The People Urged to Build the Temple

11 In the second year of Darius the king , on the first day of the sixth month , the word of the Lord came by the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel , governor of Judah , and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak , the high priest , saying , 2 "Thus says the Lord of [1]hosts , 'This people says , "The time has not come , even the time for the house of the Lord to be rebuilt .""' 3 Then the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet , saying , 4 "Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses while this house lies desolate ?" 5 Now therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts , "[2]Consider e e your ways ! 6 "You have sown much , but [3]harvest little ; you eat , but there is not enough to be satisfied ; you drink , but there is [4]not enough to become drunk ; you put on clothing , but no one is warm enough; and he who earns , earns wages to put into a purse with holes ." 7 Thus says the Lord of hosts , "[5]Consider e e your ways ! 8 "Go up to the [6]mountains , bring wood and rebuild the [7]temple , that I may be pleased with it and be glorified ," says the Lord . 9 " You look for much , but behold , it comes to little ; when you bring it home , I blow it away. Why e ?" declares the Lord of hosts , "Because of My house which lies desolate , while each of you runs to his own house . 10 "Therefore e , because of you the sky has withheld [8]its dew and the earth has withheld its produce . 11 "I called for a drought on the land , on the mountains , on the grain , on the new wine , on the oil , on what the ground produces , on men , on cattle , and on all the labor of [9]your hands ."

12 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 [10] showed reverence for the Lord . 13 Then Haggai , the messenger of the Lord , spoke [11]by the commission of the Lord to the people saying , " ' I am with you,' declares the Lord ." 14 So the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel , 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 ; and they came and worked on the house of the Lord of hosts , their God , 15 on the twenty-fourth e day of the sixth month in the second year of Darius the king .

The Glory of the New Temple

21 On the twenty-first e of the seventh month , the word of the Lord came 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 'Who is left among you who saw this temple in its former glory ? And how do you see it now ? Does it not seem to you like nothing in comparison ? 4 'But now take courage , Zerubbabel ,' declares the Lord , 'take courage also, Joshua son of Jehozadak , the high priest , and all you people of the land take courage ,' declares the Lord , 'and work ; for I am with you,' declares the Lord of hosts . 5 'As for the promise which I made you when you came out of Egypt , My Spirit is abiding in your midst ; do not fear !' 6 "For thus says the Lord of hosts , ' Once more in a little while , I am going to shake the heavens and the earth , the sea also and the dry land . 7 'I will shake all the nations ; and they will come with the wealth of all nations , and I will fill this house with glory ,' says the Lord of hosts . 8 'The silver is Mine and the gold is Mine,' declares the Lord of hosts . 9 'The latter glory of this house will be greater than the former ,' says the Lord of hosts , 'and in this place I will give peace ,' declares the Lord of hosts ."

The People's Unfaithfulness Reproved

10 On the twenty-fourth e of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius , the word of the Lord came to Haggai the prophet , saying , 11 "Thus says the Lord of hosts , ' Ask now the priests for a ruling : 12 'If a man carries holy meat in the fold of his garment , and touches bread with this fold , or cooked food , wine , oil , or any other food , will it become holy ?' " And the priests answered , "No ." 13 Then Haggai said , " If one who is unclean from a corpse touches any of these , will the latter become unclean ?" And the priests answered , "It will become unclean ." 14 Then Haggai said , " ' So is this people . And so is this nation before Me,' declares the Lord , 'and so is every work of their hands ; and what they offer there is unclean . 15 'But now , do consider e from this day onward : before e one stone was placed on another in the temple of the Lord , 16 from that time when one came to a grain heap of twenty measures, there would be only ten ; and when one came to the wine vat to draw fifty measures , there would be only twenty . 17 'I smote you and every work of your hands with blasting wind , mildew and hail ; yet you did not come back to Me,' declares the Lord . 18 'Do consider e from this day onward , from the twenty-fourth e day of the ninth month; from the day when the temple of the Lord was founded , consider e : 19 'Is the seed still in the barn ? Even including the vine , the fig tree , the pomegranate and the olive tree , it has not borne fruit. Yet from this day on I will bless you."'

The LORD's Promise to Zerubbabel

20 Then the word of the Lord came a second time to Haggai on the twenty-fourth e day of the month , saying , 21 "Speak to Zerubbabel governor of Judah , saying , 'I am going to shake the heavens and the earth . 22 'I will overthrow the thrones of kingdoms and destroy the power of the kingdoms of the nations ; and I will overthrow the chariots and their riders , and the horses and their riders will go down , everyone by the sword of another .' 23 'On that day ,' declares the Lord of hosts , 'I will take you, Zerubbabel , son of Shealtiel , My servant ,' declares the Lord , 'and I will make you like a signet ring, for I have chosen you,' " declares the Lord of hosts .