Haggai 2:10–23

Though the People Are Sinful, the Lord Will Bless Them

¹⁰On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month in Darius’ second year as king, the Lord spoke his word to the prophet Haggai. He said, ¹¹“This is what the Lord of Armies says: Ask the priests for a decision. ¹²Suppose a person carries meat set aside for a holy purpose and he folds it up in his clothes. If his clothes touch bread, boiled food, wine, oil, or any kind of food, does that make the food holy?” 

The priests answered, “No.” 

¹³Haggai asked, “Suppose a person becomes unclean^bby touching a corpse. If he touches any of these things, does that make them unclean?” 

The priests answered, “That makes them unclean.” 

¹⁴Then Haggai answered, “In the same way, I have decided that these people are unclean, and so is this nation, declares the Lord. So is everything they do. Whatever offering they bring is unclean. 

¹⁵“And from now on, carefully consider this. Consider how things were before one stone was laid on another in the temple of the Lord. ¹⁶When anyone came to a pile of grain ⸤to get⸥ 20 measures, there would be only 10. And when anyone came to a wine vat to draw out 50 measures, there would be only 20 in it. ¹⁷I infested all your work with blight and mildew and struck it with hail. But you didn’t come back to me, declares the Lord. ¹⁸Carefully consider from now on, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, from the day when the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. Carefully consider: ¹⁹Is there any seed left in the barn? The vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree still haven’t produced. But from now on I will bless you.” 

A Promise to Zerubbabel

²⁰The Lord spoke his word to Haggai a second time on the twenty-fourth day of the month. He said, ²¹“Say to Zerubbabel (governor of Judah), ‘I am going to shake the heavens and the earth. ²²I will overthrow the thrones of kingdoms and destroy the power of nations. I will overthrow chariots and their riders, and the horses will fall along with their riders. They will kill one another with swords. ²³On that day, declares the Lord of Armies, I will take you, my servant Zerubbabel (son of Shealtiel), declares the Lord. I will make you like a signet ring, because I have chosen you, declares the Lord of Armies.’ ”