Zechariah 4
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Fifth Vision: Gold Lampstand
4 The angel who was speaking with me then returned and roused me as one awakened out of sleep. 2 He asked me, “What do you see?”
I replied, “I see a solid gold lampstand there with a bowl on its top. It has seven lamps on it and seven channels for each of[a] the lamps on its top. 3 There are also two olive trees beside it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.”
4 Then I asked the angel who was speaking with me, “What are these, my lord?”
5 “Don’t you know what they are?” replied the angel who was speaking with me.
I said, “No, my lord.”
6 So he answered me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by strength or by might, but by My Spirit,’(A) says the Lord of Hosts. 7 ‘What are you, great mountain?(B) Before Zerubbabel you will become a plain.(C) And he will bring out the capstone accompanied by shouts of: Grace, grace to it!’”
8 Then the word of the Lord came to me:(D) 9 “Zerubbabel’s hands have laid the foundation of this house,(E) and his hands will complete it. Then you will know that the Lord of Hosts has sent me to you. 10 For who scorns the day of small things?(F) These seven eyes of the Lord, which scan throughout the whole earth, will rejoice when they see the plumb line[b] in Zerubbabel’s hand.”(G)
11 I asked him, “What are the two olive trees on the right and left of the lampstand?” 12 And I questioned him further, “What are the two olive branches beside the two gold conduits, from which golden oil pours out?”
13 Then he inquired of me, “Don’t you know what these are?”
“No, my lord,” I replied.
14 “These are the two anointed ones,”[c](H) he said, “who stand by the Lord of the whole earth.”(I)
Footnotes
- Zechariah 4:2 Or seven lips to
- Zechariah 4:10 Lit the tin stone
- Zechariah 4:14 = Joshua and Zerubbabel
Zechariah 4
English Standard Version
A Vision of a Golden Lampstand
4 And (A)the angel who talked with me came again (B)and woke me, like a man who is awakened out of his sleep. 2 And he said to me, “What do you see?” I said, “I see, and behold, (C)a lampstand all of gold, with a bowl on the top of it, and (D)seven lamps on it, with seven lips on each of the lamps that are on the top of it. 3 And there are (E)two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.” 4 And I said to (F)the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?” 5 Then the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, (G)“Do you not know what these are?” I said, “No, my lord.” 6 Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to (H)Zerubbabel: (I)Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts. 7 Who are you, (J)O great mountain? Before (K)Zerubbabel (L)you shall become a plain. And he shall bring forward (M)the top stone amid shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’”
8 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 9 (N)“The hands of (O)Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also (P)complete it. (Q)Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. 10 (R)For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice, and shall see (S)the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel.
(T)“These seven (U)are the eyes of the Lord, (V)which range through the whole earth.” 11 Then I said to him, “What are these (W)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 (X)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, (Y)“Do you not know what these are?” I said, “No, my lord.” 14 Then he said, (Z)“These are the two anointed ones[b] who stand by (AA)the Lord of the whole earth.”
Footnotes
- Zechariah 4:12 Hebrew lacks oil
- Zechariah 4:14 Hebrew two sons of new oil
Zechariah 4
Good News Translation
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.”
Footnotes
- Zechariah 4:10 Verses 10b-14 are moved here from the end of the chapter in order to retain the natural sequence of the narrative.
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