◄ Haggai 2 ►

New American Bible Revised Edition

Assurance of God’s Presence. 1On the twenty-first day of the seventh month,* the word of the Lord came through Haggai the prophet: 2Speak to the governor of Judah, Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, and to the high priest Joshua, son of Jehozadak, and to the remnant of the people:

3Who is left among you*

who saw this house in its former glory?

And how do you see it now?

Does it not seem like nothing in your eyes?a

4Now be strong, Zerubbabel—oracle of the Lord—

be strong, Joshua, son of Jehozadak, high priest,

Be strong, all you people of the land—oracle of the Lord—

and work! For I am with you—oracle of the Lord of hosts.

5This is the commitment I made to you

when you came out of Egypt.

My spirit remains in your midst;

do not fear!

6For thus says the Lord of hosts:*

In just a little while,

I will shake the heavens and the earth,b

the sea and the dry land.

7I will shake all the nations,

so that the treasures of all the nations will come in.

And I will fill this house with glory—

says the Lord of hosts.c

8Mine is the silver and mine the gold—oracle of the Lord of hosts.

9Greater will be the glory of this housed

the latter more than the former—says the Lord of hosts;

And in this place I will give you peace—*

oracle of the Lord of hosts.

Priestly Ruling with Prophetic Interpretation.* 10On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month in the second year* of Darius, the word of the Lord came to Haggai the prophet: 11Thus says the Lord of hosts: Ask the priests for a ruling:* 12If someone carries sanctified meat in the fold of a garment and the fold touches bread, soup, wine, oil, or any other food, do they become sanctified? “No,” the priests answered. 13Then Haggai asked: “If a person defiled from contact with a corpse touches any of these, do they become defiled?” The priests answered, “They become defiled.”e 14Then Haggai replied:

So is this people,* and so is this nation

in my sight—oracle of the Lord—

And so is all the work of their hands;

what they offer there is defiled.

15Now reflect,* from this day forward—before you set stone to stone in the temple of the Lord, 16what was your experience?

When one went to a heap of grain for twenty ephahs,

there were only ten;

When one went to a vat to draw fifty ephahs,*

there were only twenty.f

17I struck you, and all the work of your hands,

with searing wind, blight, and hail,

yet you did not return to me—oracle of the Lord.g

18Reflect from this day forward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month.* From the day on which the temple of the Lord was founded, reflect!

19Is there still seed in the storehouse?

Have the vine, the fig, the pomegranate,

and the olive tree still not borne fruit?

From this day, I will bless you.*

Future Hope.* 20The word of the Lord came a second time to Haggai on the twenty-fourth day of the month:* 21Speak to Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah:

I will shake the heavens and the earth;

22I will overthrow the thrones of kingdoms,

and destroy the power of the kingdoms of the nations.

I will overthrow the chariots and their riders,

and the riders with their horses

will fall by each other’s swords.h

23On that day—oracle of the Lord of hosts—I will take you, my servant, Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel—oracle of the Lord—and I will make you like a signet ring,* for I have chosen you—oracle of the Lord of hosts.i

Book Introduction

Footnotes

Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

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