Zechariah 4

¹And the angel that talked with me came again, and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep,

²And said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof:

³And two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof.

⁴So I answered and spake to the angel that talked with me, saying, What are these, my lord?

⁵Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord.

⁶Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.

⁷Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it.

⁸Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

⁹The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto you.

¹⁰For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the Lord, which run to and fro through the whole earth.

¹¹Then answered I, and said unto him, What are these two olive trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon the left side thereof?

¹²And I answered again, and said unto him, What be these two olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves?

¹³And he answered me and said, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord.

¹⁴Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth.

Zechariah 4

¹And the messenger who is speaking with me doth turn back, and stir me up as one who is stirred up out of his sleep,

²and he saith unto me, `What art thou seeing?' And I say, `I have looked, and lo, a candlestick of goldall of it, and its bowl is on its top, and its seven lamps are upon it, and twice seven pipes are to the lights that are on its top,

³and two olive-trees are by it, one on the right of the bowl, and one on its left.'

⁴And I answer and speak unto the messenger who is speaking with me, saying, `What are these, my lord?'

⁵And the messenger who is speaking with me answereth and saith unto me, `Hast thou not known what these are ?' And I say, `No, my lord.'

⁶And he answereth and speaketh unto me, saying: `This is a word of Jehovah unto Zerubbabel, saying: Not by a force, nor by power, Butby My Spirit, said Jehovah of Hosts.

⁷Who art thou, O great mountain Before Zerubbabelfor a plain! And he hath brought forth the top-stone, Cries of Grace, grace are to it.'

⁸And there is a word of Jehovah to me, saying,

⁹Hands of Zerubbabel did found this house, And his hands do finish it, And thou hast known that Jehovah of Hosts Hath sent me unto you.

¹⁰For who trampled on the day of small things, They have rejoiced, And seen the tin weight in the hand of Zerubbabel, These seven are the eyes of Jehovah, They are going to and fro in all the land.'

¹¹And I answer and say unto him, `What are these two olive-trees, on the right of the candlestick, and on its left?'

¹²And I answer a second time, and say unto him, `What are the two branches of the olive trees that, by means of the two golden pipes, are emptying out of themselves the oil?'

¹³And he speaketh unto me, saying, `Hast thou not known what these are ?' And I say, `No, my lord.'

¹⁴And he saith, `These are the two sons of the oil, who are standing by the Lord of the whole earth.'

Zechariah 4

¹And the angel that talked with me came again, and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep,

³And two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof.

⁴So I answered and spake to the angel that talked with me, saying, What are these, my lord?

⁵Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord.

⁶Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.

⁷Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it.

⁸Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

⁹The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto you.

¹¹Then answered I, and said unto him, What are these two olive trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon the left side thereof?

¹²And I answered again, and said unto him, What be these two olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves?

¹³And he answered me and said, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord.

¹⁴Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth.

Zechariah 4:1

KJV

And the angel that talked with me came again, and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep,

YLT

And the messenger who is speaking with me doth turn back, and stir me up as one who is stirred up out of his sleep,

KJV

And said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof:

YLT

and he saith unto me, `What art thou seeing?' And I say, `I have looked, and lo, a candlestick of goldall of it, and its bowl is on its top, and its seven lamps are upon it, and twice seven pipes are to the lights that are on its top,

KJV

And two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof.

YLT

and two olive-trees are by it, one on the right of the bowl, and one on its left.'

KJV

So I answered and spake to the angel that talked with me, saying, What are these, my lord?

YLT

And I answer and speak unto the messenger who is speaking with me, saying, `What are these, my lord?'

KJV

Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord.

YLT

And the messenger who is speaking with me answereth and saith unto me, `Hast thou not known what these are ?' And I say, `No, my lord.'

KJV

Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.

YLT

And he answereth and speaketh unto me, saying: `This is a word of Jehovah unto Zerubbabel, saying: Not by a force, nor by power, Butby My Spirit, said Jehovah of Hosts.

KJV

Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it.

YLT

Who art thou, O great mountain Before Zerubbabelfor a plain! And he hath brought forth the top-stone, Cries of Grace, grace are to it.'

KJV

Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

YLT

And there is a word of Jehovah to me, saying,

KJV

The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto you.

YLT

Hands of Zerubbabel did found this house, And his hands do finish it, And thou hast known that Jehovah of Hosts Hath sent me unto you.

KJV

For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the Lord, which run to and fro through the whole earth.

YLT

For who trampled on the day of small things, They have rejoiced, And seen the tin weight in the hand of Zerubbabel, These seven are the eyes of Jehovah, They are going to and fro in all the land.'

KJV

Then answered I, and said unto him, What are these two olive trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon the left side thereof?

YLT

And I answer and say unto him, `What are these two olive-trees, on the right of the candlestick, and on its left?'

KJV

And I answered again, and said unto him, What be these two olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves?

YLT

And I answer a second time, and say unto him, `What are the two branches of the olive trees that, by means of the two golden pipes, are emptying out of themselves the oil?'

KJV

And he answered me and said, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord.

YLT

And he speaketh unto me, saying, `Hast thou not known what these are ?' And I say, `No, my lord.'

KJV

Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth.

YLT

And he saith, `These are the two sons of the oil, who are standing by the Lord of the whole earth.'

Understanding King James Version vs Young's Literal Translation in Zechariah 4

King James Version (KJV)

The classic 1611 English translation known for its majestic prose and literary influence. Ideal for traditional study and memorization thanks to its formal style. A foundational English Bible used for centuries.

Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

An extremely literal, word-for-word translation that preserves original verb tenses and phrasing. Best for close study and comparing structures from the source languages. The English can feel rigid, but it’s very useful for detailed analysis.

You are viewing a side-by-side comparison of Zechariah 4 in the King James Version and Young's Literal Translation. Comparing these two versions can help shed light on the nuances of the original text.