The Coming Glory of the Temple
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1In the seventh month, on the twenty-first day of the month, the word of the LORD came by the hand of Haggai the prophet,
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"Speak now to 2Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to 3Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to all the remnant of the people, and say,
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4'Who is left among you who saw this house 5in its former glory? How do you see it now? 6Is it not as nothing in your eyes?
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Yet now 7be strong, O 8Zerubbabel, declares the LORD. 9Be strong, O 10Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest. 11Be strong, all you people of the land, declares the LORD. 12Work, for 13I am with you, declares the LORD of hosts,
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14according to the covenant that I made with you when you came out of Egypt. 15My Spirit remains in your midst. 16Fear not.
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For thus says the LORD of hosts: 17Yet once more, in a little while, 18I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land.
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And I will shake all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come in, and 19I will fill this house with glory, says the LORD of hosts.
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20The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the LORD of hosts.
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21The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the LORD of hosts. And 22in this place I will give peace, declares the LORD of hosts.'"
Blessings for a Defiled People
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23On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, 24in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet,
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"Thus says the LORD of hosts: 25Ask the priests about the law:
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'If someone carries 26holy meat in the fold of his garment and touches with his fold bread or stew or wine or oil or any kind of food, does it become holy?'" The priests answered and said, 27"No."
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Then Haggai said, 28"If someone who is unclean by contact with a dead body 29touches any of these, does it become unclean?" The priests answered and said, "It does become unclean."
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Then Haggai answered and said, 30"So is it with this people, and with this nation before me, declares the LORD, and so with every work of their hands. And what they offer there is unclean.
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Now then, 31consider from this day onward.a Before stone was placed upon stone in the temple of the LORD,
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how did you fare? 32Whenb one came to a heap of twenty measures, there were but ten. When one came to the wine vat to draw fifty measures, there were but twenty.
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33I struck you and all the products of your toil with blight and with mildew and with hail, 34yet you did not turn to me, declares the LORD.
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35Consider from this day onward, 36from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month. Since 37the day that the foundation of the LORD's temple was laid, 38consider:
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39Is the seed yet in the barn? Indeed, the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have yielded nothing. But from this day on 40I will bless you."
Zerubbabel Chosen as a Signet
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The word of the LORD came a second time to Haggai 41on the twenty-fourth day of the month,
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"Speak to 42Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, 43I am about to shake the heavens and the earth,
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.
(English Standard Version - The Holy Bible Online)