Haggai

Chapter 1

¹ The prophet Haggai received this message from Yahweh. Yahweh spoke this message to Haggai in the second year after Darius had become king of Persia. This message came to Haggai on the first day of the sixth month of Darius' second year. Haggai told this message to Shealtiel’s son Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah. Haggai also told this message to Jehozadak’s son Joshua, the high priest. ² Yahweh, commander of armies, says that {he knows that} the people have been saying that it was not yet the right time for them to rebuild Yahweh’s temple. ³ Yahweh then gave Haggai this message to tell the people of Jerusalem: ⁴ “It is not right for you to live in houses with covering while my temple has no covering! ⁵ This is what Yahweh, commander of armies, now says: ‘Think about what you are doing. ⁶ You have planted many seeds, but you are not getting many crops. You eat food, but you never eat enough. You drink wine, but you are never drunk. You wear clothes, but you do not stay warm. You earn money, but you always loose the money in your pockets!’ ⁷ This is what Yahweh, commander of armies, says: ‘Think about what you are doing. ⁸ Now go up into the hills! Cut down trees! Bring timber down here! Rebuild my temple! When you do this work, I will be pleased. I will then appear with my glory. ⁹ You hoped for many crops! However, you instead took very little because I removed them. Why did I do this? I did this because my temple has no covering while each of you remain busy building your own house. ¹⁰ It is because of what you are doing that there is no moisture on the crops in the morning, and the crops then die. ¹¹ I have caused a drought in both the fields and the mountains. I have caused a drought among all the crops, whether grain or wine or oil. I have caused a drought among the people and the animals. Thus, all your hard work has not made possible for you to grow enough food.’” ¹² Then Shealtiel's son Zerubbabel, Jehozadak's son Joshua, the high priest, and all the others of God’s people who were still living after the exile, they all obeyed the message that Yahweh their God had spoken. They listened to the message that the prophet Haggai spoke to them. They knew that their God Yahweh had sent Haggai. They honored Yahweh who was present among them. ¹³ Haggai was Yahweh’s messenger. Haggai then spoke this message from Yahweh to the people: “I, Yahweh, declare that I am with you.” ¹⁴ So Yahweh motivated Zerubbabel, Joshua, and all the others of God’s people who were still living after the exile. Yahweh motivated all these people to want to rebuild the temple of their God, Yahweh, commander of armies. So all the people gathered together and started the work to rebuild the temple. ¹⁵ They started the work on the 24th day of the sixth month of Darius' second year as king of Persia.

Chapter 2

¹ Yahweh spoke this message to the prophet Haggai on the 21st day of the seventh month of Darius' second year as king of Persia. ² This is the message that Haggai should say to Zerubbabel, Joshua, and all the others of God’s people who were still living after the exile: ³ “Has anyone survived to remember how glorious the former temple was? If so, does the temple look glorious now? Does not the present temple look as if it is nothing at all now? ⁴ But now I, Yahweh, commander of armies, declare that I am with you. I declare to all of you, including Zerubbabel, Joshua, and all the people in the land of Israel this message: ‘Do not be discouraged; instead be strong and work! ⁵ Do not be afraid! Do not fear anything because my Spirit remains among you. My Spirit remains among you because I promised your ancestors my Spirit when they left Egypt!’ ⁶ For this is what Yahweh, commander of armies, says: ‘Soon I will shake again the sky and the earth, the oceans and the earth. ⁷ I will shake again the peoples of all the nations. Thus, the peoples of all the nations will bring their treasures to this temple. I, Yahweh, commander of armies, will fill this temple with my glorious presence. ⁸ The silver and the gold of all the nations' peoples really belong to me. Thus, I, Yahweh, commander of armies, declare {that they will bring} the silver and gold to me. ⁹ This present temple will be more glorious than the previous temple was. Then I will cause things to go well here in this place. Peace will come because I, Yahweh, commander of armies, declare peace.’” ¹⁰ Yahweh then spoke this message to the prophet Haggai on the 24th day of the ninth month of Darius' second year as king: ¹¹ “This is what Yahweh, commander of armies, says: ‘Ask the priests this question about what Moses directed in his instructions: ¹² Suppose a priest takes {from the altar} some meat that is set apart to Yahweh and then carries the meat within his robe. If his robe touches some bread or stew or wine or olive oil or some other food, does the food that touches the meat then become set apart?’” When Haggai asked this question to the priests, the priests then replied: “No.” ¹³ Then Haggai asked the priests this question: “Suppose someone becomes unclean by touching a corpse. If this unclean person then touches any food, will the food also become unclean?” The priests then replied: “Yes, the food becomes unclean.” ¹⁴ Then Haggai replied, “Yahweh declares this: ‘It is the same with you people of this nation. Yahweh will not accept anything that you do. Yahweh will not accept any of the sacrifices that you offer there {on the altar} because they are unclean! ¹⁵ So now think about what has been happening to you ever since you started to lay the foundation of my temple. ¹⁶ When you expected to take out twenty measures of grain from a heap, you only took out ten measures of grain. When you expected to scoop out fifty measures of wine from a wine vat, you only scooped out twenty measures from the wine vat's tub. ¹⁷ I caused blight, mildew, and hail to destroy all your crops. However, you still did not {turn back} to me.’ {This is the message that I} Yahweh declare to you. ¹⁸ Think about what has been happening to you ever since this day, the 24th day of the ninth month. Think about what has been happening to you ever since the day that you established the foundation of my temple. ¹⁹ Is there now any grain left in your barns? No! There is also nothing to take from your grapevines, your fig trees, your pomegranate trees, and your olive trees. But, from now on, I will bless you!’” ²⁰ Yahweh then gave a second message to Haggai on that same day. ²¹ This is the message that Haggai should say to Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah: “I will shake the sky and the earth. ²² Then I will demolish the throne of the nations' rulers. I will destroy the power of the nations' rulers. I will also destroy the nations' chariots and their drivers, as well as their horses and their riders. The nations' soldiers will kill each other with their own swords. ²³ Then I will make you, Zerubbabel, to serve me in that future time. Now I, Yahweh, commander of armies, declare that I choose you. Therefore, just as a king uses a signet ring {to represent his rule}, so also will I {represent my rule} with you as my signet ring. {This promise for you to represent my rule} will happen. I, Yahweh, commander of armies, declare it will happen.”