The Bible in Basic English BBE
Good News Translation GNT
1 And the angel who was talking to me came again, awaking me as a man out of his sleep.
1
The angel who had been speaking to me came again and roused me as if I had been sleeping.
2 And he said to me, What do you see? And I said, I see a light-support, made all of gold, with its cup on the top of it and seven lights on it; and there are seven pipes to every one of the lights which are on the top of it;
2
"What do you see?" he asked. "A lampstand made of gold," I answered. "At the top is a bowl for the oil. On the lampstand are seven lamps, each one with places for seven wicks.
3 And two olive-trees by it, one on the right side of the cup and one on the left.
3
There are two olive trees beside the lampstand, one on each side of it."
4 And I made answer and said to the angel who was talking to me, What are these, my lord?
4
Then I asked the angel, "What do these things stand for, sir?"
5 Then the angel who was talking to me, answering me, said, Have you no knowledge of what these are? And I said, No, my lord.
5
"Don't you know?" he asked me. "No, I don't, sir," I replied.
6 This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel, saying, Not by force or by power, but by my spirit, says the Lord of armies.
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.
7 Who are you, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel you will become level: and he will let all see the headstone, with cries of Grace, grace, to it.
7
Obstacles 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!' "
8 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
8
Another message came to me from the Lord.
9 The hands of Zerubbabel have put the base of this house in place, and his hands will make it complete; and it will be clear to you that the Lord of armies has sent me to you.
9
He 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.
10 For who has had a poor opinion of the day of small things? for they will be glad when they see the weighted measuring-line in the hand of Zerubbabel. Then he said in answer to me, These seven lights are the eyes of the Lord which go quickly up and down through all the earth.
10
a) They are disappointed because so little progress is being made. But they will see Zerubbabel continuing to build the Temple, and they will be glad." b) The angel said to me, "The seven lamps are the seven eyes of the Lord, which see all over the earth."
11 And I made answer and said to him, What are these two olive-trees on the right side of the light-support and on the left?
11
Then I asked him, "What do the two olive trees on either side of the lampstand mean?
12 And answering a second time, I said to him, What are these two olive branches, through whose gold pipes the oil is drained out?
12
And what is the meaning of the two olive branches beside the two gold pipes from which the olive oil pours?"
13 And he said in answer to me, Have you no knowledge what these are? And I said, No, my lord.
13
He asked me, "Don't you know?" "No, I don't, sir," I answered.
14 And he said, These are the two sons of oil, whose place is by the Lord of all the earth.
14
Then he said, "These are the two men whom God has chosen and anointed to serve him, the Lord of the whole earth."
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.