Haggai 2

¹In the seventh month, on the twenty-first day of the month , the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet ,

²Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel , governor of Judah , and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak , the high priest , and to all the remnant of the people , and say ,

³Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory ? How do you see it now ? Is it not as nothing in your eyes ?

⁴Yet now be strong , O Zerubbabel , declares the Lord. Be strong , O Joshua , son of Jehozadak , the high priest . Be strong , all you people of the land , declares the Lord. Work , for I am with you, declares the Lord of hosts ,

⁵according to the covenant that I made with you when you came out of Egypt . My Spirit remains in your midst . Fear not .

⁶For thus says the Lord of hosts : Yet once more, in a little while , I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land .

⁷And I will shake all nations , so that the treasures of all nations shall come in , and I will fill this house with glory , says the Lord of hosts .

⁸The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the Lord of hosts .

⁹The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former , says the Lord of hosts . And in this place I will give peace , declares the Lord of hosts .

¹⁰On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius , the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet ,

¹¹Thus says the Lord of hosts : Ask the priests about the law :

¹²If someone carries holy meat in the fold of his garment and touches with his fold bread or stew or wine or oil or any kind of food , does it become holy ? The priests answered and said , No .

¹³Then Haggai said , If someone who is unclean by contact with a dead body touches any of these , does it become unclean ? The priests answered and said , It does become unclean .

¹⁴Then Haggai answered and said , So is it with this people , and with this nation before me, declares the Lord, and so with every work of their hands . And what they offer there is unclean .

¹⁵Now then, consider from this day onward . Before stone was placed upon stone in the temple of the Lord,

¹⁶how did you fare? When one came to a heap of twenty measures, there were but ten . When one came to the wine vat to draw fifty measures , there were but twenty .

¹⁷I struck you and all the products of your toil with blight and with mildew and with hail , yet you did not turn to me, declares the Lord.

¹⁸Consider from this day onward , from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month. Since the day that the foundation of the Lord ’s temple was laid , consider :

¹⁹Is the seed yet in the barn ? Indeed , the vine , the fig tree , the pomegranate , and the olive tree have yielded nothing . But from this day on I will bless you.

²⁰The word of the Lord came a second time to Haggai on the twenty-fourth day of the month ,

²¹Speak to Zerubbabel , governor of Judah , saying , I am about to shake the heavens and the earth ,

²²and to overthrow the throne of kingdoms . I am about to destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the nations , and overthrow the chariots and their riders . And the horses and their riders shall go down , every one by the sword of his brother .

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