Haggai 2

₁On the 21st day of the 7th month the Lord sent the prophet Haggai to tell the people what the Lord had said. ₂The Lord said: ‘Tell Zerubbabel and Joshua and all the other people who are still_alive:

₃Who of you that are still_alive saw my temple as it was before? Did you see how great and beautiful it was? But what does this temple look like now? It does not look good. ₄But I, the Lord, tell you: You must be strong. Zerubbabel and Joshua and all the people of the land, you must be strong and do the work because I am with you.’

This is what the Lord who rules over all says. He says: ₅‘When you went away from Egypt, I promised that I would help you and I have not forgotten my promise. Do not be afraid. I am with you.’

₆Yes, the Lord who rules over all says: ‘I will shake the heaven and earth once more, and also the sea and the land, and I will do it soon. ₇Then all the nations will bring their beautiful and expensive things to my temple. Yes, the temple will be full.’ This is what the Lord who rules over all says. ₈He says: ‘All the silver and the gold is mine.’ This is what the Lord who rules over all says.

₉‘This temple will be better and more beautiful than the first temple that was here before.’ This is what the Lord who rules over all says: ‘In this temple all will be well,’ says the Lord who rules over all.

₁₀On the 24th day of the 9th month in the 2nd year after Darius had become king, the Lord talked to the prophet Haggai. ₁₁The Lord who rules over all says: ‘Ask the priests what will happen ₁₂if someone carries holy meat in his clothes and his clothes touch some bread or cooked food or wine or oil or any other food. Will that food also become holy? What do the laws say?’ The priests answered: ‘No, that food will not become holy.’

₁₃Then Haggai said: ‘And if someone touches the body of a dead man and he becomes impure and he then touches this food, will the food become impure?’ And the priests answered: ‘Yes, the food will become impure.’

₁₄Then Haggai said: ‘The Lord says: This is how this nation is, and this is what these people are like. Everything they do before Me, and everything that they bring to the temple to sacrifice to Me is impure. ₁₅Look at what is going to happen to you now: Everything will get better. Before you started to build this temple, ₁₆you suffered. When someone came to a heap of wheat and he thought there were 20 jars of wheat, there were only 10. When he came to a wine-press and he thought there were 50 jars of wine, there were only 20. ₁₇Why did this happen? It happened because I was punishing you. I made the wheat become sick, and I sent hail-stones to destroy your wheat and everything that you had planted. But you did not ask Me to help you,’ says the Lord.

₁₈‘Today is the 24th day of the 9th month and you have built the foundation of the Lord's temple. Look at what will happen from now on. ₁₉Is there any more seed in your store rooms? No, there is nothing because there was no fruit on your vines, and no fruit on your fig trees, pomegranate trees and olive trees. But from today I will start to bless you.’

₂₀The Lord talked to Haggai again on the 24th day of the month and said to him: ₂₁‘Tell Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah: I will shake the heaven and the earth. ₂₂Kings will have to get off their thrones. I will make them weak and I will break their war-chariots and turn them over, and I will kill all the soldiers on them. The horses and the men who ride them will die. The men will kill each other.’

₂₃The Lord who rules over all says: ‘Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, you are my servant.’ The Lord says: ‘On that day you will be like a ring with a seal to Me, because I have chosen you to be king.’ This is what the Lord who rules over all says.