Font Size
Zechariah 4-5
Contemporary English Version
Zechariah 4-5
Contemporary English Version
Fifth Vision: A Lampstand and Olive Trees
4 The angel who explained the visions woke me from what seemed like sleep. 2 Then he asked, “What do you see?”
“A solid gold lampstand with an oil container above it,” I answered. “On the stand are seven lamps, each with seven flames. 3 (A) One olive tree is on the right side and another on the left of the oil container. 4 But, sir, what do these mean?”
5 Then he asked, “Don't you know?”
“No sir,” I replied.
6 (B) So the angel explained that it was the following message of the Lord to Zerubbabel:[a]
I am the Lord All-Powerful. So don't depend on your own power or strength, but on my Spirit. 7 Zerubbabel, that mountain in front of you will be leveled to the ground. Then you will bring out the temple's most important stone and shout, “God has been very kind.”[b]
8 The Lord spoke to me again and said:
9 Zerubbabel laid the foundation for the temple, and he will complete it. Then everyone will know that you were sent by me, the Lord All-Powerful. 10 (C) Those who have made fun of this day of small beginnings will celebrate when they see Zerubbabel holding this important stone.[c]
Those seven lamps represent my eyes—the eyes of the Lord—and they see everything on this earth.
11 (D) Then I asked the angel, “What about the olive trees on each side of the lampstand? What do they represent? 12 And what is the meaning of the two branches from which golden olive oil[d] flows through the two gold pipes?”
13 “Don't you know?” he asked.
“No sir, I don't,” was my answer.
14 Then he told me, “These branches are the two chosen leaders[e] who stand beside the Lord of all the earth.”
Sixth Vision: A Flying Scroll
5 When I looked the next time, I saw a flying scroll,[f] 2 and the angel asked, “What do you see?”
“A flying scroll,” I answered. “About nine meters long and four and a half meters wide.”
3 Then he told me:
This scroll puts a curse on everyone in the land who steals or tells lies. The writing on one side tells about the destruction of those who steal, while the writing on the other side tells about the destruction of those who lie.
4 The Lord All-Powerful has said, “I am sending this scroll into the house of everyone who is a robber or tells lies in my name, and it will remain there until every piece of wood and stone in that house crumbles.”
Seventh Vision: A Woman in a Basket
5 Now the angel who was there to explain the visions came over and said, “Look up and tell me what you see coming.”
6 “I don't know what it is,” was my reply.
“It's a big basket,” he said. “And it shows what everyone in the land has in mind.”[g]
7 The lead cover of the basket was opened, and in the basket was a woman. 8 “This woman represents evil,” the angel explained. Then he threw her back into the basket and slammed the heavy cover down tight.
9 Right after this I saw two women coming through the sky with wings outstretched like a stork in the wind. Suddenly they lifted the basket into the air, 10 and I asked the angel, “Where are they taking the basket?”
11 “To Babylonia,”[h] he answered, “where they will build a house for the basket and set it down inside.”
Footnotes
- 4.6 Zerubbabel: Governor of Judah (see Haggai 1.1).
- 4.7 God … kind: Or “What a beautiful stone.”
- 4.10 important stone: Or “measuring line (with a stone attached to the end).”
- 4.12 golden olive oil: The Hebrew text has “gold,” which possibly refers to the color of the olive oil as it flows through the gold pipe.
- 4.14 chosen leaders: The Hebrew text has “people of oil.” In ancient times prophets, priests, and kings had olive oil poured over their heads to show that they had been chosen (see 1 Samuel 10.1; 16.13).
- 5.1 scroll: A roll of paper or special leather used for writing on.
- 5.6 what … mind: Hebrew; one ancient translation “the sin of everyone in the land.”
- 5.11 Babylonia: The Hebrew text has “Shinar,” an ancient name for Babylonia.
Zechariah 4-5
New International Version
Zechariah 4-5
New International Version
The Gold Lampstand and the Two Olive Trees
4 Then the angel who talked with me returned and woke(A) me up, like someone awakened from sleep.(B) 2 He asked me, “What do you see?”(C)
I answered, “I see a solid gold lampstand(D) with a bowl at the top and seven lamps(E) on it, with seven channels to the lamps. 3 Also there are two olive trees(F) 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.(G)
6 So he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel:(H) ‘Not(I) by might nor by power,(J) but by my Spirit,’(K) says the Lord Almighty.
7 “What are you, mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground.(L) Then he will bring out the capstone(M) to shouts(N) 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 foundation(O) of this temple; his hands will also complete it.(P) Then you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me(Q) to you.
10 “Who dares despise the day(R) of small things,(S) since the seven eyes(T) of the Lord that range throughout the earth will rejoice when they see the chosen capstone[a] in the hand of Zerubbabel?”(U)
11 Then I asked the angel, “What are these two olive trees(V) 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 anointed(W) to[b] serve the Lord of all the earth.”
The Flying Scroll
5 I looked again, and there before me was a flying scroll.(X)
2 He asked me, “What do you see?”(Y)
I answered, “I see a flying scroll, twenty cubits long and ten cubits wide.[c]”
3 And he said to me, “This is the curse(Z) that is going out over the whole land; for according to what it says on one side, every thief(AA) will be banished, and according to what it says on the other, everyone who swears falsely(AB) 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 falsely(AC) by my name. It will remain in that house and destroy it completely, both its timbers and its stones.(AD)’”
The Woman in a Basket
5 Then the angel who was speaking to me came forward and said to me, “Look up and see what is appearing.”
6 I asked, “What is it?”
He replied, “It is a basket.(AE)” And he added, “This is the iniquity[d] 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.(AF)
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,(AG) 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 Babylonia[e](AH) to build a house(AI) for it. When the house is ready, the basket will be set there in its place.”(AJ)
Footnotes
- Zechariah 4:10 Or the plumb line
- Zechariah 4:14 Or two who bring oil and
- Zechariah 5:2 That is, about 30 feet long and 15 feet wide or about 9 meters long and 4.5 meters wide
- Zechariah 5:6 Or appearance
- Zechariah 5:11 Hebrew Shinar
Contemporary English Version (CEV) 
Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society For more information about CEV, visit www.bibles.com and www.cev.bible.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.