1 I n the seventh month, on the twenty-first of the month, the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet, saying:

On the twenty-first day of the seventh month, the Word of the Lord came by Haggai the man of God, saying,

2 “ Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people, saying:

“Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, ruler of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the head religious leader, and to the rest of the people. Say to them,

3 ‘ Who is left among you who saw this temple in its former glory? And how do you see it now? In comparison with it, is this not in your eyes as nothing?

‘Who is left among you who saw this house of God as it was before in its greatness? And how does it look to you now? Is it anything like it was?

4 Y et now be strong, Zerubbabel,’ says the Lord; ‘and be strong, Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest; and be strong, all you people of the land,’ says the Lord, ‘and work; for I am with you,’ says the Lord of hosts.

But now be strong, Zerubbabel,’ says the Lord. ‘Be strong, Joshua son of Jehozadak, head religious leader. And be strong, all you people of the land,’ says the Lord. ‘Do the work, for I am with you,’ says the Lord of All.

5 ‘ According to the word that I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt, so My Spirit remains among you; do not fear!’

‘As I promised you when you came out of Egypt, My Spirit is with you. Do not be afraid.’

6 “ For thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Once more (it is a little while) I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and dry land;

For the Lord of All says, ‘Once again, in a little while, I am going to shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land.

7 a nd I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations, and I will fill this temple with glory,’ says the Lord of hosts.

I will shake all the nations so that the riches of all nations will come in. And I will fill this house with greatness,’ says the Lord of All.

8 ‘ The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine,’ says the Lord of hosts.

‘The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine,’ says the Lord of All.

9 ‘ The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former,’ says the Lord of hosts. ‘And in this place I will give peace,’ says the Lord of hosts.” The People Are Defiled

‘This house will be even greater than it was before,’ says the Lord of All. ‘And in this place I will give peace,’ says the Lord of All.” The People Are Unclean

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

On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month in the second year of Darius, the Word of the Lord came to Haggai the man of God, saying,

11 “ Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Now, ask the priests concerning the law, saying,

“The Lord of All says, ‘Ask the religious leaders to decide about this:

12 “ If one carries holy meat in the fold of his garment, and with the edge he touches bread or stew, wine or oil, or any food, will it become holy?”’” Then the priests answered and said, “No.”

If a man carries holy meat in the fold of his clothing, and this fold touches bread or hot food, or wine, oil, or any other food, will it become holy?’” The religious leaders answered and said, “No.”

13 A nd Haggai said, “If one who is unclean because of a dead body touches any of these, will it be unclean?” So the priests answered and said, “It shall be unclean.”

Then Haggai said, “If a man is unclean because he touched a dead body and touches any of these, will it become unclean?” And the religious leaders answered and said, “It will become unclean.” The Lord Promises Good to Come to His People

14 T hen Haggai answered and said, “‘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. Promised Blessing

Then Haggai said, “‘So are these people, and so is this nation before Me,’ says the Lord. ‘And so is everything they have made. What they give there is unclean.

15 ‘ And now, carefully consider from this day forward: from before stone was laid upon stone in the temple of the Lord —

Now think about this from this day on. Think about how things were before one stone was placed on another in the house of the Lord.

16 s ince those days, when one came to a heap of twenty ephahs, there were but ten; when one came to the wine vat to draw out fifty baths from the press, there were but twenty.

When anyone came to a place where there were twenty baskets of grain, there would be only ten. When anyone came to a place to get fifty bottles of wine, there would be only twenty.

17 I struck you with blight and mildew and hail in all the labors of your hands; yet you did not turn to Me,’ says the Lord.

I destroyed you and everything you did with a strong-wind, disease, and hail. Yet you did not return to Me,’ says the Lord.

18 ‘ Consider now from this day forward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, from the day that the foundation of the Lord ’s temple was laid—consider it:

‘Think about this from this day on, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month. Since the day when the base of the Lord’s house was laid, think about this:

19 I s the seed still in the barn? As yet the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have not yielded fruit. But from this day I will bless you. ’” Zerubbabel Chosen as a Signet

Is the seed still in the store-house? The vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate and the olive tree have not given any fruit. Yet from this day on I will bring good to you.’” The Lord’s Promise to Zerubbabel

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

The Word of the Lord came a second time to Haggai on the twenty-fourth day of the month, saying,

21 “ Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying: ‘I will shake heaven and earth.

“Tell Zerubbabel, ruler of Judah, ‘I am going to shake the heavens and the earth.

22 I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms; I will destroy the strength of the Gentile kingdoms. I will overthrow the chariots And those who ride in them; The horses and their riders shall come down, Every one by the sword of his brother.

I will take the power away from kings and destroy the power of the nations. I will destroy war-wagons and their drivers. Horses and their horsemen will fall, every one by the sword of another.

23 ‘ In that day,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘I will take you, Zerubbabel My servant, the son of Shealtiel,’ says the Lord, ‘and will make you like a signet ring; for I have chosen you,’ says the Lord of hosts.”

On that day,’ says the Lord of All, ‘I will take you, Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, My servant,’ says the Lord. ‘And I will make you like a ring for marking My name. For I have chosen you,’ says the Lord of All.”