1on the twenty-first day of the seventh month, these words came from the LORD through the prophet Haggai:
2“Say to the governor of Judah Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, to the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak, and to the rest of the people:
3Is there anyone still among you who saw this house in its former glory? How does it appear to you now? To you does it not seem as if it were not there?
4But now, Zerubbabel, take heart, says the LORD; take heart, Joshua son of Jehozadak, high priest; take heart, all you people, says the LORD. Begin the work, for I am with you, says the LORD of Hosts,
5and my spirit remains among you. Do not be afraid.
6“For these are the words of the LORD of Hosts: In a little while from now I shall shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land.
7I shall shake all the nations, and the treasure of all nations will come here; and I shall fill this house with splendour, says the LORD of Hosts.
8Mine is the silver and mine the gold, says the LORD of Hosts,
9and the splendour of this latter house will surpass the splendour of the former, says the LORD of Hosts. In this place I shall grant prosperity and peace. This is the word of the LORD of Hosts.”
10In the second year of Darius, on the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, this word came from the LORD to the prophet Haggai:
11“These are the words of the LORD of Hosts: Ask the priests to give a ruling on this.
12If someone who is carrying consecrated flesh in a fold of his robe lets the fold touch bread or broth or wine or oil or any food, will that also become consecrated?” The priests answered, “No.”
13Haggai went on, “But if a person defiled by contact with a corpse touches any one of these things, will that become defiled?” “It will,” answered the priests.
14Haggai replied, “In my view, so it is with this people and nation and all that they do, says the LORD; whatever offering they make here is defiled.
15“Now look back over recent times down to this day: before one stone was laid on another in the LORD's temple,
16how were you then? If someone came to a heap of grain expecting twenty measures, he found only ten; if he came to a wine vat to draw fifty measures, he found only twenty.
17I blasted you and all your harvest with black blight and red and with hail, yet you had no mind to return to me, says the LORD.
18Consider, from this day onwards, from this twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, the day when the foundations of the temple of the LORD are laid, consider:
19will the seed still be diminished in the barn? Will the vine and the fig, the pomegranate and the olive still bear no fruit? Not so; from this day I shall bless you.”
20On that day, the twenty-fourth day of the month, the word of the LORD came to Haggai a second time:
21“Tell Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, I shall shake the heavens and the earth;
22I shall overthrow the thrones of kings, break the power of heathen realms, overturn chariots and their riders; horses and riders will fall by the sword of their comrades.
23On that day, says the LORD of Hosts, I shall take you, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, my servant, and shall wear you as a signet ring; for it is you whom I have chosen. This is the word of the LORD of Hosts.”