Zechariah 4
1 And once more the messenger who was speaking with me, roused me up, just as a man might be roused up out of his sleep.
Then the angel who had been talking with me returned, and he called to me as though I had been asleep.
2 Then said he unto me, What canst thou see? And I said—I have looked, and lo! a Lampstand—all of gold, with the Bowl thereof upon the top thereof, and its Seven Lamps upon it, Seven Pipes each, to the lamps which are upon the top thereof;
He asked me, “What do you see?” I replied, “I see a lampstand [made] completely of gold. There is a small bowl [for olive oil] at the top, and there are seven [small] lamps around the bowl, and a place for a wick on each lamp.
3 and, Two Olive-trees, by it, —one upon the right hand of the bowl, and one upon the left hand thereof.
Furthermore, I see two olive trees, one at the right side of the lampstand and one at the left side.”
4 Then responded I, and said unto the messenger who was speaking with me, saying, —What are these, my lord?
I asked the angel who was talking with me, “Sir, what are these?”
5 Then answered the messenger who was speaking with me, and said unto me, Knowest thou not what these, are? And I said, No my lord.
He replied, “Surely you know [RHQ] what they are?” I replied, “No, I do not know.”
6 Then responded he, and spake unto me, saying, This, is the word of Yahweh, unto Zerubbabel, saying, —Not by wealth, nor by strength, but by my spirit, saith Yahweh of hosts.
Then he said to me, “This is the message that Yahweh [says that you should give] to Zerubbabel [the governor of Judah: ‘You will do what I want you to do, but it will] not be by your own strength or power. It will be [done] by [the power of] my Spirit, says the Commander of the armies of angels.
7 Who, art, thou, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel, [brought down] to a plain! So shall he bring forth the headstone, with thundering shouts Beautiful! Beautiful! thereunto.
Zerubbabel, you [have many difficult matters to handle. They are like] high mountains [MET]. But they will [become easy to handle, as though] they will become flat land. And you will bring [to the temple] the final stone [to complete the rebuilding of the temple]. When you do that, [all the people] will shout repeatedly, “It is beautiful! May God bless it!”’”
8 Then came the word of Yahweh unto me, saying:
Then Yahweh gave me [another] message.
9 The hands of Zerubbabel, have founded this house, and, his hands, shall finish it, —So shalt thou know that, Yahweh of hosts, hath sent me unto you.
He said [to me], “Zerubbabel [SYN] laid the first stone in the foundation of the temple, and he will put the last stone in its place. When that happens, the people will know that [it is I, the Commander of the armies of angels, who] have sent you to them.” And he said, “The seven bowls represent the eyes of Yahweh, who looks back and forth at everything [that happens] on the earth.”
10 For who hath despised the day of small things? Yet shall they rejoice, when they see the plummet-stone in the hand of Zerubbabel, —these seven! The eyes of Yahweh, they are—running to and fro throughout all the earth.
No one [RHQ] should think that little things that are done at the beginning of a big project are unimportant. [When the temple is almost finished being rebuilt, ] Zerubbabel will use a (plumb line/string with a stone fastened to it) [to see if the walls they are building are straight]; so when the people see that, they will rejoice.”
11 Then responded I, and said unto him, —What are these two olive-trees, upon the right of the lampstand, and upon the left thereof?
Then I asked the angel, “What is [the meaning of] the two olive trees, one on each side of the lampstand?
12 And I responded a second time, and said unto him, —What are the two branches of the olive- trees which join the two golden tubes, which empty out of them the golden oil?
And what [the meaning of] the two olive branches, one alongside each of the gold pipes from which [olive] oil flows to the lamps?”
13 And he spake unto me, saying, Knowest thou not what these are? And I said, No, my lord.
He replied, “Surely [RHQ] you know what they are?” I replied, “No, sir, [I do not know.]”
14 Then said he, These, are the two Anointed Ones, —who stand near the Lord of all the earth.
So he said, “They represent the two [men who have been] appointed [MTY] to serve the Lord who [rules] the entire earth.”
