Zechariah, 4

1. Once the angel monitor roused me to my senses, as though I had lain asleep;

2. Now, said he, what seest thou? Why, I said, here is a lamp-stand meets my eyes, all of gold. A bowl this lamp-stand has at the top of it, and from the bowl run seven pipes, to feed the seven lamps that crown it.

3. And there are two olive-trees hanging over it, one to the right and one to the left of the bowl.

4. Then in my turn I asked a question of the angel, Tell me, what does all this mean?

5. What, said my monitor, canst thou not recognize it? Not I, my Lord, I answered.

6. And thereupon the angel told me …… Word from the Lord to Zorobabel:✻ By arms, by force nothing canst thou; my spirit is all, says the Lord of hosts.

7. Vain is towering height of thine, great mountain; down to plain’s level thou must stoop at Zorobabel’s coming; stone from thee he must quarry and smooth to be his coping-stone, how fair, how fair!✻

8. This message, too, I had from the Lord:

9. Yonder temple hand of Zorobabel has founded, hand of Zorobabel shall finish. No more you shall doubt that I come to you on the Lord’s errand.

10. Humble fortunes of yesterday who dared belittle? Rejoice they now, to see plummet at work in Zorobabel’s hand …… What should they be, those seven, but eyes the Lord has, glancing this way and that to scan the earth?

11. Then I asked him about the two olive-trees, to right and left of the lamp-stand; and there was more I would know,

12. What of the two olive-shoots, close beside the two golden taps that feed yonder pipes of gold?✻

13. What said he, canst thou not tell? Not I, my Lord, I answered.

14. What should these be, he said, but the two newly-anointed ones that stand in his presence, who is Master of the whole earth?