Zechariah 4

1 Then the angel I had been talking to returned and got my attention, like waking someone from sleep.

And the angel who was talking to me came again, awaking me as a man out of his sleep.

2 “What do you see?” he asked me. “I see a lampstand made of solid gold with a bowl at its top having seven lamps on it, each with seven lips.

And he said to me, What do you see? And I said, I see a light-support, made all of gold, with its cup on the top of it and seven lights on it; and there are seven pipes to every one of the lights which are on the top of it;

3 I also see olive trees, one to the right and one to the left of the bowl.”

And two olive-trees by it, one on the right side of the cup and one on the left.

4 Then I asked the angel I was talking to, “What are these, my lord?”

And I made answer and said to the angel who was talking to me, What are these, my lord?

5 “Don't you know what these are?” the angel replied. “No, my lord,” I responded.

Then the angel who was talking to me, answering me, said, Have you no knowledge of what these are? And I said, No, my lord.

6 Then he told me, “This is the Lord's message to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, says the Lord Almighty.

This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel, saying, Not by force or by power, but by my spirit, says the Lord of armies.

7 Even obstacles as big as mountains will be flattened before Zerubbabel. Finally he will bring out the capstone to shouts of ‘Blessings on it!’”

Who are you, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel you will become level: and he will let all see the headstone, with cries of Grace, grace, to it.

8 Then the Lord gave me another message.

Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

9 Zerubbabel with his own hands laid the foundations for this Temple, and it will be completed the same way. Then you will know the Lord Almighty has sent me.

The hands of Zerubbabel have put the base of this house in place, and his hands will make it complete; and it will be clear to you that the Lord of armies has sent me to you.

10 For who dares look down on this time of small beginnings? They will be happy when they see the plumb line in Zerubbabel's hand. “The seven lamps represent the eyes of the Lord which see all over the world.”

For who has had a poor opinion of the day of small things? for they will be glad when they see the weighted measuring-line in the hand of Zerubbabel. Then he said in answer to me, These seven lights are the eyes of the Lord which go quickly up and down through all the earth.

11 Then I asked the angel, “What are the two olive trees that stand to the right and the left of the lampstand?”

And I made answer and said to him, What are these two olive-trees on the right side of the light-support and on the left?

12 And I also asked him, “What are the two olive branches from which the golden oil pours out from through golden pipes?”

And answering a second time, I said to him, What are these two olive branches, through whose gold pipes the oil is drained out?

13 “Don't you know?” the angel replied. “No, my lord,” I responded.

And he said in answer to me, Have you no knowledge what these are? And I said, No, my lord.

14 “These are the two who have been anointed who stand by the Lord of all the earth,” he replied.

And he said, These are the two sons of oil, whose place is by the Lord of all the earth.