1. Which better thing go happen to Jew people for Babylon?

 THE Jew people over happy. Jehovah God “make King Cyrus of Persia” to release Israel people. The people don live for Babylon for many years. The king announce say Jew people fit go back to the land wey they come from “to build the house of Jehovah the God of Israel again.” (Ezra 1:1, 3) That one na really better news! That one mean say, Jew people go fit de worship the true God again for the land wey e don give them.

2. When the Jew people come back to Jerusalem from Babylon, wetin be the first thing wey they fit do?

² For the year 537 B.C.E., the first Jew people from Babylon don reach Jerusalem. That time, Jerusalem don be the capital of Judah wey be the kingdom for south. Small time, the Jew people wey come back, start to build the temple again. And for the year 536 B.C.E., they don already complete the foundation!

3. Which trouble Jew people face from other people?

³ But after the Jew people start to build the temple again, plenty people begin give them trouble. The nations around them “continue to make the work tire the people of Judah and make their heart weak for the work as them de build.” (Ezra 4:4) That one really bad for the Jew people, but things even worse pass that one after. For the year 522 B.C.E., Artaxerxes become the new king of Persia. * The people wey de give them trouble, think say because new king don come, they go fit “use the law make trouble” so that the work go stop. (Ps. 94:20) They write letter to King Artaxerxes and talk say the Jew people de plan to dey against the king. (Ezra 4:11-16) The king believe  the lies wey they talk, and e give order say make the construction work for the temple stop. (Ezra 4:17-23) Because of this order from the king, the Jew people stop to build the temple.—Ezra 4:24.

4. Wetin Jehovah do after the enemies stop the building work for the temple? (Isaiah 55:11)

⁴ The people for the land wey no de worship Jehovah and some government people of Persia, tell theirself say they go stop the construction work for the temple. But Jehovah don tell e self say the Jew people go build the temple finish. And Jehovah de always do wetin e talk. (Read Isaiah 55:11.) E choose Zechariah as e prophet and e give this prophet eight better visions. Then Zechariah go tell Jew people about the vision to encourage them. Zechariah na prophet wey no de fear. The visions help this Jew people to see say, they no need to fear the people wey de give them trouble. And e encourage them to continue to do the work wey Jehovah want make they do. For the number five vision, Zechariah see one lampstand and two olive trees.

5. Wetin we go talk about for this topic?

⁵ Sometimes, the condition of things de tire all of us. So we go gain when we study about the number five vision wey Jehovah use Zechariah give Israel people to encourage them. When we understand this vision, e fit help us to hold Jehovah tight when people de give us trouble, when our condition change, and when we receive direction wey we no understand.

6. How the vision about the lampstand and the two olive trees wey Zechariah 4:1-3 talk about, give Jew people strong heart? (Check picture for front cover.)

⁶ Read Zechariah 4:1-3. The vision about the lampstand and the two olive trees, give Jew people strong heart to continue their work even as people de give them trouble. How? You notice say the lampstand continue to get oil? Oil from two olive trees de flow enter one bowl. Then the oil from the bowl de flow enter each of the seven lamps for the lampstand. Na this oil make the fire for the lamps make they no quench. Zechariah ask say: “Wetin this things mean?” The answer wey the angel give from Jehovah na: “ ‘No be by war or by power you go use win, but na my spirit,’ na wetin Jehovah of army talk.” (Zech. 4:4, 6) The oil from the trees mean the powerful holy spirit of Jehovah wey no de finish. The holy spirit from God over dey powerful pass the army for Persia. Because Jehovah de support the people wey de build the temple, they go fit complete their work no matter the kind trouble wey people de give them. That message really encourage them no be small! The thing wey the Jew people need to do, na just to trust Jehovah and start to build again. And na this one they do, even as the order to stop the work still dey.

