Chapter 1
1In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month, the word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jozadak, the high priest, saying,a
2"Thus speaks the LORD of armies, saying, 'This people says, "The time has not come, the time that the LORD'S house should be built."'b
3Then the word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet, saying,c
4"Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses and this house lies waste?"d
5Now therefore, thus says the LORD of armies, "Consider your ways.e
6"You have sown much and bring in little. You eat, but you do not have enough. You drink, but you are not filled with drink. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who earns wages earns wages to put into a bag with holes."f
7Thus says the LORD of armies, "Consider your ways.
8"Go up to the mountain and bring wood, and build the house. And I will take pleasure in it and I will be glorified," says the LORD.g
9"You looked for much, and behold, it came to little. And when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why?" says the LORD of armies. "Because of My house that is in ruins while each of you runs to his own house.h
10"Therefore, the heaven over you has withheld its dew, and the earth has withheld her fruit.i
11"And I called for a drought on the land and on the mountains and on the grain and on the new wine and on the oil, and on that which the ground brings forth, and on men and on cattle and on the labor of the hands."j
12Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Jozadak, 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 feared before the LORD.k
13Then Haggai, the LORD'S messenger spoke the LORD'S message to the people, saying, "I am with you," says the LORD.l
14Then the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Jozadak, 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,m
15in the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king.n
a Er 4:24 b Er 5:1; 6:14 c Er 2:2 d Er 5:2,3 e 1 Ch 6:15 f Er 5:1 g 2 Sm 7:2 h Lm 3:40 i Dt 28:38-40 j Zc 8:10 k Er 3:7 l Hg 2:16 m Hg 2:17 n Dt 28:23 o 1 Kg 17:1 p Hg 2:17 q Er 5:2 r Mt 28:20 s Er 1:1 t Hg 2:21 u Er 5:2,8
Chapter 2
1In the seventh month, in the twenty-first day of the month, the word of the LORD came by the prophet Haggai, saying,
2"Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jozadak, 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? And how do you see it now? Does it not seem to you like nothing in comparison?a
4'Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel,' says the LORD, 'and be strong, O Joshua, son of Jozadak, the high priest. And be strong all you people of the land,' says the LORD, 'and work, for I am with you,' says the LORD of armies.b
5'According to the word that I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt, so My Spirit remains among you. Do not fear.'c
6"For thus says the LORD of armies, 'Yet once again in a little while I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land.d
7'And I will shake all nations, and they will come to the desire of all nations. And I will fill this house with glory,' says the LORD of armies.e
8'The silver is Mine and the gold is Mine,' says the LORD of armies.
9'The glory of this latter house will be greater than of the former,' says the LORD of armies. 'And in this place I will give peace,' says the LORD of armies."f
10In the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet, saying,
11"Thus says the LORD of armies, 'Ask the priests now what the law says,
12'If one carries holy meat in the fold of his garment, and with his skirt touches bread or pottage, or wine, or oil, or any other food, will it be holy?' And the priests answered and said, "No."g
13Then Haggai said, "If one who is unclean by a dead body touches any of these, will it be unclean?" And the priests answered and said, "It will be unclean."h
14Then Haggai answered and said, "So is this people and so is this nation before Me," says the LORD. And so is every work of their hands, and that which they offer there is unclean."i
15"But now give careful consideration from this day and onward, from before one stone was laid upon a stone in the temple of the LORD,j
16"since those days when one came to a heap of twenty ephahs, there were but ten, when one came to the wine vat to draw fifty vessels out of the vat, and there were only twenty.k
17"I smote you with a blasting wind and with mildew and with hail in all the labors of your hands. Yet you did not turn to Me," says the LORD.l
18"Consider now from this day onward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, even from the day that the foundation of the LORD'S temple was laid, consider it.m
19"Is the seed still in the barn? As yet the vine, and the fig tree, and the pomegranate, and the olive tree, have not yielded fruit. From this day I will bless you."n
20And again the word of the LORD came to Haggai in the twenty-fourth day of the month, saying,
21"Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, 'I will shake the heavens and the earth.o
22'And I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms and I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the nations. And I will overthrow the chariots and those who ride in them. And the horses and their riders will come down, everyone by the sword of his brother.p
23'In that day,' says the LORD of armies, 'I will take you, O Zerubbabel, My servant, the son of Shealtiel,' says the LORD, 'and will make you as a signet. For I have chosen you,'" says the LORD of armies.q
a Er 3:12,13 b Zc 4:10 c Zc 8:9 d Ex 29:45,46 e Ne 9:20 f Hb 12:26 g Jl 3:16 h Gn 49:10 i Is 60:7 j Jn 1:14 k Ps 85:8,9 l Ml 2:7 m Nm 19:11,22 n Ti 1:15 o Hg 1:5,7; 2:18 p Zc 8:10 q Dt 28:22 r Hg 1:11 s Am 4:6-11 t Zc 8:9 u Zc 8:12 v Ml 3:10 w Zc 4:6-10 x Hg 2:6,7 y Dn 2:44 z Mc 5:10 a Ss 8:6 b Is 42:1; 43:10