Four chariots
1I looked up again, and there before me were four chariots coming out from between two mountains – mountains of bronze. 2The first chariot had red horses, the second black, 3the third white, and the fourth dappled – all of them powerful. 4I asked the angel who was speaking to me, ‘What are these, my lord?’
5The angel answered me, ‘These are the four spirits6:5 Or winds of heaven, going out from standing in the presence of the Lord of the whole world. 6The one with the black horses is going towards the north country, the one with the white horses towards the west,6:6 Or horses after them and the one with the dappled horses towards the south.’
7When 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.
8Then he called to me, ‘Look, those going towards the north country have given my Spirit6:8 Or spirit rest in the land of the north.’
A crown for Joshua
9The word of the Lord came to me: 10‘Take silver and gold from the exiles Heldai, Tobijah and Jedaiah, who have arrived from Babylon. Go the same day to the house of Josiah son of Zephaniah. 11Take the silver and gold and make a crown, and set it on the head of the high priest, Joshua son of Jozadak.6:11 Hebrew Jehozadak, a variant of Jozadak 12Tell him this is what the Lord Almighty says: “Here is the man whose name is the Branch, and he will branch out from his place and build the temple of the Lord. 13It is he who will build the temple of the Lord, and he will be clothed with majesty and will sit and rule on his throne. And he6:13 Or there will be a priest on his throne. And there will be harmony between the two.” 14The crown will be given to Heldai,6:14 Syriac; Hebrew Helem Tobijah, Jedaiah and Hen6:14 Or and the gracious one, the son of Zephaniah as a memorial in the temple of the Lord. 15Those who are far away will come and help to build the temple of the Lord, and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you. This will happen if you diligently obey the Lord your God.’
A Vision of Four Chariots
1I looked up again and saw four chariots. They were coming out from between two mountains. The mountains were made out of bronze. 2The first chariot was pulled by red horses. The second one had black horses. 3The third had white horses. And the fourth had spotted horses. All the horses were powerful. 4I asked the angel who was talking with me, “Sir, what are these?”
5The angel answered, “The four spirits of heaven. They are going out to serve the Lord of the whole world. 6The chariot pulled by the black horses is going toward the north country. The one with the white horses is going toward the west. And the one with the spotted horses is going toward the south.”
7The powerful horses went out. They were in a hurry to go all over the earth. The angel said, “Go all through the earth!” So they did.
8Then the Lord called out to me, “Look! The horses going toward the north have given my Spirit rest in the north country.”
A Crown Is Given to Joshua
9A message from the Lord came to me. His angel said, 10“Get some silver and gold from Heldai, Tobijah and Jedaiah. They have just come back from Babylon. On that same day go to Josiah’s house. He is the son of Zephaniah. 11Use the silver and gold to make a crown. Set it on the head of Joshua the high priest. He is the son of Jozadak. 12Give Joshua a message from the Lord who rules over all. He says, ‘Here is the man whose name is the Branch. He will branch out and build my temple. 13That is what he will do. He will be dressed in majesty as if it were his royal robe. He will sit as king on his throne. He will also be a priest there. So he will combine the positions of king and priest in himself.’ 14The crown will be given to Heldai, Tobijah, Jedaiah and Zephaniah’s son Hen. The crown will be kept in the Lord’s temple. It will remind everyone that the Lord’s promises will come true. 15Those who are far away will come to Jerusalem. They will help build the Lord’s temple. Then his people will know that the Lord who rules over all has sent me to them. It will happen if they are careful to obey the Lord their God.”