7. Which thing happen wey help Jew people wey de build the temple?

⁷ Something happen wey help the people wey de build the temple. Wetin be that? For the year 520 B.C.E., one new king wey them de call Darius I, de rule Persia. For the second year wey e rule as king, e find out say the order to stop the construction work for the temple, dey against the law of the country. Then Darius talk say make they complete the work. (Ezra 6:1-3) That news surprise everybody, but no be only that one happen. The king give order to the nations wey dey around say make they stop to give trouble to Jew people, and say make they give them money  and everything wey they need to finish the work for the temple! (Ezra 6:7-12) Because of this one, after about four years, for the year 515 B.C.E., the Jew people build the temple finish.—Ezra 6:15.

8. Why you fit get strong heart even when people de give you trouble?

⁸ Today, people de give plenty servants of Jehovah trouble too. For example, some of us de live for place wey the government don try to stop some part of our work. For this kind place them, they fit arrest our brothers and take them go “front of governors and kings,” and this one don give our brothers chance to preach to them. (Matt. 10:17, 18) Sometimes, another government fit start to rule, and this one go make our brothers and sisters get more freedom to worship Jehovah. Or any judge wey no do partial fit make decision wey go allow us get more freedom to worship Jehovah. Other servants of Jehovah de face another kind of trouble from people. Them de live for country wey de allow them to worship Jehovah. But their family people de give them trouble, and this people don talk say they must stop them make they no serve Jehovah. (Matt. 10:32-36) For many situation, family members go stop to give us trouble when they see say they no go fit force us make we stop to serve Jehovah. And for some situation, people wey first de give us serious trouble, start to serve Jehovah after, with all their power. When people give you trouble, make you no tire to serve Jehovah! Get strong heart. Jehovah and e powerful holy spirit dey your side, so you no get anything to fear!

9. Why some Jew people no dey happy at all when the foundation of the new temple complete?

⁹ When they finish the foundation for the new temple, some of the old Jew people begin cry. (Ezra 3:12) They don see the fine temple wey Solomon build, and they feel say this new one no go ever be like that first one. (Hag. 2:2, 3) They lose their joy because they compare the new temple with the old one. The vision wey Zechariah see go help them to get joy again. How?

10. How the thing wey the angel talk for Zechariah 4:8-10 help Jew people to dey happy again?

¹⁰ Read Zechariah 4:8-10. Wetin the angel mean when e talk say the Jew people go “dey happy when they see the stone [or, plumb] for the hand of Zerubbabel [the governor for Jew people]”? Plumb na tool wey them de use  check whether something straight well or e level well. The thing wey the angel talk show God people say, even as the temple be like say e no better reach the first one to some people, the work for there go complete and the temple go be as Jehovah want-am to be. Since Jehovah go dey happy for the temple wey they build, why the Jew people no go dey happy with-am too? The important thing to Jehovah na say, make the people worship-am the way e want for the new temple. If the Jew people put their mind to worship Jehovah for correct way and to make Jehovah dey happy, they go get joy again.

11. Which thing no easy for some servants of Jehovah today?

¹¹ E no de easy for plenty of us when things change for us. Some of us don dey for special full-time service for long time, but they don change our assignment. Other people don stop the assignment wey they really like, because of their age. E dey normal to dey sad when this kind things change for us. We fit no understand the decision well or agree with-am the first time. We fit feel say the way things be before, better pass as e be now. And we fit no dey happy, and begin think say our new condition no de allow us do plenty for Jehovah. (Prov. 24:10) How the vision wey Zechariah see fit help us make we continue to give Jehovah our best?

12. How the vision wey Zechariah see fit help us continue to get joy even when our condition change?

¹² E go dey more easy for us to manage our new condition when we try to see-am the way Jehovah de see-am. Jehovah de do wonderful things today, and we get special honor to work with-am. (1 Cor. 3:9) Our assignment fit change, but the love wey Jehovah get for us no go change. So, if any change for the organization affect you, make you no spend too much time de think about all the reasons why they make the change. Instead wey e go de hungry you make your life be as e be “yesterday,” pray to Jehovah make e help you see better thing for the change. (Eccl. 7:10) Instead of you to think about the things wey you no fit do again, make you de think about all the things wey you fit do. The vision wey Zechariah see teach us say, e dey important make we continue to think for better way. This one go help us continue to get joy and dey faithful even when our condition change.

