The Seven Bowls

16 Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying ^(A)to the seven angels, “Go and pour out the ^[a]bowls ^(B)of the wrath of God on the earth.”

First Bowl: Loathsome Sores

² So the first went and poured out his bowl ^(C)upon the earth, and a ^[b]foul and ^(D)loathsome sore came upon the men ^(E)who had the mark of the beast and those ^(F)who worshiped his image.

Second Bowl: The Sea Turns to Blood

³ Then the second angel poured out his bowl ^(G)on the sea, and ^(H)it became blood as of a dead man; ^(I)and every living creature in the sea died.

Third Bowl: The Waters Turn to Blood

⁴ Then the third angel poured out his bowl ^(J)on the rivers and springs of water, ^(K)and they became blood. ⁵ And I heard the angel of the waters saying:

⁷ And I heard ^[f]another from the altar saying, “Even so, ^(Q)Lord God Almighty, ^(R)true and righteous are Your judgments.”

Fourth Bowl: Men Are Scorched

⁸ Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl ^(S)on the sun, ^(T)and power was given to him to scorch men with fire. ⁹ And men were scorched with great heat, and they ^(U)blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues; ^(V)and they did not repent ^(W)and give Him glory.

Fifth Bowl: Darkness and Pain

¹⁰ Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl ^(X)on the throne of the beast, ^(Y)and his kingdom became full of darkness; ^(Z)and they gnawed their tongues because of the pain. ¹¹ They blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and did not repent of their deeds.

Sixth Bowl: Euphrates Dried Up

¹² Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl ^(AA)on the great river Euphrates, ^(AB)and its water was dried up, ^(AC)so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared. ¹³ And I saw three unclean ^(AD)spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of ^(AE)the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of ^(AF)the false prophet. ¹⁴ For they are spirits of demons, ^(AG)performing signs, which go out to the kings ^[g]of the earth and of ^(AH)the whole world, to gather them to ^(AI)the battle of that great day of God Almighty.

^15 (AJ)“Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, ^(AK)lest he walk naked and they see his shame.”

^16 (AL)And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, ^[h]Armageddon.

Seventh Bowl: The Earth Utterly Shaken

¹⁷ Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, ^(AM)“It is done!” ¹⁸ And ^(AN)there were noises and thunderings and lightnings; ^(AO)and there was a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake ^(AP)as had not occurred since men were on the earth. ¹⁹ Now ^(AQ)the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And ^(AR)great Babylon ^(AS)was remembered before God, ^(AT)to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath. ²⁰ Then ^(AU)every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. ²¹ And great hail from heaven fell upon men, each hailstone about the weight of a talent. Men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, since that plague was exceedingly great.

The Command to Build God’s House^(A)

1 In ^(B)the second year of King Darius, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came by ^(C)Haggai the prophet to ^(D)Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to ^(E)Joshua the son of ^(F)Jehozadak, the high priest, saying, ² “Thus speaks the Lord of hosts, saying: ‘This people says, “The time has not come, the time that the Lord’s house should be built.” ’ ”

³ Then the word of the Lord ^(G)came by Haggai the prophet, saying, ⁴ “Is it ^(H)time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this ^[a]temple to lie in ruins?” ⁵ Now therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: ^(I)“Consider your ways!

⁷ Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Consider your ways! ⁸ Go up to the ^(L)mountains and bring wood and build the ^[b]temple, that I may take pleasure in it and be glorified,” says the Lord. ^9 (M)“You looked for much, but indeed it came to little; and when you brought it home, ^(N)I blew it away. Why?” says the Lord of hosts. “Because of My house that is in ruins, while every one of you runs to his own house. ¹⁰ Therefore ^(O)the heavens above you withhold the dew, and the earth withholds its fruit. ¹¹ For I ^(P)called for a drought on the land and the mountains, on the grain and the new wine and the oil, on whatever the ground brings forth, on men and livestock, and on ^(Q)all the labor of your hands.”

The People’s Obedience

^12 (R)Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Jehozadak, 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 the presence of the Lord. ¹³ Then Haggai, the Lord’s messenger, spoke the Lord’s message to the people, saying, ^(S)“I am with you, says the Lord.” ¹⁴ So ^(T)the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, ^(U)governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; ^(V)and they came and worked on the house of the Lord of hosts, their God, ¹⁵ on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month, in the second year of King Darius.

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 ^[c]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 (W)‘Who is left among you who saw this ^[d]temple in its former glory? And how do you see it now? In comparison with it, ^(X)is this not in your eyes as nothing? ⁴ Yet now ^(Y)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 (Z)‘According to the word that I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt, so ^(AA)My Spirit remains among you; do not fear!’

⁶ “For thus says the Lord of hosts: ^(AB)‘Once more (it is a little while) ^(AC)I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and dry land; ⁷ and I will shake all nations, and they shall come to ^(AD)the ^[e]Desire of All Nations, and I will fill this ^[f]temple with ^(AE)glory,’ says the Lord of hosts. ⁸ ‘The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine,’ says the Lord of hosts. ^9 (AF)‘The glory of this latter ^[g]temple shall be greater than the former,’ says the Lord of hosts. ‘And in this place I will give ^(AG)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, ^(AH)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 ^(AI)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, ^(AJ)“ ‘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 ^(AK)consider from this day forward: from before stone was laid upon stone in the temple of the Lord— ¹⁶ since those days, ^(AL)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 (AM)I struck you with blight and mildew and hail ^(AN)in all the labors of your hands; ^(AO)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 ^(AP)the day that the foundation of the Lord’s temple was laid—consider it: ^19 (AQ)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 ^(AR)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, ^(AS)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, ^(AW)‘and will make you like a signet ring; for ^(AX)I have chosen you,’ says the Lord of hosts.”