A Call to Build the House of the Lord

1 In the second year of King Darius,a on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggaib to Zerubbabelc son of Shealtiel, governord of Judah, and to Joshuaa e son of Jozadak,b f the high priest:g

2 This is what the Lord Almightyh says: “These peoplei say, ‘The time has not yet come to rebuild the Lord’s house.j’ ”

3 Then the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai:k 4 “Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses,l while this house remains a ruin?m”

5 Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thoughtn to your ways. 6 You have planted much, but harvested little.o You eat, but never have enough.p You drink, but never have your fill.q You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages,r only to put them in a purse with holes in it.”

7 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thoughts to your ways. 8 Go up into the mountains and bring down timbert and build my house, so that I may take pleasureu in it and be honored,v” says the Lord. 9 “You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little.w What you brought home, I blewx away. Why?” declares the Lord Almighty. “Because of my house, which remains a ruin,y while each of you is busy with your own house. 10 Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheldz their dewa and the earth its crops.b 11 I called for a droughtc on the fields and the mountains,d on the grain, the new wine,e the olive oilf and everything else the ground produces, on people and livestock, and on all the labor of your hands.g”

12 Then Zerubbabelh son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and the whole remnanti of the people obeyedj the voice of the Lord their God and the message of the prophet Haggai, because the Lord their God had sent him. And the people fearedk the Lord.

13 Then Haggai,l the Lord’s messenger,m gave this message of the Lord to the people: “I am withn you,” declares the Lord. 14 So the Lord stirred upo the spirit of Zerubbabelp son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jozadak,q the high priest, and the spirit of the whole remnantr of the people. They came and began to work on the house of the Lord Almighty, their God, 15 on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month.s

The Promised Glory of the New House

In the second year of King Darius,t

2 on the twenty-first day of the seventh month,u the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai:v 2 “Speak to Zerubbabelw son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, to Joshua son of Jozadak,a x the high priest, and to the remnanty of the people. Ask them, 3 ‘Who of you is left who saw this housez in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Does it not seem to you like nothing?a 4 But now be strong, Zerubbabel,’ declares the Lord. ‘Be strong,b Joshua son of Jozadak,c the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land,’ declares the Lord, ‘and work. For I am withd you,’ declares the Lord Almighty. 5 ‘This is what I covenantede with you when you came out of Egypt.f And my Spiritg remains among you. Do not fear.’h

6 “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘In a little whilei I will once more shake the heavens and the earth,j the sea and the dry land. 7 I will shake all nations, and what is desiredk by all nations will come, and I will fill this housel with glory,m’ says the Lord Almighty. 8 ‘The silver is mine and the goldn is mine,’ declares the Lord Almighty. 9 ‘The gloryo of this present housep will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,q’ declares the Lord Almighty.”

Blessings for a Defiled People

10 On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month,r in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Haggai: 11 “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Ask the priestss what the law says: 12 If someone carries consecrated meatt in the fold of their garment, and that fold touches some bread or stew, some wine, olive oil or other food, does it become consecrated?u’ ”

The priests answered, “No.”

13 Then Haggai said, “If a person defiled by contact with a dead body touches one of these things, does it become defiled?”

“Yes,” the priests replied, “it becomes defiled.v”

14 Then Haggai said, “ ‘So it is with this peoplew and this nation in my sight,’ declares the Lord. ‘Whatever they do and whatever they offerx there is defiled.

15 “ ‘Now give careful thoughty to this from this day onb—consider how things were before one stone was laidz on another in the Lord’s temple.a 16 When anyone came to a heapb of twenty measures, there were only ten. When anyone went to a wine vatc to draw fifty measures, there were only twenty.d 17 I struck all the work of your handse with blight,f mildew and hail,g yet you did not returnh to me,’ declares the Lord.i 18 ‘From this day on, from this twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, give careful thoughtj to the day when the foundationk of the Lord’s temple was laid. Give careful thought: 19 Is there yet any seed left in the barn? Until now, the vine and the fig tree, the pomegranatel and the olive tree have not borne fruit.m

“ ‘From this day on I will blessn you.’ ”

Zerubbabel the Lord’s Signet Ring

20 The word of the Lord came to Haggaio a second time on the twenty-fourth day of the month:p 21 “Tell Zerubbabelq governor of Judah that I am going to shaker the heavens and the earth. 22 I will overturns royal thrones and shatter the power of the foreign kingdoms.t I will overthrow chariotsu and their drivers; horses and their ridersv will fall, each by the sword of his brother.w

23 “ ‘On that day,x’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘I will take you, my servanty Zerubbabelz son of Shealtiel,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will make you like my signet ring,a for I have chosen you,’ declares the Lord Almighty.”

Zechariah

Writing around the same time as Haggai, Zechariah also urged the Jews to work on the temple. He used a more uplifting approach, describing how the temple would point to the coming Messiah.