In In early October of the same year, the Lord sent them this message through Haggai:
2 Ask this question of the governor and high priest and everyone left in the land:
3 “Who among you can remember the temple as it nothing now, is it? wat before? How glorious it was! In comparison, it is
all the people; take courage and work, for ‘I am with 4 But take courage, oh Zerubbabel and Joshua and you, says the Lord
5 ‘For I promised when you left Egypt that My Spirit would remain among you; so don’t be afraid.
6 For the Lord of Hosts says, ‘In just a little while I will begin to shake the heavens and earth and the oceans, too, and the dry land-
Nations shall come to this temple; and I will fill this 7 1 will shake all nations: and the Desire of All place with My glory, says the Lord of Hosts.
8.9 ‘The future splendour of this temple will be greater than the Splendour of the first one! For I have plenty of silver and gold to do it! And here I will give peace, says the Lord.”
10 In early December, in the second year of the reign of King Darius, this message came from the Lord through Haggai the prophet:
11 Ask the priests this question about the law:
12 “If one of you is carrying a holy sacrifice in his robes, and happens to brush against some bread or wine or meat, will it too become holy?”
“No,” the priests replied. “Holiness does not pass to other things that way.”
13. Then Haggai asked, “But if someone touches a then brushes against something, does it become con dead person, and so becomes ceremonially impure, and And the priests answered, “Yes.”
14 Haggai then made his meaning clear. ” your sacrifices by living with selfish at-people,” he said (speaking for the Lord). “were con titles and evil hearts-and not only your sacrifices, but everything else that you did as a ‘service’ to me.
15 And so everything you did went wrong. But all is different now, because you have begun to build the temple.
16, 17 Before, when you expected a twenty bushel crop, there were only ten. When you came to draw fifty gallons from the olive press, there were only twenty. I rewarded all your labour with rust and mildew and hail. Yet, even so, you refused to return to Me,” says the Lord.
18, 19 “But now note this: From today, this 24th day of the month, as the foundation of the Lord’s temple is finished, and from this day onward, I will bless you. Notice, I am giving you this promise now be-fore you have even begun to rebuild the temple structure, and before you have harvested your grain, and before the grapes and figs and pomegranates and olives have produced their next crops: from this day I will bless you.”
20 Another message came to Haggai from the Lord that same day:
21 Tell Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, “I am about to shake the heavens and the earth.
strength of the kingdoms of the nations. I will over-22 And to overthrow thrones and destroy the throw their armed might, and brothers and companions will kill each other.
23 But when that happens, I will take you, oh Zerubbabel My servant, and honour you like a signet ring upon My finger; for I have specially chosen you, says the Lord of Hosts.
