The Vision of the Lampstand

4 Then the ·angel [messenger] who was talking with me returned and woke me up as if I had been asleep. ² He asked me, “What do you see?”

I said, “I see a solid gold ·lampstand [menorah] with a bowl at the top. And there are seven lamps and also seven ·places [pipes; spouts] for wicks. ³ There are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on the left.”

⁴ I asked the ·angel [messenger] who talked with me, “·Sir [My lord], what are these?”

⁵ ·The angel [^LHe] said, “Don’t you know what they are?”

“No, sir,” I said.

⁶ Then he told me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘·You will not succeed by your own strength or by your own power [^TNot by might, nor by power], but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; ^Tof hosts].

⁷ “Who are you, ·big [mighty; great] mountain? ·In front of [Compared with] Zerubbabel you will become ·flat land [a level plain], and he will bring out the ·topmost stone [capstone], ·shouting [or amid shouting], ‘·It’s beautiful! It’s beautiful [or Blessings, Blessings upon it; ^LGrace, Grace to it]!’”

⁸ Then the ·Lord spoke his word [^Lword of the Lord came] to me again, saying, ⁹ “[^LThe hands of] Zerubbabel has laid the foundation of this ·Temple [^Lhouse; Ezra 3:7–13], and he will complete it [Ezra 6:13–18]. Then you will know that the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; ^Tof hosts] has sent me to you.

¹⁰ “·The people should not think that small beginnings are unimportant [^LFor who despises the day of small things?]. ·They [or These seven eyes] will ·be happy [rejoice] when they see Zerubbabel with ·tools [or his plumb line; or the chosen capstone], building the Temple.

“(These are the seven eyes of the Lord, which look back and forth across the earth.)”

¹¹ Then I asked the ·angel [messenger], “What are the two olive ·trees [or branches] on the right and left of the lampstand?”

¹² ·I also [or Again I] asked him, “What are the two olive branches beside the two gold pipes, from which the olive oil ·flows to the lamps [pours out]?”

¹³ He answered, “Don’t you know what they are?”

“No, ·sir [my lord],” I said.

¹⁴ So he said, “They are symbols of the two ·who have been appointed to serve [anointed ones who stand by] the Lord of all the earth.”