HaggaiChapter 2

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¹On the twenty-first day of the seventh month, the LORD gave a message through Haggai the prophet. He said, ²"Speak to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, the governor of Judah. Speak to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Speak also to the rest of the people. Ask them, ³'Who among you is left who saw this house in its first glory? How does it look to you now? Doesn't it seem like nothing to you compared to that?' ⁴But now be strong, Zerubbabel," says the LORD. "Be strong, Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land," says the LORD. "Work! For I am with you," says the LORD of Hosts. ⁵"This is the promise I made to you when you came out of Egypt. And my Spirit is still with you. Do not be afraid." ⁶For this is what the LORD of Hosts says: "In a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth one more time. I will shake the sea and the dry land. ⁷I will shake all the nations. They will come with all their treasures. And I will fill this house with glory," says the LORD of Hosts. ⁸"The silver is mine, and the gold is mine," says the LORD of Hosts. ⁹"The glory of this new house will be greater than the glory of the old one," says the LORD of Hosts. "And in this place I will give peace," says the LORD of Hosts. ¹⁰On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the LORD gave a message to Haggai the prophet. He said, ¹¹"This is what the LORD of Hosts says: 'Ask the priests what the law says. ¹²Suppose a man carries holy meat in the fold of his robe. And suppose the robe touches some bread, stew, wine, olive oil, or any other food. Does that food become holy?'" The priests answered, "No." ¹³Then Haggai asked, "Suppose someone is unclean because he touched a dead body. If he touches any of these foods, does the food become unclean?" The priests answered, "Yes, it becomes unclean." ¹⁴Then Haggai said, "It is the same with this people and this nation in my sight," says the LORD. "It is the same with everything they do. Whatever they offer there is unclean. ¹⁵Now think carefully from this day on. Think about the time before one stone was set on another in the LORD's temple. ¹⁶Back then, a person came to a pile expecting twenty measures of grain, but there were only ten. A person came to the winepress to draw out fifty measures, but there were only twenty.a ¹⁷I struck you and all the work of your hands with crop disease, mold, and hail. But you did not turn to me," says the LORD. ¹⁸"Think carefully from this day on. Think about the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month. That is the day the foundation of the LORD's temple was laid. Think carefully. ¹⁹Is there still seed in the barn? The grapevine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have not yet produced fruit. But from this day on, I will bless you." ²⁰On that same day, the twenty-fourth day of the month, the LORD gave a message to Haggai a second time. He said, ²¹"Tell Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, that I am about to shake the heavens and the earth. ²²I will turn over the thrones of kings. I will destroy the power of the kingdoms of the nations. I will turn over chariots and their drivers. Horses and their riders will fall. Each one will be killed by the sword of his brother. ²³On that day," says the LORD of Hosts, "I will take you, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, my servant," says the LORD. "I will make you like my signet ring. For I have chosen you," says the LORD of Hosts.