Aggaeus 2

1 In the seventh month, on the twenty-first [day] of the month, the Lord spoke by Aggaeus the prophet, saying,

On the twenty-first day of the seventh month, the word of the LORD came through Haggai the prophet, saying:

2 Speak now to Zorobabel the son of Salathiel, of the tribe of Juda, and to Jesus the son of Josedec, the high priest, and to all the remnant of the people, saying,

“Speak to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and also to the remnant of the people. Ask them,

3 Who [is there] of you that saw this house in her former glory? and how do you now look upon it, as it were nothing before your eyes?

‘Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Does it not appear to you like nothing in comparison?’

4 Yet now be strong, O Zorobabel, says the Lord; and strengthen yourself, O Jesus the high priest, the son of Josedec; and let all the people of the land strengthen themselves, says the Lord, and work, for I am with you, says the Lord Almighty;

But now be strong, O Zerubbabel, declares the LORD. Be strong, O Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest. And be strong, all you people of the land, declares the LORD. Work! For I am with you, declares the LORD of Hosts.

5 and my Spirit remains in the midst of you; be of good courage.

This is the promise I made to you when you came out of Egypt. And My Spirit remains among you; do not be afraid.”

6 For thus says the Lord Almighty; Yet once I will shake the heaven, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry [land];

For this is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land.

7 and I will shake all nations, and the choice [portions] of all the nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord Almighty.

I will shake all the nations, and they will come with all their treasures, and I will fill this house with glory, says the LORD of Hosts.

8 Mine is the silver, and mine the gold, says the Lord Almighty.

The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine, declares the LORD of Hosts.

9 For the glory of this house shall be great, the latter more than the former, says the Lord Almighty: and in this place will I give peace, says the Lord Almighty, even peace of soul for a possession to every one that builds, to raise up this temple.

The latter glory of this house will be greater than the former, says the LORD of Hosts. And in this place I will provide peace, declares the LORD of Hosts.”

10 On the four and twentieth [day] of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to Aggaeus 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 prophet, saying,

11 Thus says the Lord Almighty; Enquire now of the priest [concerning] the law, saying,

“This is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘Ask the priests for a ruling.

12 If a man should take holy flesh in the skirt of his garment, and the skirt of his garment should touch bread, or pottage, or wine, or oil, or any meat, shall it be holy? And the priests answered and said, No.

If a man carries consecrated meat in the fold of his garment, and it touches bread, stew, wine, oil, or any other food, does that item become holy?’” “No,” replied the priests.

13 And Aggaeus said, If a defiled person who is unclean by reason of a dead body, touch any of these, shall it be defiled? And the priests answered and said, It shall be defiled.

So Haggai asked, “If one who is defiled by contact with a corpse touches any of these, does it become defiled?” “Yes, it becomes defiled,” the priests answered.

14 And Aggaeus answered and said, So is this people, and so is this nation before me, says the Lord; and so are all the works of their hands: and whoever shall approach them, shall be defiled [because of their early burdens: they shall be pained because of their toils; and you have hated him that reproved in the gates].

Then Haggai replied, “So it is with this people and this nation before Me, declares the LORD, and so it is with every work of their hands; whatever they offer there is defiled.

15 And now consider, I pray you, from this day and beforetime, before they laid a stone on a stone in the temple of the Lord, what manner of men you were.

Now consider carefully from this day forward: Before one stone was placed on another in the temple of the LORD,

16 When you cast into the corn-bin twenty measures of barley, and there were [only] ten measures of barley: and you went to the vat to draw out fifty measures, and there were [but] twenty.

from that time, when one came expecting a heap of twenty ephahs of grain, there were but ten. When one came to the winepress to draw out fifty baths, there were but twenty.

17 I struck you with barrenness, and with blasting, and all the works of your hands with hail; yet you returned not to me, says the Lord.

I struck you—all the work of your hands—with blight, mildew, and hail, but you did not turn to Me, declares the LORD.

18 Set your hearts now [to think] from this day and upward, from the four and twentieth [day] of the ninth month, even from the day when the foundation of the temple of the Lord was laid;

Consider carefully from this day forward—from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, the day the foundation of the LORD’s temple was laid—consider carefully:

19 consider in your hearts, whether [this] shall be known on the corn-floor, and whether yet the vine, and the fig tree, and the pomegranate, and the olive-trees that bear no fruit [are with you]: from this day will I bless [you].

Is there still seed in the barn? The vine, the fig, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have not yet yielded fruit. But from this day on, I will bless you.”

20 And the word of the Lord came the second time to Aggaeus the prophet, on the four and twentieth [day] of the month, saying,

For the second time that day, the twenty-fourth day of the month, the word of the LORD came to Haggai, saying,

21 Speak to Zorobabel the son of Salathiel, of the tribe of Juda, saying, I shake the heaven, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry [land];

“Tell Zerubbabel governor of Judah that I am about to shake the heavens and the earth:

22 and I will overthrow the thrones of kings, and I will destroy the power of the kings of the nations; and I will overthrow chariots and riders; and the horses and their riders shall come down, every one by the sword striving against his brother.

I will overturn royal thrones and destroy the power of the kingdoms of the nations. I will overturn chariots and their riders; horses and their riders will fall, each by the sword of his brother.

23 In that day, says the Lord Almighty, I will take you, O Zorobabel, the son of Salathiel, my servant, says the Lord, and will make you as a seal: for I have chosen you, says the Lord Almighty.

On that day, declares the LORD of Hosts, I will take you, My servant, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, declares the LORD, and I will make you like My signet ring, for I have chosen you, declares the LORD of Hosts.”