⁷ “Thus says the Lord of hosts: ^(A)Consider your ways. ⁸ Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house, that ^(B)I may take pleasure in it and that ^(C)I may be glorified, says the Lord. ^9 (D)You looked for much, and behold, it came to little. And when you brought it home, ^(E)I blew it away. Why? declares the Lord of hosts. Because of my house ^(F)that lies in ruins, while each of you busies himself with his own house.

The People Obey the Lord

^12 (A)Then ^(B)Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and ^(C)Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, with all ^(D)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 the Lord.

¹³ Then Haggai, the messenger of the Lord, spoke to the people with the Lord's message, ^(A)“I am with you, declares the Lord.”

¹⁴ And ^(A)the Lord stirred up the spirit of ^(B)Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of ^(C)Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all ^(D)the remnant of the people. And they came and ^(E)worked on the house of the Lord of hosts, their God, ^15 (F)on the twenty-fourth day of the month, in the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king.

¹² But many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers' houses, ^(A)old men who had seen the first house, wept with a loud voice when they saw the foundation of this house being laid, though many shouted aloud for joy, ¹³ so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shout from the sound of the people's weeping, for the people shouted with a great shout, and the sound was heard far away.

⁴ Yet now ^(A)be strong, O ^(B)Zerubbabel, declares the Lord. ^(C)Be strong, O ^(D)Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest. ^(E)Be strong, all you people of the land, declares the Lord. ^(F)Work, for ^(G)I am with you, declares the Lord of hosts, ^5 (H)according to the covenant that I made with you when you came out of Egypt. ^(I)My Spirit remains in your midst. ^(J)Fear not. ⁶ For thus says the Lord of hosts: ^(K)Yet once more, in a little while, ^(L)I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land. ⁷ And I will shake all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come in, and ^(M)I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord of hosts. ^8 (N)The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the Lord of hosts.

^9 (A)The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts. And ^(B)in this place I will give peace, declares the Lord of hosts.’”