וַיַּרְאֵנִי אֶת־יְהוֹשֻׁעַ הַכֹּהֵן הַגָּדוֹל עֹמֵד לִפְנֵי מַלְאַךְ ה' וְהַשָּׂטָן עֹמֵד עַל־יְמִינוֹ לְשִׂטְנוֹ

He, God, showed me in a prophetic vision Yehoshua the High Priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and the accuser, the highest prosecuting angel, standing on his right to accuse him to thereby prevent him from performing the Temple service.

וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֶל־הַשָּׂטָן יִגְעַר ה' בְּךָ הַשָּׂטָן וְיִגְעַר ה' בְּךָ הַבֹּחֵר בִּירוּשָׁלִָם הֲלוֹא זֶה אוּד מֻצָּל מֵאֵשׁ

The Lord said to the accuser: May the Lord rebuke you, the accuser, and you will not be allowed to continue to speak; and may the Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you. How can you speak evil against Yehoshua the High Priest? Is this man not a firebrand, a piece of wood that has begun to burn, salvaged from the fire of exile, or the destruction of the First Temple? Yehoshua was a survivor, perhaps the only one, of a dynasty of High Priests dating back to the First Temple period.

ויהוֹשֻׁעַ הָיָה לָבֻשׁ בְּגָדִים צוֹאִים וְעֹמֵד לִפְנֵי הַמַּלְאָךְ

In the vision, Yehoshua was clothed in filthy garments and standing before the angel.

וַיַּעַן וַיֹּאמֶר אֶל־הָעֹמְדִים לְפָנָיו לֵאמֹר הָסִירוּ הַבְּגָדִים הַצֹּאִים מֵעָלָיו וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו רְאֵה הֶעֱבַרְתִּי מֵעָלֶיךָ עֲוֹנֶךָ וְהַלְבֵּשׁ אֹתְךָ מַחֲלָצוֹת

The angel was acting as a kind of minister or judge sitting on his throne, with servants standing before him. He, the angel, responded, and said to those standing before him, saying: Remove the filthy garments from upon him. He, the angel, said to him, Yehoshua: Behold, I have removed your iniquity from upon you, and have clothed you in clean garments. The filthy garments represent sin, and their exchange in the vision symbolizes purification.

וָאֹמַר יָשִׂימוּ צָנִיף טָהוֹר עַל־רֹאשׁוֹ וַיָּשִׂימוּ הַצָּנִיף הַטָּהוֹר עַל־רֹאשׁוֹ וַיַּלְבִּשֻׁהוּ בְּגָדִים וּמַלְאַךְ ה' עֹמֵד

I, Zechariah, said: Not only should his filthy garments be exchanged for clean ones, but let them even place a pure turban on his head. This is referring to the headgear of the High Priest, which was fashioned from an elongated woven piece of fabric that was wrapped many times around the head, like a turban. They placed the pure turban on his head and clothed him with garments, and the angel of the Lord was standing, watching to ensure that all was done properly.

וַיָּעַד מַלְאַךְ ה' בִּיהוֹשֻׁעַ לֵאמֹר׃

Here, Yehoshua was provided with a new opportunity. The angel of the Lord warned Yehoshua, saying:

כֹּה־אָמַר ה' צְבָאוֹת אִם־בִּדְרָכַי תֵּלֵךְ וְאִם אֶת־מִשְׁמַרְתִּי תִשְׁמֹר וְגַם־אַתָּה תָּדִין אֶת־בֵּיתִי וְגַם תִּשְׁמֹר אֶת־חֲצֵרָי וְנָתַתִּי לְךָ מַהְלְכִים בֵּין הָעֹמְדִים הָאֵלֶּה

So said the Lord of hosts: If you follow My ways, and if you keep My commission and judge My house, oversee the affairs of the Temple appropriately, as well as guard My courtyards, I will set you walking, you will be able to walk, among these standing, the angels that stand before God and are serving at Yehoshua’s trial. From now on you will not only be in command of the Temple in Jerusalem, on earth, but you will also have a place among the angels on high.

שְׁמַע־נָא יְהוֹשֻׁעַ הַכֹּהֵן הַגָּדוֹל אַתָּה וְרֵעֶיךָ הַיֹּשְׁבִים לְפָנֶיךָ כִּי־אַנְשֵׁי מוֹפֵת הֵמָּה כִּי־הִנְנִי מֵבִיא אֶת־עַבְדִּי צֶמַח

Hear now, Yehoshua the High Priest, you and your colleagues who sit before you, the heads of the priests who immigrated together with Zerubavel; as they are men of distinction, men of noble qualities; for behold, I bring My servant, Zemah. This is Zerubavel, the political leader of Judah. He is also called Zemah the Shoot, in 6:12.

כִּי הִנֵּה הָאֶבֶן אֲשֶׁר נָתַתִּי לִפְנֵי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ עַל־אֶבֶן אַחַת שִׁבְעָה עֵינָיִם הִנְנִי מְפַתֵּחַ פִּתֻּחָהּ נְאֻם ה' צְבָאוֹת וּמַשְׁתִּי אֶת עֲוֹן הָאָרֶץ־הַהִיא בְּיוֹם אֶחָד

For behold, the stone that I placed before Yehoshua has seven hues on one stone. This is a uniquely precious multicolored stone. And furthermore, behold, I am engraving its decorative etching – the utterance of the Lord of hosts – and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day. In the vision, the stone represents Zerubavel’s role in the establishment of the Temple, the place which will atone for Israel’s sins in the future and elevate them spiritually.

בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא נְאֻם ה' צְבָאוֹת תִּקְרְאוּ אִישׁ לְרֵעֵהוּ אֶל־תַּחַת גֶּפֶן וְאֶל־תַּחַת תְּאֵנָה

On that day – the utterance of the Lord of hosts – when you, the High Priest, cooperate with My servant, the shoot, the sin of the land will be atoned for, and each of you will invite his neighbor beneath the vine and beneath the fig tree. This is an idyllic vision of a tranquil life, in which people will not be overly burdened and will therefore be able to invite guests to enjoy the shade under their fruit trees.