In the seventh month, in the twenty-first day of the month, the Word of YAHWEH1 came by Haggai the prophet, saying, 2“Speak now to Zerubbabel Ibn Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Yusha Ibn Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people, saying, 3‘Who is left among you who saw this House in its former glory? How do you see it now? Isn’t it in your eyes as nothing? 4Yet now be strong, Zerubbabel,’ says YAHWEH. ‘Be strong, Yusha, son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land,’ says YAHWEH, ‘and work, for I am with you,’ says YAHWEH All-Powerful. 5‘This is the Word that I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt, and my Spirit lived among you. Do not be afraid.’
6“For thus says YAHWEH All-Powerful: ‘In a little while, yet once more I will shake the heavens and the earth,2 the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations. The precious things of all nations will come, and I will fill this House with glory,’ says YAHWEH All-Powerful. 8‘The silver is mine, and the gold is mine,’ says YAHWEH All-Powerful. 9‘The latter glory of this House will be greater than the former,’ says YAHWEH All-Powerful. ‘And in this place will I give peace,’ says YAHWEH All-Powerful.“
10In the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the Word of YAHWEH came by Haggai the prophet, saying, 11“Thus says YAHWEH All-Powerful: Ask now the priests concerning the Taurat, saying, 12‘If someone carries holy meat in the fold of his garment, and with his fold touches bread, stew, wine, oil, or any food, will it become holy?'”
The priests answered, “No.”
13Then Haggai said, “If one who is unclean by reason of a dead body touch any of these, will it be unclean?”
The priests answered, “It will be unclean.”
14Then Haggai answered, “‘So is this people, and so is this nation before me,’ says YAHWEH; ‘and so is every work of their hands. That which they offer there is unclean.
15“‘Now, please consider from this day and backward, before a stone was laid on a stone in the Temple of YAHWEH. 16Through all that time, when one came to a heap of twenty measures, there were only ten. When one came to the wine vat to draw out fifty, there were only twenty. 17I struck you with blight, mildew, and hail in all the work of your hands; yet you did not turn to me,’ says YAHWEH. 18‘Consider, please, from this day and backward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, since the day that the foundation of YAHWEH’s Temple was laid, consider it. 19Is the seed yet in the barn? Yes, the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have not brought forth. From this day will I bless you.'”
20The Word of YAHWEH came the second time to Haggai in the twenty-fourth day of the month, saying, 21“Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, ‘I will shake the heavens and the earth. 22I will overthrow the thrones of kingdoms. I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the nations. I will overthrow the chariots, and those who ride in them. The horses and their riders will come down, everyone by the sword of his brother.
23“‘In that day,’ says YAHWEH All-Powerful, ‘I will take you Zerubbabel my servant, Ibn Shealtiel,’ says YAHWEH, ‘and will make you as a signet, for I have chosen you,’ says YAHWEH All-Powerful.”
- 2:1 YAHWEH, the name God revealed to Prophet Musa in the Taurat, Exodus 3:15 – God said moreover to Musa, “You shall tell Bani-Israel this, ‘YAHWEH, the God of your fathers, the God of Ibrahim, the God of Ishaq, and the God of Yaqub, has sent me to you.’ This is my Name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered to all generations.” ↩︎
- 2:6 yet once more I will shake the heavens and the earth, Quoted in the Injil, Hebrews 12:26 in the midst of an appeal to take God seriously and refuse to rationalize disobedience to his Word. Hebrews 12:25-29 says, “See that you do not refuse him who speaks. For if they didn’t escape when they refused him who warned on the earth, how much more will we not escape who turn away from him who warns from heaven, whose voice shook the earth then, but now he has promised, saying, ‘Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heavens.’ This phrase, ‘Yet once more,’ signifies the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that have been made, that those things which are not shaken may remain. Therefore, receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be grateful, by which we worship God acceptably, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.” ↩︎