Haggai 2

1 And in the seventh month, on the twenty-first of the month, the word of the Lord came, by the hand of Haggai the prophet, saying:

On October 17 [of that year], Yahweh gave [me], the prophet Haggai, [another] message.

2 Speak to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, the governor of Judah, and to Jesus the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remainder of the people, saying:

[The message was that I should] say this to Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and to the other people who were still alive [in Jerusalem]:

3 Who is left among you, who saw this house in its first glory? And how do you see it now? Is it not, in comparison to that, as nothing in your eyes?

“Do any of you remember how glorious our former temple was? [If you do, ] what does it look like to you now? It must seem like nothing at all.

4 And now be strengthened, Zerubbabel, says the Lord. And be strengthened, Jesus the son of Jehozadak, the high priest. And be strengthened, all people of the land, says the Lord of hosts. For I am with you, says the Lord of hosts.

But now the Commander of the armies of angels says to [all of you], to Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of you people who live in this nation, ‘[Do not be discouraged; ] be strong [DOU], and work [to build this new temple], because I will (be with/help) you.

5 And act according to the word that I planted with you when you departed from the land of Egypt. And my Spirit will be in your midst. Do not be afraid.

My Spirit remains among you, like I promised your [ancestors] when they left Egypt. [So] do not be afraid!’”

6 For thus says the Lord of hosts: There is yet one brief time, and I will move heaven and earth, and the sea and the dry land.

This is what the Commander of the armies of angels says: “Soon I will shake the sky and the earth, the oceans and the land again.

7 And I will move all nations. And the Desired of all nations will arrive. And I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord of hosts.

I will shake [again the people of] all the nations, and as a result they will bring their treasures [to this temple]. I will fill this temple with [my] glory.

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

The silver and the gold [that they own] are [really] mine, [so they will bring them to me].

9 Great shall be the glory of this house, the last more than the first, says the Lord of hosts. And in this place, I will bestow peace, says the Lord of hosts.

[Then] this temple will be more glorious than the former/previous [temple was]. And I will cause things to go well for you all. [That will surely happen because I, ] the Commander of the armies of angels, have said it.”

10 On the twenty-fourth of the ninth month, in the second year of king Darius, the word of the Lord came to Haggai the prophet, saying:

On December 18 of that year, Yahweh gave [another] message to [me], the prophet Haggai.

11 Thus says the Lord of hosts: the priests question the law, saying:

This is what the Commander of the armies of angels said to me: “Ask the priests [this question] about what is written in the laws [of Moses about sacrifices]:

12 If a man will have carried sanctified flesh in the pocket of his garment, and the top of it touches his bread, or appetizer, or wine, or oil, or any food, shall it be sanctified? But the priests responded by saying, “No.”

‘If one [of you priests takes from the altar some] meat that was sacrificed and is carrying it in his robes, if his robe touches [some] bread or stew or wine or [olive] oil or some other food, does that food also become (holy/acceptable for a sacrifice)?’” [When he said that to] the priests, they replied, “No.”

13 And Haggai said, “If the polluted in soul will have touched any of all these things, shall it be contaminated?” And the priests responded and said, “It shall be contaminated.”

Then Haggai asked them, “If someone becomes unacceptable to God by touching a corpse, and [then he] touches any of those foods, will the food [also] become unacceptable to God?” The priests replied, “Yes.”

14 And Haggai answered and he said: Such is this people, and such is this nation before my face, says the Lord, and such is all the work of their hands. And so all that they have offered there has been contaminated.

Then Haggai replied, “Yahweh says [this]: ‘It is the same with you people and with this nation. Everything that you do and [all the sacrifices] that you all offer are unacceptable to me [because of the sins that you have committed].

15 And now, consider in your hearts, from this day and beyond, before stone may be placed upon stone in the temple of the Lord:

Think about what has been happening to you before you began to lay the foundation of my temple.

16 when you approached a pile of twenty measures, and they became ten, and you entered to the press, to press out fifty bottles, and they became twenty,

When you expected [to harvest] 20 bushels [of grain, you harvested] only ten bushels. When someone went to a [big] wine vat to get 50 gallons [of wine], there were only 20 [gallons in the vat].

17 how I struck you with a burning wind, and a mildew, and a hailstorm, all the works of your hand, yet there was no one among you who returned to me, says the Lord.

I sent (blight/hot winds) and mildew and hail to destroy all your crops. But still you did not return to me.

18 Set your hearts from this day and into the future, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, from the day that the foundations of the temple of the Lord have been uttered, and place it upon your heart.

Starting from this day, December 18, the day when [you] have laid the foundation of my [new] temple, continue to think carefully [about your situation].

19 Has the seed been germinated yet? And has the vine, and the fig tree, and the pomegranate, and the olive tree still not flourished? From this day on, I will bless you.

Is there now [RHQ] [any grain] seed left in your barns? [No, because you have eaten the small amount that you harvested]. And there is no fruit on your grapevines and fig trees and pomegranate [trees] and olive trees. But, from now on, I will bless you!’”

20 And the word of the Lord came a second time to Haggai, on the twenty-fourth of the month, saying:

On that same day, Yahweh gave another message to me.

21 Speak to Zerubbabel the governor of Judah, saying: I will move both heaven and earth.

[He said, ] “Tell Zerubbabel the governor of Judah that I am going to shake the sky and the earth.

22 And I will overturn the throne of kingdoms, and I will crush the strength of the kingdom of the Gentiles. And I will overturn the four-horse chariot, and its rider; and the horses and their riders shall be brought down, a man by the sword of his brother.

I will end the power of the kings of [many] nations [DOU]. I will cause their chariots and their drivers, their horses and [the soldiers] who are riding on them to be destroyed. [What will happen is that I will cause the soldiers] to kill each other with their swords.

23 In that day, says the Lord of hosts, I will take you, Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, my servant, says the Lord, and will set you like a seal, for I have chosen you, says the Lord of hosts.

Zerubbabel, you serve [me well]. So [I], the Commander of the armies of angels, declare that [like kings wear] signet rings [to show that they have authority to rule people], I will appoint you and cause you [to have authority to rule]. I will do that because I have chosen you. [That will surely happen because I, ] the Commander of the armies of angels, have said it.”