Haggai Begins Temple Building

In the (A)second year of Darius the king, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the Lord came by the prophet (B)Haggai to (C)Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, (D)governor of Judah, and to (E)Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, saying, “This is what the Lord of armies [a]says: ‘This people says, “The time has not come, the time for the house of the Lord to be rebuilt.”’” Then the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet, saying, “Is it time for you yourselves to live in your paneled houses while this house remains (F)desolate?” Now then, the Lord of armies says this: “[b]Consider your ways! You have (G)sown much, only to [c]harvest little; you eat, but there is not enough to be satisfied; you drink, but there is not enough to become drunk; you put on clothing, but there is not enough for [d]anyone to get warm; and the one who earns, earns wages to put into a money bag full of holes.”

The Lord of armies says this: “[e]Consider your ways! Go up to the [f]mountains, bring wood, and (H)rebuild the [g]temple, that I may be (I)pleased with it and be (J)honored,” says the Lord. (K)You [h]start an ambitious project, but behold, it comes to little; when you bring it home, I (L)blow it away. Why?” declares the Lord of armies. “It is because of My house which (M)remains desolate, while each of you runs to his own house. 10 Therefore, because of you the (N)sky has withheld [i]its dew, and the earth has withheld its produce. 11 And I called for a (O)drought on the land, on the mountains, on the grain, on the new wine, on the oil, on what the ground produces, on (P)mankind, on cattle, and on (Q)all the products of the labor of [j]your hands.”

12 Then (R)Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and (S)Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, (T)obeyed the voice of the Lord their God and the words of Haggai the prophet, just as the Lord their God had sent him. And the people [k](U)showed reverence for the Lord. 13 Then Haggai, the (V)messenger of the Lord, spoke [l]by the commission of the Lord to the people, saying, “‘(W)I am with you,’ declares the Lord.” 14 So the Lord stirred up the spirit of (X)Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, (Y)governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the (Z)remnant of the people; and they came and (AA)worked on the house of the Lord of armies, their God, 15 on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month in the second year of Darius the king.

The Builders Encouraged

On the twenty-first of the seventh month, the word of the Lord came by (AB)Haggai the prophet, saying, “Speak now to (AC)Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, (AD)governor of Judah, and to (AE)Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the (AF)remnant of the people, saying, ‘Who is (AG)left among you who saw this [m]temple in its (AH)former glory? And how do you see it now? [n]Does it not seem to you like nothing [o]in comparison? But now [p](AI)take courage, Zerubbabel,’ declares the Lord, ‘take courage also, Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and all you people of the land take courage,’ declares the Lord, ‘and work; for (AJ)I am with you,’ declares the Lord of armies. ‘As for the [q](AK)promise which I [r]made you when you came out of Egypt, [s]My (AL)Spirit remains in your midst; (AM)do not fear!’ For this is what the Lord of armies says: ‘(AN)Once more [t]in a (AO)little while, I am going to (AP)shake the heavens and the earth, the sea also and the dry land. I will shake (AQ)all the nations; and [u]they will come with the (AR)wealth of all nations, and I will (AS)fill this house with glory,’ says the Lord of armies. ‘The (AT)silver is Mine and the gold is Mine,’ declares the Lord of armies. ‘The latter (AU)glory of this house will be greater than the (AV)former,’ says the Lord of armies, ‘and in this place I will give (AW)peace,’ declares the Lord of armies.”

10 On the (AX)twenty-fourth of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to Haggai the prophet, saying, 11 “The Lord of armies says this: ‘(AY)Now ask the priests for a [v]ruling: 12 If someone carries (AZ)holy meat in the [w]fold of his garment, and touches bread with [x]this fold, or touches cooked food, wine, oil, or any other food, will it become holy?’” And the priests answered, “No.” 13 Then Haggai said, “(BA)If one who is unclean from a [y]corpse touches any of these things, will the latter become unclean?” And the priests answered, “It will become unclean.” 14 Then Haggai responded and said, “‘(BB)So is this people. And so is this nation before Me,’ declares the Lord, ‘and so is every work of their hands; and what they offer there is unclean. 15 But now, do [z](BC)consider from this day [aa]onward: before one (BD)stone was placed on another in the temple of the Lord, 16 [ab]from that time when one came to a grain heap of twenty measures, there would be only ten; and when one came to the wine vat to draw fifty [ac]measures, there would be only twenty. 17 I struck you and every work of your hands with (BE)scorching wind, mildew, and hail; [ad]yet you did not come back to Me,’ declares the Lord. 18 ‘Do [ae](BF)consider from this day [af]onward, from the (BG)twenty-fourth day of the ninth month; from the day when the temple of the Lord was (BH)founded, [ag]consider: 19 Is the seed still in the barn? Even including the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree, it has not produced fruit. Yet from this day on I will (BI)bless you.’”

