Zechariah 4:6-14
King James Version
6 Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.
7 Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it.
8 Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
9 The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto you.
10 For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the Lord, which run to and fro through the whole earth.
11 Then answered I, and said unto him, What are these two olive trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon the left side thereof?
12 And I answered again, and said unto him, What be these two olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves?
13 And he answered me and said, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord.
14 Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth.
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Zechariah 4:6-14
English Standard Version
6 Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to (A)Zerubbabel: (B)Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts. 7 Who are you, (C)O great mountain? Before (D)Zerubbabel (E)you shall become a plain. And he shall bring forward (F)the top stone amid shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’”
8 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 9 (G)“The hands of (H)Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also (I)complete it. (J)Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. 10 (K)For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice, and shall see (L)the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel.
(M)“These seven (N)are the eyes of the Lord, (O)which range through the whole earth.” 11 Then I said to him, “What are these (P)two olive trees on the right and the left of the lampstand?” 12 And a second time I answered and said to him, “What are these (Q)two branches of the olive trees, which are beside the two golden pipes from which the golden oil[a] is poured out?” 13 He said to me, (R)“Do you not know what these are?” I said, “No, my lord.” 14 Then he said, (S)“These are the two anointed ones[b] who stand by (T)the Lord of the whole earth.”
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- Zechariah 4:12 Hebrew lacks oil
- Zechariah 4:14 Hebrew two sons of new oil
Zechariah 4:6-14
Contemporary English Version
6 (A) So the angel explained that it was the following message of the Lord to Zerubbabel:[a]
I am the Lord All-Powerful. So don't depend on your own power or strength, but on my Spirit. 7 Zerubbabel, that mountain in front of you will be leveled to the ground. Then you will bring out the temple's most important stone and shout, “God has been very kind.”[b]
8 The Lord spoke to me again and said:
9 Zerubbabel laid the foundation for the temple, and he will complete it. Then everyone will know that you were sent by me, the Lord All-Powerful. 10 (B) Those who have made fun of this day of small beginnings will celebrate when they see Zerubbabel holding this important stone.[c]
Those seven lamps represent my eyes—the eyes of the Lord—and they see everything on this earth.
11 (C) Then I asked the angel, “What about the olive trees on each side of the lampstand? What do they represent? 12 And what is the meaning of the two branches from which golden olive oil[d] flows through the two gold pipes?”
13 “Don't you know?” he asked.
“No sir, I don't,” was my answer.
14 Then he told me, “These branches are the two chosen leaders[e] who stand beside the Lord of all the earth.”
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- 4.6 Zerubbabel: Governor of Judah (see Haggai 1.1).
- 4.7 God … kind: Or “What a beautiful stone.”
- 4.10 important stone: Or “measuring line (with a stone attached to the end).”
- 4.12 golden olive oil: The Hebrew text has “gold,” which possibly refers to the color of the olive oil as it flows through the gold pipe.
- 4.14 chosen leaders: The Hebrew text has “people of oil.” In ancient times prophets, priests, and kings had olive oil poured over their heads to show that they had been chosen (see 1 Samuel 10.1; 16.13).
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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