The Prophet Zechariah

⭑ Catholic Public Domain Version 2009 ⭑

- Chapter 3 -

And the Lord revealed to me: Jesus the high priest, standing in the sight of the angel of the Lord. And Satan stood before his right hand, so as to be his adversary.(a)

(b)

And the Lord said to Satan, “May the Lord rebuke you, Satan! And may the Lord, who chose Jerusalem, rebuke you! Are you not a firebrand plucked from the fire?”(c)

And Jesus was clothed with filthy garments. And he stood before the face of an angel.(d)

He answered and spoke to those who stood before him, saying, “Take away the filthy garments from him.” And he said to him, “Behold, I have taken away from you your iniquity, and I have clothed you with a change of clothing.”

And he said, “Place a clean diadem on his head.” And they placed a clean diadem on his head, and they clothed him with garments. And the angel of the Lord remained standing.(e)

And the angel of the Lord contested with Jesus, saying:

Thus says the Lord of hosts: If you will walk in my ways and keep my charge, you likewise will judge my house and will keep my courts, and I will give you some of those who now attend here to walk with you.(f)

Listen, Jesus the high priest, you and your friends, who dwell before you, who have been portending to men. For behold, I will lead my servant to the East.(g)

(h)

For behold, the stone that I have bestowed before Jesus. Upon one stone, there are seven eyes. Behold, I will carve its engraving, says the Lord of hosts. And I will take away the iniquity of that land in one day.(i)

(j)

(k)

On that day, says the Lord of hosts, every man will call his friend from under the vine and from under the fig tree.

Footnotes

(a)3:1 Many translations change the name of the high priest from the time of Zechariah to ‘Joshua.’ However, keeping the name as it is in Latin, ‘Jesus,’ clarifies a level of meaning of this passage whereby the Jesus of Zechariah’s time foreshadows Jesus the Messiah.(Conte)

(b)3:1 Jesus:Alias, Josue, the son of Josedec, the high priest of that time.(Challoner)

(c)3:2 The Lord can only say, ‘The Lord rebuke you,’ because it is the Lord Jesus Christ who is saying, ‘The Lord God the Father rebuke you.’(Conte)

(d)3:3 With filthy garments:Negligences and sins.(Challoner)

(e)3:5 The word ‘vestibus’ could also be rendered as ‘vestments,’ revealing an additional ecclesiastical meaning to the verse.(Conte)

(f)3:7 I will give you, etc:Angels to attend and assist you.(Challoner)

(g)3:8 Portending men:That is, men, who by words and actions are to foresee wonders that are to come.(Challoner)

(h)3:8 My servant the Orient:Christ, who according to his humanity is the servant of God, is called the Orient from his rising like the sun in the east to enlighten the world.(Challoner)

(i)3:9 The stone:Another emblem of Christ, the rock, foundation, and corner stone of his church.(Challoner)

(j)3:9 Seven eyes:The manifold providence of Christ over his church, or the seven gifts of the spirit of God.(Challoner)

(k)3:9 One day:Viz., the day of the passion of Christ, the source of all our good: when this precious stone shall be graved, that is, cut and pierced, with whips, thorns, nails, and spear.(Challoner)