Zechariah 4

The Vision of the Lamp-Stand

4The 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 lamp-stand made of gold,” I answered. “At the top is a bowl for the oil. On the lamp-stand are seven lamps, each one with places for seven wicks. ^3*There are two olive trees beside the lamp-stand, one on each side of it.” ⁴Then 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.^e

The angel said to me, “The seven lamps are the seven eyes of the Lord, which see all over the earth.” ^11*Then I asked him, “What do the two olive trees on either side of the lamp-stand mean? ¹²And what is the meaning of the two olive branches beside the two gold pipes from which the olive oil pours?” ¹³He asked me, “Don’t you know?” “No, I don’t, sir,” I answered. ¹⁴Then 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. ⁷Obstacles 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!’ ”

⁸Another message came to me from the Lord. ⁹He 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. ¹⁰They are disappointed because so little progress is being made. But they will see Zerubbabel continuing to build the Temple, and they will be glad.”