וַיָּשָׁב הַמַּלְאָךְ הַדֹּבֵר בִּי וַיְעִירֵנִי כְּאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר־יֵעוֹר מִשְּׁנָתוֹ

The angel that spoke with me returned and woke me like a man that is awakened from his sleep. Perhaps the previous vision caused the prophet to fall into a deep slumber, rendering this intervention necessary.

וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלַי מָה אַתָּה רֹאֶה וָאֹמַר רָאִיתִי וְהִנֵּה מְנוֹרַת זָהָב כֻּלָּהּ וְגֻלָּהּ עַל־רֹאשָׁהּ וְשִׁבְעָה נֵרֹתֶיהָ עָלֶיהָ שִׁבְעָה וְשִׁבְעָה מוּצָקוֹת לַנֵּרוֹת אֲשֶׁר עַל־רֹאשָׁהּ

He said to me: What do you see? I said: I saw, and behold, a candelabrum fashioned of gold in its entirety, with a bowl of oil on its top, and its seven oil lamps of the candelabrum on it, like the candelabrum in the Temple. There are seven pipes through which oil flows into the bowl, for each of the seven lamps; alternatively, there are seven altogether, that are on its top.

וּשְׁנַיִם זֵיתִים עָלֶיהָ אֶחָד מִימִין הַגֻּלָּה וְאֶחָד עַל־שְׂמֹאלָהּ

Two olive trees are over it, adjacent to the candelabrum, one on the right of the bowl, and one on its left.

וָאַעַן וָאֹמַר אֶל הַמַּלְאָךְ הַדֹּבֵר בִּי לֵאמֹר מָה אֵלֶּה אֲדֹנִי

I answered and said to the angel that spoke with me, saying: What are these, my lord? What is their significance?

וַיַּעַן הַמַּלְאָךְ הַדֹּבֵר בִּי וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלַי הֲלוֹא יָדַעְתָּ מָה הֵמָּה אֵלֶּה וָאֹמַר לֹא אֲדֹנִי

The angel that spoke with me responded and said to me: Don’t you know what these are? You are supposed to understand matters of this kind. And I said: No, my lord.

וַיַּעַן וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלַי לֵאמֹר זֶה דְּבַר־ה' אֶל־זְרֻבָּבֶל לֵאמֹר לֹא בְחַיִל וְלֹא בְכֹחַ כִּי אִם־בְּרוּחִי אָמַר ה' צְבָאוֹת

He responded and said to me, saying: This is the word of the Lord with Zerubavel, saying: Not by might, and not by power, but by My spirit, said the Lord of hosts. The vision of the candelabrum and the olive trees expresses the abundant blessing that will reach you not through military action but by the spirit of God. In the vision, everything happens as though of its own accord; the oil emerges from the olives and flows to the lamps, which are thereby kindled without human intervention. Just as in the vision, you too will not have to use force.

מִי־אַתָּה הַר־הַגָּדוֹל לִפְנֵי זְרֻבָּבֶל לְמִישֹׁר וְהוֹצִיא אֶת־הָאֶבֶן הָרֹאשָׁה תְּשֻׁאוֹת חֵן חֵן לָהּ

Who are you, great mountain, that you should stand here like a stumbling block, no matter how large you are? Before Zerubavel you will become a plain. He, Zerubavel, will take out the keystone, the stone that was laid before Yehoshua the High Priest, which symbolizes the construction of the Temple, and then everyone will respond, in honor of the stone, with loud shouts of: Grace, grace, to it.

וַיְהִי דְבַר־ה' אֵלַי לֵאמֹר׃

The word of the Lord was with me, saying:

יְדֵי זְרֻבָּבֶל יִסְּדוּ הַבַּיִת הַזֶּה וְיָדָיו תְּבַצַּעְנָה וְיָדַעְתָּ כִּי־ה' צְבָאוֹת שְׁלָחַנִי אֲלֵיכֶם

The hands of Zerubavel have founded this House with difficulty, and merely symbolically, and his hands will complete it, the construction, despite the delays; and you will know that the Lord of hosts sent me to you.

כִּי מִי בַז לְיוֹם קְטַנּוֹת וְשָׂמְחוּ וְרָאוּ אֶת־הָאֶבֶן הַבְּדִיל בְּיַד זְרֻבָּבֶל שִׁבְעָה־אֵלֶּה עֵינֵי ה' הֵמָּה מְשׁוֹטְטִים בְּכָל־הָאָרֶץ

For who scorns the day of small things, a day on which no great events occur? They will now rejoice and see the lump of tinof the plumb line, a weight suspended from a string, used for measuring the straightness of walls, which is in the hand of Zerubavel. When they see Zerubavel with this measuring implement in hand, everyone will understand that the time has come to rebuild the Temple. These seven lamps, or the stone with seven facets, they are the eyes of the Lord, roving throughout the earth, supervising and illuminating the entire world.

וָאַעַן וָאֹמַר אֵלָיו מַה־שְּׁנֵי הַזֵּיתִים הָאֵלֶּה עַל־יְמִין הַמְּנוֹרָה וְעַל־שְׂמֹאולָהּ

I responded and said to him: I understand that the golden candelabrum represents the people of Israel, and I also comprehend the meaning of the lamps, but what are these two olive trees on the right of the candelabrum and on its left?

וָאַעַן שֵׁנִית וָאֹמַר אֵלָיו מַה־שְׁתֵּי שִׁבֲּלֵי הַזֵּיתִים אֲשֶׁר בְּיַד שְׁנֵי צַנְתְּרוֹת הַזָּהָב הַמְרִיקִים מֵעֲלֵיהֶם הַזָּהָב

I responded a second time and I said to him in greater detail: What are these two olive branches that are beside the two golden pipes that empty the gold, the oil that has a golden appearance, from themselves?

וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלַי לֵאמֹר הֲלוֹא יָדַעְתָּ מָה־אֵלֶּה וָאֹמַר לֹא אֲדֹנִי

He said to me, saying: Don’t you know what these are? I said: No, my lord, I still do not know.

וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלֶּה שְׁנֵי בְנֵי־הַיִּצְהָר הָעֹמְדִים עַל אֲדוֹן כָּל־הָאָרֶץ

He said: These are the two anointed ones, those anointed with olive oil. The olive represents Israel, while these two trees filled with bounty allude to the twin leaders of the generation, Zerubavel and Yehoshua the High Priest, who attend to, and are appointed to serve, the Lord of the entire land.