Haggai

Haggai

In the second year of Darius the king,

in the sixth month, on the first day of the month,

the word of YHWH came by the hand of Haggai the prophet

to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah,

and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest:

“Thus says YHWH of Hosts:

These people say, ‘The time has not yet come

to rebuild the house of YHWH.’”

Then the word of YHWH came by Haggai the prophet:

“Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses,

while this house lies in ruins?

Now therefore, thus says YHWH of Hosts:

Consider your ways.

You have sown much and harvested little.

You eat, but you never have enough;

you drink, but you never have your fill.

You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm.

And the one who earns wages

does so to put them in a bag with holes.

Thus says YHWH of Hosts:

Consider your ways.

Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house,

that I may take pleasure in it and be honored,”

says YHWH.

“You looked for much, and behold, it came to little.

And when you brought it home, I blew it away.

Why?” declares YHWH of Hosts.

“Because of My house that lies in ruins,

while each of you busies himself with his own house.

Therefore the heavens above you have withheld the dew,

and the earth has withheld its produce.

And I have called for a drought on the land and the hills,

on the grain, the new wine, the oil,

on what the ground brings forth,

on man and beast,

and on all their labors.”

Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel,

and Joshua son of Jehozadak the high priest,

with all the remnant of the people,

obeyed the voice of YHWH their God,

and the words of Haggai the prophet,

as YHWH their God had sent him.

And the people feared YHWH.

Then Haggai, the messenger of YHWH,

spoke to the people with YHWH’s message:

“I am with you,” declares YHWH.

And YHWH stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel,

and the spirit of Joshua the high priest,

and the spirit of all the remnant of the people.

And they came and worked on the house of YHWH of Hosts, their God,

on the twenty-fourth day of the month,

in the sixth month,

in the second year of Darius the king.

———

In the seventh month, on the twenty-first day of the month,

the word of YHWH came by the hand of Haggai the prophet:

“Speak now to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel,

and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest,

and to all the remnant of the people, and say:

Who 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?

Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, declares YHWH.

Be strong, O Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest.

Be strong, all you people of the land, declares YHWH.

Work, for I am with you, declares YHWH of Hosts,

according to the covenant I made with you

when you came out of Egypt.

My Spirit remains in your midst. Fear not.

For thus says YHWH of Hosts:

Yet once more, in a little while,

I will shake the heavens and the earth

and the sea and the dry land.

And I will shake all nations,

so that the treasures of all nations shall come in,

and I will fill this house with glory,

says YHWH of Hosts.

The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine,

declares YHWH of Hosts.

The latter glory of this house

shall be greater than the former,

says YHWH of Hosts.

And in this place I will give peace,

declares YHWH of Hosts.

On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month,

in the second year of Darius,

the word of YHWH came by Haggai the prophet:

“Thus says YHWH of Hosts:

Ask the priests about the law:

‘If someone carries holy meat in the fold of his garment

and touches bread or stew or wine or oil or any food,

does it become holy?’”

The priests answered, “No.”

Then Haggai said,

“If someone who is unclean by contact with a dead body

touches any of these,

does it become unclean?”

The priests answered, “It does become unclean.”

Then Haggai said,

“So it is with this people,

and with this nation before Me, declares YHWH,

and so with every work of their hands.

What they offer there is unclean.

Now then, consider from this day onward.

Before stone was placed upon stone in the temple of YHWH,

how 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.

I struck you and all the products of your toil

with blight and mildew and hail,

yet you did not return to Me, declares YHWH.

Consider from this day onward,

from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month,

since the day that the foundation

of YHWH’s temple was laid—consider!

Is 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.

The word of YHWH came a second time to Haggai

on the twenty-fourth day of the month:

“Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying,

I am about to shake the heavens and the earth,

and 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.

On that day, declares YHWH of Hosts,

I will take you, O Zerubbabel My servant,

son of Shealtiel, declares YHWH,

and make you like a signet ring,

for I have chosen you, declares YHWH of Hosts.”