Zechariah 4:1–6:15
The Gold Lampstand and the Two Olive Trees
4 Then the angel who talked with me returned and wokeq me up, like someone awakened from sleep.r 2 He asked me, “What do you see?”s
I answered, “I see a solid gold lampstandt with a bowl at the top and seven lampsu on it, with seven channels to the lamps. 3 Also there are two olive treesv by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.”
4 I asked the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?”
5 He answered, “Do you not know what these are?”
“No, my lord,” I replied.w
6 So he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel:x ‘Noty by might nor by power,z but by my Spirit,’a says the Lord Almighty.
7 “What are you, mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground.b Then he will bring out the capstonec to shoutsd of ‘God bless it! God bless it!’ ”
8 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 9 “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundatione of this temple; his hands will also complete it.f Then you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent meg to you.
10 “Who dares despise the dayh of small things,i since the seven eyesj of the Lord that range throughout the earth will rejoice when they see the chosen capstonea in the hand of Zerubbabel?”k
11 Then I asked the angel, “What are these two olive treesl on the right and the left of the lampstand?”
12 Again I asked him, “What are these two olive branches beside the two gold pipes that pour out golden oil?”
13 He replied, “Do you not know what these are?”
“No, my lord,” I said.
14 So he said, “These are the two who are anointedm tob serve the Lord of all the earth.”
5 I looked again, and there before me was a flying scroll.n
2 He asked me, “What do you see?”o
I answered, “I see a flying scroll, twenty cubits long and ten cubits wide.a”
3 And he said to me, “This is the cursep that is going out over the whole land; for according to what it says on one side, every thiefq will be banished, and according to what it says on the other, everyone who swears falselyr will be banished. 4 The Lord Almighty declares, ‘I will send it out, and it will enter the house of the thief and the house of anyone who swears falselys by my name. It will remain in that house and destroy it completely, both its timbers and its stones.t’ ”
5 Then the angel who was speaking to me came forward and said to me, “Look up and see what is appearing.”
He replied, “It is a basket.u” And he added, “This is the iniquityb of the people throughout the land.”
7 Then the cover of lead was raised, and there in the basket sat a woman! 8 He said, “This is wickedness,” and he pushed her back into the basket and pushed its lead cover down on it.v
9 Then I looked up—and there before me were two women, with the wind in their wings! They had wings like those of a stork,w and they lifted up the basket between heaven and earth.
10 “Where are they taking the basket?” I asked the angel who was speaking to me.
11 He replied, “To the country of Babyloniac x to build a housey for it. When the house is ready, the basket will be set there in its place.”z
6 I looked up again, and there before me were four chariotsa coming out from between two mountains—mountains of bronze. 2 The first chariot had red horses, the second black,b 3 the third white,c and the fourth dappled—all of them powerful. 4 I asked the angel who was speaking to me, “What are these, my lord?”
5 The angel answered me, “These are the four spiritsa d of heaven, going out from standing in the presence of the Lord of the whole world.e 6 The one with the black horses is going toward the north country, the one with the white horses toward the west,b and the one with the dappled horses toward the south.”
7 When the powerful horses went out, they were straining to go throughout the earth.f And he said, “Go throughout the earth!” So they went throughout the earth.
8 Then he called to me, “Look, those going toward the north country have given my Spiritc restg in the land of the north.”h
9 The word of the Lord came to me: 10 “Take silver and gold from the exiles Heldai, Tobijah and Jedaiah, who have arrived from Babylon.i Go the same day to the house of Josiah son of Zephaniah. 11 Take the silver and gold and make a crown,j and set it on the head of the high priest, Joshuak son of Jozadak.d l 12 Tell him this is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Here is the man whose name is the Branch,m and he will branch out from his place and build the temple of the Lord.n 13 It is he who will build the temple of the Lord, and he will be clothed with majesty and will sit and rule on his throne. And hee will be a priesto on his throne. And there will be harmony between the two.’ 14 The crown will be given to Heldai,f Tobijah, Jedaiah and Heng son of Zephaniah as a memorialp in the temple of the Lord. 15 Those who are far away will come and help to build the temple of the Lord,q and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you.r This will happen if you diligently obeys the Lord your God.”