The Vision of the Lampstand

4 The angel who had been speaking to me came again and roused me as if I had been sleeping. ² “What do you see?” he asked.

“A lampstand made of gold,” I answered. “At the top is a bowl for the oil. On the lampstand are seven lamps, each one with places for seven wicks. ^3 (A)There are two olive trees beside the lampstand, one on each side of it.” ⁴ Then I asked the angel, “What do these things stand for, sir?”

⁵ “Don't you know?” he asked me.

“No, I don't, sir,” I replied.

^10b The angel said to me, “The seven lamps are the seven eyes of the Lord, which see all over the earth.”^[a]

^11 (B)Then I asked him, “What do the two olive trees on either side of the lampstand mean? ¹² And what is the meaning of the two olive branches beside the two gold pipes from which the olive oil pours?”

¹³ He asked me, “Don't you know?”

“No, I don't, sir,” I answered.

¹⁴ Then he said, “These are the two men whom God has chosen and anointed to serve him, the Lord of the whole earth.”

God's Promise to Zerubbabel

⁶ The angel told me to give Zerubbabel this message from the Lord: “You will succeed, not by military might or by your own strength, but by my spirit. ⁷ Obstacles as great as mountains will disappear before you. You will rebuild the Temple, and as you put the last stone in place, the people will shout, ‘Beautiful, beautiful!’”

⁸ Another message came to me from the Lord. ⁹ He said, “Zerubbabel has laid the foundation of the Temple, and he will finish the building. When this happens, my people will know that it is I who sent you to them. ^10a They are disappointed because so little progress is being made. But they will see Zerubbabel continuing to build the Temple, and they will be glad.”