Haggai 2

1 on the twenty-first day of the seventh month, this message from the Lord came to Haggai the prophet,

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

2 telling him to speak to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua, the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to all the rest of the people:

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,

3 Who is left among you that saw this temple in its former glory? And how do you see it now? Doesn’t it seem as though there is nothing there?

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

4 The Lord says: Yet now be strong, Zerubbabel, be strong, Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest, be strong, all you people of the land. The Lord says: Begin the work, for I am with you. The Lord of hosts says:

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

5 When your ancestors left Egypt I made a promise to you, and I am still with you. Do not be afraid!

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

6 The Lord of hosts says: In a little while, I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the land.

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

7 And I will shake all nations, and the precious things of all nations shall come here; and I will fill this temple with glory. The Lord of hosts says:

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

8 The silver is mine, and the gold is mine,

Mine is the silver, and mine the gold, saith the Lord Almighty.

9 The later glory of this temple shall be greater than the former. The Lord of hosts says: In this place I will grant prosperity. This is the message of the Lord of hosts.

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

10 In the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, this message from the Lord came to Haggai the prophet:

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,

11 The Lord of hosts says: “Ask the priests for a ruling:

Thus saith the Lord Almighty; Inquire now of the priest [concerning] the law, saying,

12 ‘If one carries consecrated meat in the fold of his garment, and with that garment touches bread, or stew, or wine, or oil, or any food, will it become holy?’” And the priests answered: “No.”

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.

13 Then said Haggai, “If one who is unclean by reason of a dead body touches any of these, will it be unclean?” And the priests answered: “It would be unclean.”

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.

14 Haggai replied: “So is this people and so is this nation before me, the Lord declares, and so is every work of their hands; and that which they offer there is unclean.

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

15 Think back from this day, before a stone was laid upon a stone in the temple of the Lord.

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 ye were.

16 How were you? When you came to a heap of grain expecting twenty measures, there were only ten; when you came to the wine vat to draw out fifty vessels, there were only twenty.

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

17 ‘I struck all the work of your hands with blasting and blight, with mildew and with hail. Yet you didn’t turn to me,’ says the Lord,

I smote you with barrenness, and with blasting, and all the works of your hands with hail; yet ye returned not to me, saith the Lord.

18 ‘Think back from this day, think! From the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, from the day when the foundations of the temple of the Lord were laid, and consider.

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;

19 The seed is in the granary, but the vine and the fig tree and the pomegranate and the olive tree have not yet brought forth fruit. From this day will I bless you.’”

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].

20 This message from the Lord came to Haggai a second time on the twenty-fourth day of the month:

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

21 Tell Zerubbabel, governor of Judah: I will shake the heavens and the earth;

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];

22 and 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 come down, each by the sword of his fellow.

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.

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

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