and he spoke this prophecy concerning them: “Balaam the son of Beor says— The man whose eyes are open says— ‘I have listened to the word of God, I have seen what God Almighty showed me; I fell, and my eyes were opened: Oh, the joys awaiting Israel, Joys in the homes of Jacob. I see them spread before me as green valleys, And fruitful gardens by the riverside; As aloes planted by the Lord himself; As cedar trees beside the waters. They shall be blessed with an abundance of water, And they shall live in many places. Their king will be greater than Agag; Their kingdom is exalted. God has brought them from Egypt. Israel has the strength of a wild ox, And shall eat up the nations that oppose him; He shall break their bones in pieces, And shall shoot them with many arrows. Israel sleeps as a lion or a lioness— Who dares arouse him? Blessed is everyone who blesses you, O Israel, And curses shall fall upon everyone who curses you.’”

So he spoke this prophecy to him: “Balaam the son of Beor is the man Whose eyes are open! He hears the words of God And has knowledge from the Most High; He sees what Almighty God has shown him; He fell, and his eyes were opened: I see in the future of Israel, Far down the distant trail, That there shall come a star from Jacob! This ruler of Israel Shall smite the people of Moab, And destroy the sons of Sheth. Israel shall possess all Edom and Seir. They shall overcome their enemies. Jacob shall arise in power And shall destroy many cities.”

If you wonder, ‘How shall we know whether the prophecy is from the Lord or not?’

Jehu said to Bidkar, his assistant, “Throw him into the field of Naboth, for once when you and I were riding along behind his father Ahab, the Lord revealed this prophecy to me:

The rest of Solomon’s biography is written in the history of Nathan the prophet and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and also in the visions of Iddo the seer concerning Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

During the first year of the reign of King Cyrus of Persia, the Lord fulfilled Jeremiah’s prophecy by giving King Cyrus the desire to send this proclamation throughout his empire (he also put it into the permanent records of the realm):

But there were prophets in Jerusalem and Judah at that time—Haggai, and Zechariah (the son of Iddo)—who brought messages from the God of Israel to Zerubbabel (son of Shealtiel) and Jeshua (son of Jozadak), encouraging them to begin building again! So they did and the prophets helped them.

So the Jewish leaders continued in their work, and they were greatly encouraged by the preaching of the prophets Haggai and Zechariah (son of Iddo). The Temple was finally finished, as had been commanded by God and decreed by Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes, the kings of Persia.

But in the latter days, says the Lord, I will reestablish Moab. (Here the prophecy concerning Moab ends.)

This prophecy is about Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor that are going to be destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, for the Lord will send him to destroy them:

And if one of the false prophets gives him a message anyway, it is a lie. His prophecy will not come true, and I will stand against that “prophet” and destroy him from among my people Israel.

It is decaying from within; no strong branch remains. The fulfillment of this sad prophecy has already begun, and there is more ahead.”

That very same hour this prophecy was fulfilled. Nebuchadnezzar was chased from his palace and ate grass like the cows, and his body was wet with dew; his hair grew as long as eagles’ feathers, and his nails were like birds’ claws.

Now I am here to tell you what will happen to your people, the Jews, at the end times—for the fulfillment of this prophecy is many years away.”

and other nations will join him in a crusade against Egypt. Insurgents among your own people, the Jews, will join them, thus fulfilling prophecy, but they will not succeed.

“But Daniel, keep this prophecy a secret; seal it up so that it will not be understood until the end times, when travel and education shall be vastly increased!”

Subject: a message from the Lord. To: Haggai the prophet, who delivered it to Zerubbabel (son of Shealtiel), governor of Judah; and to Joshua (son of Josedech), the High Priest—for it was addressed to them. When: In late August of the second year of the reign of King Darius I.

Then Zerubbabel (son of Shealtiel), the governor of Judah, and Joshua (son of Josedech), the High Priest, and the few people remaining in the land obeyed Haggai’s message from the Lord their God; they began to worship him in earnest.

Then the Lord told them (again sending the message through Haggai, his messenger), “I am with you; I will bless you.”

In early October of the same year, the Lord sent them this message through Haggai:

In early December, in the second year of the reign of King Darius, this message came from the Lord through Haggai the prophet:

Then Haggai asked, “But if someone touches a dead person, and so becomes ceremonially impure, and then brushes against something, does it become contaminated?” And the priests answered, “Yes.”

Haggai then made his meaning clear. “You people,” he said (speaking for the Lord), “were contaminating your sacrifices by living with selfish attitudes and evil hearts—and not only your sacrifices, but everything else that you did as a ‘service’ to me.

Another message came to Haggai from the Lord that same day:

and if anyone begins false prophecy again, his own father and mother will slay him! ‘You must die,’ they will tell him, ‘for you are prophesying lies in the name of the Lord.’