1In the seventh month, in the twenty-first day of the month, this word of the LORD came by the prophet Haggai,
2“Speak now to Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the rest of the people, and ask them,
3“Who is left among you that saw this house in its former glory? And how do you see it now? Is it not in your eyes as nothing, in comparison?
4But yet be you strong, O Zerubbabel”, says the LORD. “and be strong, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest; and be strong, all you people of the land”, says the LORD, and work; for I am with you, says the LORD Almighty:
5“In accordance with the word that I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt, so My Spirit remains among you; fear not”.
6For thus says the LORD of hosts: “In yet a little while, I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land;
7And I will shake all nations, and the Desire of all nations shall come; and I will fill this house with glory”, says the LORD Almighty.
8“The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine”, says the LORD Almighty.
9“The glory of this latter house shall be greater than that of the former”, says the LORD of hosts;” and in this place I will give peace”, says the LORD Almighty.
10In the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the LORD by Haggai, the prophet, saying,
11“Thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘Ask now the priests concerning the law,
12”If one bears holy flesh in the skirt of his garment, and with his skirt touches bread, pottage, wine, oil, or any food, shall it be holy?” And the priests answered and said, ‘No’.
13Then said Haggai, ‘If one that is defiled by a dead body touches any of these, shall it be unclean?’ And the priests answered, ‘It shall be unclean’.
14Then answered Haggai, “’So is this people, and so is this nation before Me’, says the LORD; and so is every work of their hands; and that which they offer there is unclean.
15And now, I pray you, consider from this day and upward, from before one stone was laid upon another in the temple of the LORD;
16Since those days were, when one came to a heap of twenty measures, there were but ten; when one came to the wine vat to draw out fifty vessels out of the press, there were only twenty.
17I smote you with blight and with mildew and with hail in all the labors of your hands; yet you did not turn to Me,” says the LORD.
18“Consider now from this day and forward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, even from the day that the foundation of the LORD's temple was laid, consider it.
19Is the seed left in the barn? Until now, the vine, and the fig tree, and the pomegranate, and the olive tree, have not borne fruit; but from this day on, I will bless you.”
20And again the word of the LORD came to Haggai in the twentieth-fourth day of the month,
21“Say to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, ‘I will shake the heavens and the earth;
22And I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms, and I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the nations; and I will overthrow the chariots, and those who ride in them; and the horses and their riders shall come down, every one by the sword of his brother.
23In that day’, says the LORD of hosts, ‘I will take you, O Zerubbabel, My servant, son of Shealtiel’, says the LORD, ‘and will make you as a signet; for I have chosen you’, says the LORD of hosts”. Easy Reader Bible: Purple Letter Edition © 2023 by Jim Musser. Used by Permission. All rights Reserved. Bible Hub |
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