In Hesiod’s Pandora story, Zeus sent Pandora to Epimetheus as punishment for stolen fire.
The sequence begins with Prometheus deceiving Zeus and then stealing fire for humanity. Hesiod presents Zeus’s response as a punishment directed at humans, not merely at Prometheus himself. He orders the creation of Pandora, whose name is commonly understood as “all-gifted,” because the gods contribute to her adornment and abilities.
Pandora is then brought to Epimetheus, Prometheus’s brother. Although Prometheus has warned him not to accept gifts from Zeus, Epimetheus receives her. Pandora later opens the jar, allowing harmful forces to escape into the world. In Hesiod’s account, this episode explains why suffering, toil, and other hardships exist alongside human life.
Zeus is sometimes confused with Hephaestus in this question because Hephaestus is the deity who shapes Pandora’s body from earth in one version of the story. The two gods have different roles: Zeus devises and directs the punishment, while Hephaestus performs the physical creation.