1 I n the seventh month, on the twenty-first day of the month, in the second year of Darius king, came the word of the Lord by the prophet Haggai, saying,

In the seventh, in the twenty and first of the month, hath a word of Jehovah been by the hand of Haggai the prophet, saying:

2 S peak now to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remainder of the people, saying,

`Speak, I pray thee, unto Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and unto Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest, and unto the remnant of the people, saying:

3 W ho is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? And how do you see it now? Is not this in your sight as nothing in comparison to that?

Who among you hath been left that saw this house in its former honour? And what are ye seeing it now? Is it not, compared with it, as nothing in your eyes?

4 Y et now be strong, alert, and courageous, O Zerubbabel, says the Lord; be strong, alert, and courageous, O Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest; and be strong, alert, and courageous, all you people of the land, says the Lord, and work! For I am with you, says the Lord of hosts.

And now, be strong, O Zerubbabel, An affirmation of Jehovah, And be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest, And be strong, all ye people of the land, An affirmation of Jehovah, And do ye -- (for I with you, An affirmation of Jehovah of Hosts) --

5 A ccording to the promise that I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt, so My Spirit stands and abides in the midst of you; fear not.

The thing that I covenanted with you, In your coming forth from Egypt, And My Spirit is remaining in your midst, fear not.

6 F or thus says the Lord of hosts: Yet once more, in a little while, I will shake and make tremble the heavens, the earth, the sea, and the dry land;

For thus said Jehovah of Hosts: Yet once more -- it a little, And I am shaking the heavens and the earth, And the sea, and the dry land,

7 A nd I will shake all nations and the desire and the precious things of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with splendor, says the Lord of hosts.

And I have shaken all the nations, And they have come the desire of all the nations, And I have filled this house honour, Said Jehovah of Hosts.

8 T he silver is Mine and the gold is Mine, says the Lord of hosts.

Mine the silver, and Mine the gold, An affirmation of Jehovah of Hosts.

9 T he latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts; and in this place will I give peace and prosperity, says the Lord of hosts.

Greater is the honour of this latter house, Than of the former, said Jehovah of Hosts, And in this place do I give peace, An affirmation of Jehovah of Hosts.'

10 O n the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet, saying,

On the twenty and fourth of the ninth, in the second year of Darius, hath a word of Jehovah been by the hand of Haggai the prophet, saying:

11 T hus says the Lord of hosts: Ask now the priests to decide this question of law:

Thus said Jehovah of Hosts: `Ask, I pray thee, the priests the law, saying:

12 I f one carries in the skirt of his garment flesh that is holy, and with his skirt or the flaps of his garment he touches bread, or pottage, or wine, or oil, or any kind of food, does what he touches become holy ? And the priests answered, No!

Lo, one doth carry holy flesh in the skirt of his garment, and he hath come with his skirt against the bread, or against the pottage, or against the wine, or against the oil, or against any food -- is it holy?' And the priests answer and say, `No.'

13 T hen said Haggai, If one who is unclean because he has come in contact with a dead body should touch any of these articles of food, shall it be unclean? And the priests answered, It shall be unclean.

And Haggai saith, `If the unclean of body doth come against any of these, is it unclean?' And the priests answer and say, `It is unclean.'

14 T hen answered Haggai, So is this people and so is this nation before Me, says the Lord; and so is every work of their hands, and what they offer there is unclean.

And Haggai answereth and saith, `So this people, and so this nation before Me -- an affirmation of Jehovah -- and so every work of their hands, and that which they bring near there -- it is unclean.

15 A nd now, I pray you, consider what will happen from this day onward. Since the time before a stone was laid upon a stone in the temple of the Lord, how have you fared?

And now, lay, I pray you, to your heart, From this day, and onwards, Before the laying of stone to stone in the temple of Jehovah.

16 T hrough all that time when one has gone expecting to find a heap of twenty measures, there were but ten; when he has gone to the wine vat to draw out fifty bucketfuls from the press, there were only twenty.

From that time hath come to a heap of twenty, And it hath been ten, He hath come unto the wine-fat to draw out fifty purahs, And it hath been twenty.

17 I smote you with blight and with mildew and with hail in all the labors of your hands; yet you returned not nor were converted to Me, says the Lord.

I have smitten you with blasting, And with mildew, and with hail -- All the work of your hands, And there is none of you with Me, An affirmation of Jehovah.

18 C onsider, I pray you, from this day onward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, even from the day that the foundation of the Lord’s temple was laid, consider this:

Set, I pray you, to your heart, from this day and onwards, from the twenty and fourth day of the ninth, even from the day that the temple of Jehovah hath been founded, set to your heart.

19 I s the harvested grain any longer in the barn? As to the grapevine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree—they have not yet borne. From this day on I will bless you.

Is the seed yet in the barn? And hitherto the vine and the fig, And the pomegranate, and the olive-tree, Have not borne -- from this day I bless.'

20 A nd again the word of the Lord came to Haggai on the twenty-fourth day of the month, saying,

And there is a word of Jehovah a second time unto Haggai, on the twenty and fourth of the month, saying:

21 S peak to Zerubbabel governor of Judah, saying, I will shake the heavens and the earth;

`Speak unto Zerubbabel governor of Judah, saying: I am shaking the heavens and the earth,

22 A nd I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms and I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the nations, and I will overthrow the chariots and those who ride in them, and the horses and their riders shall go down, every one by the sword of his brother.

And have overturned the throne of kingdoms, And I have destroyed the strength of kingdoms of the nations, And overturned chariot and its charioteers, And come down have horses and their riders, Each by the sword of his brother.

23 I n that day, says the Lord of hosts, will I take you, O Zerubbabel, My servant, the son of Shealtiel, says the Lord, and will make you My signet ring; for I have chosen you, says the Lord of hosts.

In that day -- an affirmation of Jehovah of Hosts, I take thee, Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, My servant -- an affirmation of Jehovah, And have set thee as a signet, for on thee I have fixed, An affirmation of Jehovah of Hosts!