The Complete Jewish Bible CJB
The Bible in Basic English BBE
1 Then the angel that had been speaking with me returned and roused me, as if he were waking someone up from being asleep,
1
And the angel who was talking to me came again, awaking me as a man out of his sleep.
2 and asked me, "What do you see?" I answered, "I've been looking at a menorah; it's all of gold, with a bowl at its top, seven lamps on it, and seven tubes leading to the lamps at its top.
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;
3 Next to it are two olive trees, one on the right side of the bowl and the other on its left."
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And two olive-trees by it, one on the right side of the cup and one on the left.
4 I then asked the angel speaking with me, "What are these, my Lord?" The angel speaking with me said,
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And I made answer and said to the angel who was talking to me, What are these, my lord?
5 "Don't you know what these are?" I said, "No, my Lord."
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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.
6 Then he answered me, "This is the word of ADONAI to Z'rubavel: 'Not by force, and not by power, but by my Spirit,' says ADONAI-Tzva'ot.
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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.
7 'What are you, you big mountain? Before Z'rubavel you will become a plain; and he will put the capstone in place, as everyone shouts, "It's beautiful! Beautiful!"'
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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.
8 This message from ADONAI came to me:
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Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
9 'The hands of Z'rubavel have laid the foundation of this house, and his hands will also finish it.' Then you will know that ADONAI-Tzva'ot sent me to you.
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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.
10 For even someone who doesn't think much of a day when such minor events take place will rejoice at seeing the plumbline in the hand of Z'rubavel. So these seven are the eyes of ADONAI that range about over all the earth."
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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.
11 I replied by asking him, "What are those two olive trees on the right and left sides of the menorah?"
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?
12 Then I asked the question again: "What are those two olive branches discharging gold[-colored oil] through the two gold spouts?"
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And answering a second time, I said to him, What are these two olive branches, through whose gold pipes the oil is drained out?
13 He replied, "Don't you know what they are?" I answered, "No, my Lord."
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And he said in answer to me, Have you no knowledge what these are? And I said, No, my lord.
14 He said, "Those are the two who have been anointed with oil; they are standing with the Lord of all the land."
14
And he said, These are the two sons of oil, whose place is by the Lord of all the earth.
Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.