Chapter 4

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

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.

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

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

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

And thereupon the angel told me … … Word from the Lord to Zorobabel:1 By arms, by force nothing canst thou; my spirit is all, says the Lord of hosts.

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!

This message, too, I had from the Lord:

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.

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?

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

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

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

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