A Call to Build the House of the LORD
1In the second year of King Darius,a on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggaib to Zerubbabelc son of Shealtiel, governord of Judah, and to Joshuae son of Jozadak,1,f the high priest:g
2This is what the LORD Almightyh says: “These peoplei say, ‘The time has not yet come to rebuild the LORD’s house.j’ ”
3Then the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai:k 4“Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses,l while this house remains a ruin?m”
5Now this is what the LORD Almighty says: “Give careful thoughtn to your ways. 6You have planted much, but harvested little.o You eat, but never have enough.p You drink, but never have your fill.q You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages,r only to put them in a purse with holes in it.”
7This is what the LORD Almighty says: “Give careful thoughts to your ways. 8Go up into the mountains and bring down timbert and build my house, so that I may take pleasureu in it and be honored,v” says the LORD. 9“You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little.w What you brought home, I blewx away. Why?” declares the LORD Almighty. “Because of my house, which remains a ruin,y while each of you is busy with your own house. 10Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheldz their dewa and the earth its crops.b 11I called for a droughtc on the fields and the mountains,d on the grain, the new wine,e the olive oilf and everything else the ground produces, on people and livestock, and on all the labor of your hands.g”
12Then Zerubbabelh son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and the whole remnanti of the people obeyedj the voice of the LORD their God and the message of the prophet Haggai, because the LORD their God had sent him. And the people fearedk the LORD.
13Then Haggai,l the LORD’s messenger,m gave this message of the LORD to the people: “I am withn you,” declares the LORD. 14So the LORD stirred upo the spirit of Zerubbabelp son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jozadak,q the high priest, and the spirit of the whole remnantr of the people. They came and began to work on the house of the LORD Almighty, their God, 15on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month.s
The Promised Glory of the New House
In the second year of King Darius,t
1on the twenty-first day of the seventh month,a the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai:b 2“Speak to Zerubbabelc son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, to Joshua son of Jozadak,1,d the high priest, and to the remnante of the people. Ask them, 3‘Who of you is left who saw this housef in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Does it not seem to you like nothing?g 4But now be strong, Zerubbabel,’ declares the LORD. ‘Be strong,h Joshua son of Jozadak,i the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land,’ declares the LORD, ‘and work. For I am withj you,’ declares the LORD Almighty. 5‘This is what I covenantedk with you when you came out of Egypt.l And my Spiritm remains among you. Do not fear.’n
6“This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘In a little whileo I will once more shake the heavens and the earth,p the sea and the dry land. 7I will shake all nations, and what is desiredq by all nations will come, and I will fill this houser with glory,s’ says the LORD Almighty. 8‘The silver is mine and the goldt is mine,’ declares the LORD Almighty. 9‘The gloryu of this present housev will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the LORD Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,w’ declares the LORD Almighty.”
Blessings for a Defiled People
10On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month,x in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Haggai: 11“This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Ask the priestsy what the law says: 12If someone carries consecrated meatz in the fold of their garment, and that fold touches some bread or stew, some wine, olive oil or other food, does it become consecrated?a’ ”
The priests answered, “No.”
13Then Haggai said, “If a person defiled by contact with a dead body touches one of these things, does it become defiled?”
“Yes,” the priests replied, “it becomes defiled.b”
14Then Haggai said, “ ‘So it is with this peoplec and this nation in my sight,’ declares the LORD. ‘Whatever they do and whatever they offerd there is defiled.
15“ ‘Now give careful thoughte to this from this day on2—consider how things were before one stone was laidf on another in the LORD’s temple.g 16When anyone came to a heaph of twenty measures, there were only ten. When anyone went to a wine vati to draw fifty measures, there were only twenty.j 17I struck all the work of your handsk with blight,l mildew and hail,m yet you did not returnn to me,’ declares the LORD.o 18‘From this day on, from this twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, give careful thoughtp to the day when the foundationq of the LORD’s temple was laid. Give careful thought: 19Is there yet any seed left in the barn? Until now, the vine and the fig tree, the pomegranater and the olive tree have not borne fruit.s
“ ‘From this day on I will blesst you.’ ”
Zerubbabel the LORD’s Signet Ring
20The word of the LORD came to Haggaiu a second time on the twenty-fourth day of the month:v 21“Tell Zerubbabelw governor of Judah that I am going to shakex the heavens and the earth. 22I will overturny royal thrones and shatter the power of the foreign kingdoms.z I will overthrow chariotsa and their drivers; horses and their ridersb will fall, each by the sword of his brother.c
23“ ‘On that day,d’ declares the LORD Almighty, ‘I will take you, my servante Zerubbabelf son of Shealtiel,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will make you like my signet ring,g for I have chosen you,’ declares the LORD Almighty.”