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¹In the second year of Darius the king, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the LORD came by the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, saying,

²“This is what the LORD of armies says: ‘This people says, “The time has not come, the time for the house of the LORD to be rebuilt.” ’ ”

³Then the word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet, saying,

⁴“Is it time for you yourselves to live in your paneled houses while this house remains desolate?”

⁵Now then, the LORD of armies says this: “Consider your ways!

⁶You have sown much, only to 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 anyone to get warm; and the one who earns, earns wages to put into a money bag full of holes.”

⁷The LORD of armies says this: “Consider your ways!

⁸Go up to the mountains, bring wood, and rebuild the temple, that I may be pleased with it and be honored,” says the LORD.

⁹“You start an ambitious project, but behold, it comes to little; when you bring it home, I blow it away. Why?” declares the LORD of armies. “It is because of My house which remains desolate, while each of you runs to his own house.

¹⁰Therefore, because of you the sky has withheld its dew, and the earth has withheld its produce.

¹¹And I called for a drought on the land, on the mountains, on the grain, on the new wine, on the oil, on what the ground produces, on mankind, on cattle, and on all the products of the labor of your hands.”

¹²Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Jehozadak, 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, just as the LORD their God had sent him. And the people showed reverence for the LORD.

¹³Then Haggai, the messenger of the LORD, spoke by the commission of the LORD to the people, saying, “ ‘I am with you,’ declares the LORD.”

¹⁴So 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 armies, their God,

¹⁵on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month in the second year of Darius the king.

¹On the twenty-first of the seventh month, the word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet, saying,

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

³‘Who is left among you who saw this temple in its former glory? And how do you see it now? Does it not seem to you like nothing in comparison?

⁴But now 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 I am with you,’ declares the LORD of armies.

⁵‘As for the promise which I made you when you came out of Egypt, My Spirit remains in your midst; do not fear!’

⁶For this is what the LORD of armies says: ‘Once more in a little while, I am going to shake the heavens and the earth, the sea also and the dry land.

⁷I will shake all the nations; and they will come with the wealth of all nations, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the LORD of armies.

⁸‘The silver is Mine and the gold is Mine,’ declares the LORD of armies.

⁹‘The latter glory of this house will be greater than the former,’ says the LORD of armies, ‘and in this place I will give peace,’ declares the LORD of armies.”

¹⁰On the 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: ‘Now ask the priests for a ruling:

¹²If someone carries holy meat in the fold of his garment, and touches bread with this fold, or touches cooked food, wine, oil, or any other food, will it become holy?’ ” And the priests answered, “No.”

¹³Then Haggai said, “If one who is unclean from a corpse touches any of these things, will the latter become unclean?” And the priests answered, “It will become unclean.”

¹⁴Then Haggai responded and said, “ ‘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.

¹⁵But now, do consider from this day onward: before one stone was placed on another in the temple of the LORD,

¹⁶from 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 measures, there would be only twenty.

¹⁷I struck you and every work of your hands with scorching wind, mildew, and hail; yet you did not come back to Me,’ declares the LORD.

¹⁸‘Do consider from this day onward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month; from the day when the temple of the LORD was founded, consider:

¹⁹Is 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 bless you.’ ”

²⁰Then the word of the LORD came a second time to Haggai on the twenty-fourth day of the month, saying,

²¹“Speak to Zerubbabel governor of Judah, saying, ‘I am going to shake the heavens and the earth.

²²And I will overthrow the thrones of kingdoms and destroy the power of the kingdoms of the nations; and I will overthrow the chariots and their riders, and the horses and their riders will go down, 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 signet ring, for I have chosen you,’ ” declares the LORD of armies.