Haggai chapter 1
Exhortation to build the temple
1 In the second year of King Darius, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, saying,
2 “ This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘These people say, “The time has not yet come to rebuild the Lord’s house.”’”
3 Then the word of the Lord came through Haggai the prophet, saying,
4 “Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?”
5 Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways.
6 You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them into a bag with holes in it.”
7 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways.
8 Go up to the mountains and bring down timber and build my house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be glorified,” says the Lord.
9 “You look for much, but find little. What you bring home, I blow away. Why?” declares the Lord Almighty. “Because my house remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with your own house.
10 Therefore the heavens have withheld their rain from you, and the earth has withheld its produce.
11 I called for a drought on the land and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the olive oil, and everything the ground produces—on people and animals and on all the labor of your hands.”
12 Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and all the remnant of the people listened to the voice of the Lord their God and to the words of Haggai the prophet, whom the Lord their God had sent him; and the people feared the Lord.
13 Then Haggai, the Lord’s messenger, spoke to the people with the Lord’s command, saying, “I am with you, declares the Lord.”
14 And the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and worked on the house of the Lord of hosts, their God,
15 on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month, in the second year of King Darius.
Haggai Chapter 2
The glory of the new temple
1 In the seventh month, on the twenty-first day of the month, the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai, saying,
2 “ Speak now to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people, saying,
3 ‘Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? How does it appear to you now? Does it not seem like nothing in your eyes?’
4 ‘Now then, Zerubbabel, be strong,’ declares the Lord. ‘Be strong, Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land,’ declares the Lord, ‘and work, for I am with you,’ declares the Lord of hosts.
5 ‘ According to the covenant that I made with you when you came out of Egypt, so my Spirit remains among you. Do not fear.’”
6 For thus says the Lord of hosts: “Yet once more, yet once more, I will shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land;
7 and I will shake all nations, and the Desire of all nations shall come, 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 latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former,” says the Lord of hosts, “and in this place I will give peace,” says the Lord of hosts.
The infidelity of the people is rebuked
10 On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai, saying,
11 “ Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Ask the priests now concerning the law, saying,
12 If a man carries consecrated meat in the fold of his garment, and with the fold of it touches bread, or stew, or wine, or oil, or any other food, will it become consecrated?’ And the priests answered and said, ‘No.’
13 Then Haggai said, ‘If a man unclean because of a dead body touches any of these, will it become unclean?’ And the priests answered and said, ‘It will be unclean.’
14 And Haggai said, ‘So is this people and this nation before me,’ says the Lord, ‘and so is everything their hands have done; and all that they offer here is unclean.
15 Now therefore, consider carefully from this day forward, before you lay a stone upon a stone in the temple of the Lord.
16 Before these things happened, they came to the heap of twenty ephahs, and there were ten; they came to the winepress to draw fifty jars, and there were twenty.
17 I struck you with blight, mildew, and hail in all the work of your hands; yet you did not return to me, declares the Lord.
18 Consider carefully from this day forward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, from the day the foundation of the Lord’s temple was laid—consider carefully.
19 Is there still seed in the barn? The vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have not yet blossomed. But from this day forward I will bless you.
Jehovah's Promise to Zerubbabel
20 The word of the Lord came to Haggai a second time, on the twenty-fourth day of the same month, saying,
21 “ Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying: ‘I will shake the heavens and the earth,
22 and overthrow the throne of kingdoms and destroy the power of the kingdoms of the nations. I will overthrow the chariots and their riders, and the horses and their riders will fall, each by the sword of his brother.
23 “ On that day,” declares the Lord of hosts, “I will take you, O Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, my servant, declares the Lord, and I will make you like a signet ring, for I have chosen you, declares the Lord of hosts.’”