A Vision of a Golden Lampstand

And (A)the angel who talked with me came again (B)and woke me, like a man who is awakened out of his sleep. 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. And there are (E)two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.” And I said to (F)the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?” 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.” 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. 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!’”

Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, (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.”

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Footnotes

  1. Zechariah 4:12 Hebrew lacks oil
  2. Zechariah 4:14 Hebrew two sons of new oil

A Lampstand and Two Olive Trees

Then the angel who had been talking with me returned and woke me, as though I had been asleep. “What do you see now?” he asked.

I answered, “I see a solid gold lampstand with a bowl of oil on top of it. Around the bowl are seven lamps, each having seven spouts with wicks. And I see two olive trees, one on each side of the bowl.” Then I asked the angel, “What are these, my lord? What do they mean?”

“Don’t you know?” the angel asked.

“No, my lord,” I replied.

Then he said to me, “This is what the Lord says to Zerubbabel: It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. Nothing, not even a mighty mountain, will stand in Zerubbabel’s way; it will become a level plain before him! And when Zerubbabel sets the final stone of the Temple in place, the people will shout: ‘May God bless it! May God bless it!’[a]

Then another message came to me from the Lord: “Zerubbabel is the one who laid the foundation of this Temple, and he will complete it. Then you will know that the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has sent me. 10 Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand.”

(The seven lamps[b] represent the eyes of the Lord that search all around the world.)

11 Then I asked the angel, “What are these two olive trees on each side of the lampstand, 12 and what are the two olive branches that pour out golden oil through two gold tubes?”

13 “Don’t you know?” he asked.

“No, my lord,” I replied.

14 Then he said to me, “They represent the two anointed ones[c] who stand in the court of the Lord of all the earth.”

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Footnotes

  1. 4:7 Hebrew ‘Grace, grace to it.’
  2. 4:10 Or The seven facets (see 3:9); Hebrew reads These seven.
  3. 4:14 Or two heavenly beings; Hebrew reads two sons of fresh oil.