high priest ¹  standing before the angel of the Lord, with Satan ²  standing at his right hand to accuse him. 3:2 The Lord ³  said to Satan, “May the Lord rebuke you, Satan! May the Lord, who has chosen Jerusalem, ⁴  rebuke you! Isn’t this man like a burning stick snatched from the fire?” 3:3 Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes ⁵  as he stood there before the angel. 3:4 The angel ⁶  spoke up to those standing all around, “Remove his filthy clothes.” Then he said to Joshua, “I have freely forgiven your iniquity and will dress you ⁷  in fine clothing.” 3:5 Then I spoke up, “Let a clean turban be put on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him, while the angel of the Lord stood nearby. 3:6 Then the angel of the Lord exhorted Joshua solemnly: 3:7 “The Lord who rules over all says, ‘If you live ⁸  and work according to my requirements, you will be able to preside over my temple ⁹  and attend to my courtyards, and I will allow you to come and go among these others who are standing by you. 3:8 Listen now, Joshua the high priest, both you and your colleagues who are sitting before you, all of you ¹⁰  are a symbol that I am about to introduce my servant, the Branch. ¹¹  3:9 As for the stone ¹²  I have set before Joshua – on the one stone there are seven eyes. ¹³  I am about to engrave an inscription on it,’ says the Lord who rules over all, ‘to the effect that I will remove the iniquity of this land in a single day. ¹⁴  3:10 In that day,’ says the Lord who rules over all, ‘everyone will invite his friend to fellowship under his vine and under his fig tree.’” ¹⁵ 

4:1 The angelic messenger ¹⁶  who had been speaking with me then returned and woke me, as a person is wakened from sleep. 4:2 He asked me, “What do you see?” I replied, ¹⁷  “I see a menorah of pure gold with a receptacle at the top and seven lamps, with fourteen pipes going to the lamps. 4:3 There are also two olive trees beside it, one on the right of the receptacle and the other on the left.” ¹⁸  4:4 Then I asked the messenger who spoke with me, “What are these, ¹⁹  sir?” 4:5 He replied, “Don’t you know what these are?” So I responded, “No, sir.” 4:6 Therefore he told me, “These signify the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by strength and not by power, but by my Spirit,’ ²⁰  says the Lord who rules over all.”

4:7 “What are you, you great mountain? ²¹  Because of Zerubbabel you will become a level plain! And he will bring forth the temple ²²  capstone with shoutings of ‘Grace! Grace!’ ²³  because of this.” 4:8 Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me as follows: 4:9 “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundations of this temple, ²⁴  and his hands will complete it.” Then you will know that the Lord who rules over all has sent me to you. 4:10 For who dares make light of small beginnings? These seven eyes ²⁵  will joyfully look on the tin tablet ²⁶  in Zerubbabel’s hand. (These are the eyes of the Lord, which constantly range across the whole earth.)

4:11 Next I asked the messenger, “What are these two olive trees on the right and the left of the menorah?” 4:12 Before he could reply I asked again, “What are these two extensions ²⁷  of the olive trees, which are emptying out the golden oil through the two golden pipes?” 4:13 He replied, “Don’t you know what these are?” And I said, “No, sir.” 4:14 So he said, “These are the two anointed ones ²⁸  who stand by the Lord of the whole earth.”

5:1 Then I turned to look, and there was a flying scroll! 5:2 Someone asked me, “What do you see?” I replied, “I see a flying scroll thirty feet long and fifteen feet wide.” ²⁹  5:3 The speaker went on to say, “This is a curse ³⁰  traveling across the whole earth. For example, according to the curse whoever steals ³¹  will be removed from the community; or on the other hand (according to the curse) whoever swears falsely will suffer the same fate.” 5:4 “I will send it out,” says the Lord who rules over all, “and it will enter the house of the thief and of the person who swears falsely in my name. It will land in the middle of his house and destroy both timber and stones.”

5:5 After this the angelic messenger ³²  who had been speaking to me went out and said, “Look, see what is leaving.” 5:6 I asked, “What is it?” And he replied, “It is a basket for measuring grain ³³  that is moving away from here.” Moreover, he said, “This is their ‘eye’ ³⁴  throughout all the earth.” 5:7 Then a round lead cover was raised up, revealing a woman sitting inside the basket. 5:8 He then said, “This woman represents wickedness,” and he pushed her down into the basket and placed the lead cover on top. 5:9 Then I looked again and saw two women ³⁵  going forth with the wind in their wings (they had wings like those of a stork) and they lifted up the basket between the earth and the sky. 5:10 I asked the messenger who was speaking to me, “Where are they taking the basket?” 5:11 He replied, “To build a temple ³⁶  for her in the land of Babylonia. ³⁷  When it is finished, she will be placed there in her own residence.”

6:1 Once more I looked, and this time I saw four chariots emerging from between two mountains of bronze. ³⁸  6:2 Harnessed to the first chariot were red horses, to the second black horses, 6:3 to the third white horses, and to the fourth spotted horses, all of them strong. ³⁹  6:4 Then I asked the angelic messenger ⁴⁰  who was speaking with me, “What are these, sir?” 6:5 The messenger replied, “These are the four spirits ⁴¹  of heaven that have been presenting themselves before the Lord of all the earth. 6:6 The 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. 6:7 All these strong ones ⁴²  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. 6:8 Then he cried out to me, “Look! The ones going to the northland have brought me ⁴³  peace about the northland.” ⁴⁴ 

6:9 The word of the Lord came to me as follows: 6:10 “Choose some people ⁴⁵  from among the exiles, namely, Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah, all of whom have come from Babylon, and when you have done so go to the house of Josiah son of Zephaniah. ⁴⁶  6:11 Then take some silver and gold to make a crown ⁴⁷  and set it on the head of Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest. 6:12 Then say to him, ‘The Lord who rules over all says, “Look – here is the man whose name is Branch, ⁴⁸  who will sprout up from his place and build the temple of the Lord. 6:13 Indeed, he will build the temple of the Lord, and he will be clothed in splendor, sitting as king on his throne. Moreover, there will be a priest ⁴⁹  with him on his throne and they will see eye to eye on everything. 6:14 The crown will then be turned over to Helem, ⁵⁰  Tobijah, Jedaiah, and Hen ⁵¹  son of Zephaniah as a memorial in the temple of the Lord. 6:15 Then those who are far away ⁵²  will come and build the temple of the Lord so that you may know that the Lord who rules over all has sent me to you. This will all come to pass if you completely obey the voice of the Lord your God.”’”