13. Why some Israel people fit don feel say the direction to start the work for the temple again, no get head?

¹³ They give order make they stop to build the temple. But High Priest Jeshua (Joshua) and Governor Zerubbabel, the men wey they choose to lead the people, “start to build the house of God again.” (Ezra 5:1, 2) Some Jew people fit don think say that decision no get head. The Jew people no fit hide as them de build the temple, and they know say their enemies go do everything wey they fit do to stop the work. The two men wey de lead the people, wey be Joshua and Zerubbabel, need to really believe say Jehovah dey their back. And they receive something wey make them believe. How?

14. As e dey for Zechariah 4:12, 14, which message High Priest Joshua and Governor Zerubbabel receive wey make their heart strong?

¹⁴ Read Zechariah 4:12, 14. For this part of the vision wey Zechariah see, the angel explain to the faithful prophet say the two olive trees mean “the two anointed ones” wey be Joshua and Zerubbabel. E just be like say for the vision, the two men “de stand near the Lord of the whole earth” wey be Jehovah. This one na big honor! Jehovah trust them. So Israel people go fit trust anything wey this men tell them make they do, because Jehovah de use this two men de lead Israel people.

15. How we fit show say we de respect the direction wey Jehovah de give from e Word?

¹⁵ One way wey Jehovah don continue to give e people direction today, na to use Bible. For this holy book, e tell us how we go worship-am for correct way. How we fit show say we de respect the direction wey Bible de give us? Na when we take our time to read-am well and understand-am. Ask yourself say: ‘When I read Bible or one of our publications, I de stop and think deep about wetin I read? I de try to understand Bible truth wey “hard to understand”? Or I just de read-am quick-quick?’ (2 Pet. 3:16) If we take our time and think deep about the things wey Jehovah de teach us, we go fit follow e direction and do our preaching work well.—1 Tim. 4:15, 16.

16. When we no really understand the direction wey we receive from “the faithful and discreet slave,” wetin go help us to follow-am?

¹⁶ Jehovah still de use “the faithful and discreet slave” de give us direction today. (Matt. 24:45) Sometimes, this slave fit give us direction wey we no really understand. For example, the slave fit tell us wetin and wetin to  do to prepare us make we fit survive, when things like heavy rain or fire scatter our property. But we fit think say this kind things no go fit happen for our area. Or we fit feel say the slave too dey careful when things like disease de spread for the world. Wetin we suppose do if we feel say sense no dey for the things wey they tell us make we do? We fit think about how Israel people gain when they do wetin Joshua and Zerubbabel tell them make they do. We fit still think about other stories for Bible wey we don read. Sometimes, servants of God fit receive direction wey no be like wetin make sense to people, but this direction come save their life.—Judg. 7:7; 8:10.

17. How the vision of the lampstand and the two olive trees affect Jew people?

¹⁷ The number five vision wey Zechariah see fit dey short, but the vision help the Jew people to put all their heart and power for their work and worship. And as they follow wetin they don learn from the vision wey Zechariah see, they see say Jehovah de support them, de direct them, and e love them. Jehovah use e powerful holy spirit to help them continue their work and to get joy again.—Ezra 6:16.

18. How the vision wey Zechariah see fit affect you?

¹⁸ The vision wey Zechariah see about the lampstand and the two olive trees, fit really affect your life for better way. As we don talk before, the vision go fit help you get the power wey you need when people de give you trouble, the joy wey you need when your condition change, and the trust wey you need so that you go fit obey direction wey you no understand. Wetin you suppose do when you de face some things for your life? Number one, make you see the thing wey Zechariah see, wey show say Jehovah de care for e people. And then, make the thing wey you see move you to trust Jehovah and continue to worship Jehovah with all your heart. (Matt. 22:37) If you do like that, Jehovah go help you to worship-am with joy forever.—Col. 1:10, 11.