20 Then the word of the Lord came a second time to Haggai on the (BJ)twenty-fourth day of the month, saying, 21 “Speak to (BK)Zerubbabel governor of Judah, saying, ‘I am going to (BL)shake the heavens and the earth. 22 And I will (BM)overthrow the thrones of kingdoms and destroy the (BN)power of the kingdoms of the [ah]nations; and I will (BO)overthrow the chariots and their riders, and the (BP)horses and their riders will go down, (BQ)every one by the sword of another.’ 23 ‘On that day,’ declares the Lord of armies, ‘I will take you, Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, My servant,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will make you like a [ai](BR)signet ring, for (BS)I have chosen you,’” declares the Lord of armies.

Footnotes

  1. Haggai 1:2 Lit says, saying
  2. Haggai 1:5 Lit Set your heart on
  3. Haggai 1:6 Lit bring in
  4. Haggai 1:6 Lit him
  5. Haggai 1:7 Lit Set your heart on
  6. Haggai 1:8 Lit mountain
  7. Haggai 1:8 Lit house
  8. Haggai 1:9 Lit turn to much
  9. Haggai 1:10 Lit from dew
  10. Haggai 1:11 Lit palms
  11. Haggai 1:12 Lit feared before
  12. Haggai 1:13 Or with the commissioned message
  13. Haggai 2:3 Lit house
  14. Haggai 2:3 Lit Is it not in your eyes like
  15. Haggai 2:3 Lit like it
  16. Haggai 2:4 Lit be strong
  17. Haggai 2:5 Lit word
  18. Haggai 2:5 Lit cut with
  19. Haggai 2:5 Or while My Spirit was standing
  20. Haggai 2:6 Lit it is a little
  21. Haggai 2:7 Another reading is the wealth of all nations will come
  22. Haggai 2:11 Lit law; or saying
  23. Haggai 2:12 Lit wing
  24. Haggai 2:12 Lit his wing
  25. Haggai 2:13 Lit soul
  26. Haggai 2:15 Lit set your heart
  27. Haggai 2:15 Or backward
  28. Haggai 2:16 Lit since they were
  29. Haggai 2:16 Lit troughs
  30. Haggai 2:17 As in LXX; MT but you were not to Me
  31. Haggai 2:18 Lit set your heart
  32. Haggai 2:18 Or backward
  33. Haggai 2:18 Lit set your heart
  34. Haggai 2:22 Or Gentiles
  35. Haggai 2:23 Or seal

In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month, came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet unto Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, saying,

Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the Lord's house should be built.

Then came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet, saying,

Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house lie waste?

Now therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways.

Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.

Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways.

Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the Lord.

Ye looked for much, and, lo it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith the Lord of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house.

10 Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit.

11 And I called for a drought upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon the corn, and upon the new wine, and upon the oil, and upon that which the ground bringeth forth, and upon men, and upon cattle, and upon all the labour of the hands.

12 Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the Lord their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the Lord their God had sent him, and the people did fear before the Lord.

13 Then spake Haggai the Lord's messenger in the Lord's message unto the people, saying, I am with you, saith 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 Josedech, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and did work in the house of the Lord of hosts, their God,

15 In the four and twentieth day of the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king.

In the seventh month, in the one and twentieth day of the month, came the word of the Lord by the prophet Haggai, saying,

Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and to the residue of the people, saying,

Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory? and how do ye see it now? is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing?

Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the Lord; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the Lord, and work: for I am with you, saith the Lord of hosts:

According to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so my spirit remaineth among you: fear ye not.

For thus saith the Lord of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land;

And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of hosts.

The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the Lord of hosts.

The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the Lord of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the Lord of hosts.

10 In the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet, saying,

11 Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Ask now the priests concerning the law, saying,

12 If one bear holy flesh in the skirt of his garment, and with his skirt do 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 that is unclean by a dead body touch any of these, shall it be unclean? And the priests answered and said, It shall be unclean.

14 Then answered Haggai, and said, So is this people, and so is this nation before me, saith the Lord; and so is every work of their hands; and that which they offer there is unclean.

15 And now, I pray you, consider from this day and upward, from before a stone was laid upon a stone in the temple of the Lord:

16 Since those days were, when one came to an heap of twenty measures, there were but ten: when one came to the pressfat for to draw out fifty vessels out of the press, there were but twenty.

17 I smote you with blasting and with mildew and with hail in all the labours of your hands; yet ye turned not to me, saith the Lord.

18 Consider now from this day and upward, from the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, even from the day that the foundation of the Lord's temple was laid, consider it.

19 Is the seed yet in the barn? yea, as yet the vine, and the fig tree, and the pomegranate, and the olive tree, hath not brought forth: from this day will I bless you.

20 And again the word of the Lord came unto Haggai in the four and twentieth day of the month, saying,

21 Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I will shake the heavens and the earth;

22 And I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms, and I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the heathen; and I will overthrow the chariots, and those that ride in them; and the horses and their riders shall come down, every one by the sword of his brother.

23 In that day, saith the Lord of hosts, will I take thee, O Zerubbabel, my servant, the son of Shealtiel, saith the Lord, and will make thee as a signet: for I have chosen thee, saith the Lord of hosts.