1 ARST Yahweh gave another message to the prophet Haggai on the twenty- first day of the seventh month{ of Darius' second year as king of Persia}. Yahweh told Haggai, BSB BSB: On the twenty-first day of the seventh month, the word of the LORD came through Haggai the prophet, saying:
2 ARST “I want you to ask a question to the governor of Judah, Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and to the high priest, Joshua the son of Jehozadak, and to the rest of the people. Ask them, BSB BSB: “Speak to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and also to the remnant of the people. Ask them,
3 ARST ‘Is there still anyone among you who remembers how glorious the temple used to look? If so, do you think that the temple looks glorious now? You must agree that it does not look very glorious at all.’” BSB BSB: ‘Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Does it not appear to you like nothing in comparison?’
4 ARST { But after Haggai had asked those questions, he said,}“Yahweh is telling you, Zerubbabel,“Now do not be discouraged!’ Yahweh is also telling you high priest, Joshua the son of Jehozadak, and all the Jewish people,‘Do not be discouraged!’ Yahweh, the commander of the heavenly armies, is telling you,‘Repair the temple, because I am with you{ to help you}! BSB BSB: But now be strong, O Zerubbabel, declares the LORD. Be strong, O Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest. And be strong, all you people of the land, declares the LORD. Work! For I am with you, declares the LORD of Hosts.
5 ARST That is what I promised your ancestors when I brought them out of slavery in Egypt and made a covenant with them.{ And I am still keeping that promise now, since} my Spirit is living among you. So do not be afraid{ of the people who are trying to keep you from rebuilding my temple}!’ BSB BSB: This is the promise I made to you when you came out of Egypt. And My Spirit remains among you; do not be afraid.”
6 ARST Do not be afraid, because Yahweh, the commander of the heavenly armies, is telling you,‘Soon it will be as if I am shaking the sky and the earth, the sea and the land. BSB BSB: For this is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land.
8 ARST Yahweh, the commander of the heavenly armies, says,“The silver and gold that the people of other nations have really belong to me. BSB BSB: The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine, declares the LORD of Hosts.
9 ARST Yahweh, the commander of the heavenly armies, says,‘The temple will be even more glorious in the future than it was in the past.’ Yahweh, the commander of the heavenly armies, also says,‘I will protect the temple from people who would want to destroy it.’” BSB BSB: The latter glory of this house will be greater than the former, says the LORD of Hosts. And in this place I will provide peace, declares the LORD of Hosts.”
10 ARST Yahweh spoke another message to the prophet Haggai on the twenty- fourth day of the ninth month of Darius' second year as king of Persia. Yahweh told Haggai, BSB BSB: On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to Haggai the prophet, saying,
11 ARST “This is what I, Yahweh, the commander of the heavenly armies, am telling you to do. Ask the priests a question about what Moses directed in his instructions. Say, BSB BSB: “This is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘Ask the priests for a ruling.
12 ARST ‘Suppose a priest takes{ from the altar} some meat that a person has offered to Yahweh. And suppose the priest carries the meat within his robe. If his robe touches some bread or stew or wine or olive oil or any other food, does that food become like food that someone has offered to Yahweh?’” When Haggai asked the priests this question, they replied,“No, it does not.” BSB BSB: If a man carries consecrated meat in the fold of his garment, and it touches bread, stew, wine, oil, or any other food, does that item become holy?’” “No,” replied the priests.
13 ARST Then Haggai asked the priests this question:“Suppose someone becomes unclean by touching a dead body. If this unclean person then touches any food, does that food also become unclean?” The priests replied,“Yes, that food does become unclean.” BSB BSB: So Haggai asked, “If one who is defiled by contact with a corpse touches any of these, does it become defiled?” “Yes, it becomes defiled,” the priests answered.
14 ARST Then Haggai said,“Yahweh is telling you this:‘I consider you Jewish people to be unclean as well! And since you are unclean, the crops that you grow and the animals that you raise are also unclean. And so you cannot offer those unclean crops or the unclean meat from those animals on the altar at the temple. BSB BSB: Then Haggai replied, “So it is with this people and this nation before Me, declares the LORD, and so it is with every work of their hands; whatever they offer there is defiled.
15 ARST So now think about what has been happening to you during this whole time that you have not been rebuilding my temple. BSB BSB: Now consider carefully from this day forward: Before one stone was placed on another in the temple of the LORD,
16 ARST During that time, when you thought you could take 20 measures of grain from a heap, you found that there were only 10 measures in the heap. When you thought you could draw 50 measures of wine out of a wine vat, you found that there were only 20 measures in the vat. BSB BSB: from that time, when one came expecting a heap of twenty ephahs of grain, there were but ten. When one came to the winepress to draw out fifty baths, there were but twenty.
17 ARST I caused blight, mildew, and hail to destroy all the crops that you worked so hard to raise. Even so, you did not do what I wanted you to do and rebuild my temple.’ This is what Yahweh is saying to you. BSB BSB: I struck you—all the work of your hands—with blight, mildew, and hail, but you did not turn to Me, declares the LORD.
18 ARST Think about what has been happening to you during the whole time between when you laid the foundation of my temple{ when you first returned from exile} until this day, the twenty- fourth day of the ninth month. Yes, think about that! BSB BSB: Consider carefully from this day forward—from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, the day the foundation of the LORD’s temple was laid—consider carefully:
19 ARST You have no grain left in your barns. Your grapevines have not been producing grapes. Your fig trees have not been producing figs. Your pomegranate trees have not been producing pomegranates. Your olive trees have not been producing olives. But from now on, I will bless you{ with an abundance of crops}!’” BSB BSB: Is there still seed in the barn? The vine, the fig, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have not yet yielded fruit. But from this day on, I will bless you.”
20 ARST Yahweh then gave a second message to Haggai on that same day. He said, BSB BSB: For the second time that day, the twenty-fourth day of the month, the word of the LORD came to Haggai, saying,
21 ARST “Tell Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, this for me:‘It is going to be as if I am shaking the sky and the earth. BSB BSB: “Tell Zerubbabel governor of Judah that I am about to shake the heavens and the earth:
22 ARST It will seem that way because I am going to stop kingdoms from ruling over other kingdoms. I am going to make strong nations weak. I am going to do this by making the nations fight wars against each other. When they do, they will completely destroy one another' s armies.’ BSB BSB: I will overturn royal thrones and destroy the power of the kingdoms of the nations. I will overturn chariots and their riders; horses and their riders will fall, each by the sword of his brother.
23 ARST Tell Zerubbabel for me, Yahweh, the commander of the heavenly armies,‘After I destroy the armies of the other kingdoms, I am going to make you powerful, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, my servant.’ Tell him for me, Yahweh,‘Just as a king seals his orders with a signet ring, so I will use you to accomplish my purposes.’ Tell him for me, Yahweh, the commander of the heavenly armies,‘I am going to do this because I have chosen you!’” BSB BSB: On that day, declares the LORD of Hosts, I will take you, My servant, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, declares the LORD, and I will make you like My signet ring, for I have chosen you, declares the LORD of Hosts.”