The Coming Glory of God’s House

2 In the seventh month, on the twenty-first of the month, the word of the Lord came ^[a]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 (A)‘Who is left among you who saw this ^[b]temple in its former glory? And how do you see it now? In comparison with it, ^(B)is this not in your eyes as nothing? ⁴ Yet now ^(C)be strong, Zerubbabel,’ says the Lord; ‘and be strong, Joshua, son of Jehozadak, 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 hosts. ^5 (D)‘According to the word that I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt, so ^(E)My Spirit remains among you; do not fear!’

⁶ “For thus says the Lord of hosts: ^(F)‘Once more (it is a little while) ^(G)I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and dry land; ⁷ and I will shake all nations, and they shall come to ^(H)the ^[c]Desire of All Nations, and I will fill this ^[d]temple with ^(I)glory,’ says the Lord of hosts. ⁸ ‘The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine,’ says the Lord of hosts. ^9 (J)‘The glory of this latter ^[e]temple shall be greater than the former,’ says the Lord of hosts. ‘And in this place I will give ^(K)peace,’ says the Lord of hosts.”

The People Are Defiled

¹⁰ On 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 hosts: ‘Now, ^(L)ask the priests concerning the law, saying, ¹² “If one carries holy meat in the fold of his garment, and with the edge he touches bread or stew, wine or oil, or any food, will it become holy?” ’ ”

Then the priests answered and said, “No.”

¹³ And Haggai said, “If one who is ^(M)unclean because of a dead body touches any of these, will it be unclean?”

So the priests answered and said, “It shall be unclean.”

¹⁴ Then Haggai answered and said, ^(N)“ ‘So is this people, and so is this nation before Me,’ says the Lord, ‘and so is every work of their hands; and what they offer there is unclean.

Promised Blessing

¹⁵ ‘And now, carefully ^(O)consider from this day forward: from before stone was laid upon stone in the temple of the Lord— ¹⁶ since those days, ^(P)when one came to a heap of twenty ephahs, there were but ten; when one came to the wine vat to draw out fifty baths from the press, there were but twenty. ^17 (Q)I struck you with blight and mildew and hail ^(R)in all the labors of your hands; ^(S)yet you did not turn to Me,’ says the Lord. ¹⁸ ‘Consider now from this day forward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, from ^(T)the day that the foundation of the Lord’s temple was laid—consider it: ^19 (U)Is the seed still in the barn? As yet the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have not yielded fruit. But from this day I will ^(V)bless you.’ ”

Zerubbabel Chosen as a Signet

²⁰ And again the word of the Lord came to Haggai on the twenty-fourth day of the month, saying, ²¹ “Speak to Zerubbabel, ^(W)governor of Judah, saying:

²³ ‘In that day,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘I will take you, Zerubbabel My servant, the son of Shealtiel,’ says the Lord, ^(AA)‘and will make you like a signet ring; for ^(AB)I have chosen you,’ says the Lord of hosts.”