^2:20Then the Lord spoke again to Haggai³² on the twenty-fourth day of the month:³³^2:21Tell Zerubbabel governor of Judah: ‘I am ready³⁴ to shake the sky³⁵ and the earth. ^2:22I will overthrow royal thrones and shatter the might of earthly kingdoms.³⁶ I will overthrow chariots and those who ride them, and horses and their riders will fall as people kill one another.³⁷^2:23On that day,’³⁸ says the Lord who rules over all, ‘I will take you, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, my servant,’³⁹ says the Lord, ‘and I will make you like a signet ring,⁴⁰ for I have chosen you,’ says the Lord who rules over all.”⁴¹

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Footnotes

32 Heb “and the word of the Lord came a second time to Haggai.” This Hebrew expression is like the one in 2:10 and is slightly different from the one in 1:1, 3; 2:1.
33 Again, the twenty-fourth day of the month was Kislev 24 or December 18, 520 b.c. See v. 10.
34 The participle here suggests an imminent undertaking of action (cf. , , “I am about to”). The overall language of the passage is eschatological, but eschatology finds its roots in the present.
35 See the note on the word “sky” in . Most English translations render the Hebrew term as “heavens” here.
36 Heb “the kingdoms of the nations.” Cf. “the kingdoms of the heathen”; , “foreign kingdoms.”
37 Heb “and horses and their riders will go down, a man with a sword his brother”; “every one by the sword of his brother.”
38 The expression on that day appears as a technical eschatological term in a number of other OT passages (cf., e.g., Isa 2:11, 17, 20; 3:7, 18; Amos 8:3, 9; Hos 2:18, 21).
39 My servant. The collocation of “servant” and “chosen” bears strong messianic overtones. See the so-called “Servant Songs” and other messianic texts in Isaiah (Isa 41:8; 42:1; 44:4; 49:7).
40 The noun signet ring, used also to describe Jehoiachin (Jer 22:24–30), refers to a ring seal worn by a king or other important person and used as his signature. Zerubbabel was a grandson of King Jehoiachin (1 Chr 3:17–19; Matt 1:12); God once pronounced that none of Jehoiachin’s immediate descendants would rule (Jer 22:24–30), but here he reverses that judgment. Zerubbabel never ascended to such a lofty position of rulership; he is rather a prototype of the Messiah who would sit on David’s throne.
41 The repetition of the formula “says the Lord who rules over all” in v. 23 emphasizes the solemn and divine nature of the promise.

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

The word of the Lord came a second time to Haggai on the twenty-fourth day of the month, “Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I am about to shake the heavens and the earth, and to overthrow the throne of kingdoms. I am about to destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the nations, and overthrow the chariots and their riders. And the horses and their riders shall go down, every one by the sword of his brother. On that day, declares the Lord of hosts, I will take you, O Zerubbabel my servant, the son of Shealtiel, declares the Lord, and make you like a signet ring, for I have chosen you, declares the Lord of hosts.”

NIVNew International Version (2011)

The word of the Lord came to Haggai a second time on the twenty-fourth day of the month: “Tell Zerubbabel governor of Judah that I am going to shake the heavens and the earth. I will overturn royal thrones and shatter the power of the foreign kingdoms. I will overthrow chariots and their drivers; horses and their riders will fall, each by the sword of his brother.

“ ‘On that day,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘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 Almighty.”

CSBChristian Standard Bible

The word of the Lord came to Haggai a second time on the twenty-fourth day of the month: “Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah: I am going to shake the heavens and the earth. I will overturn royal thrones and destroy the power of the Gentile kingdoms. I will overturn chariots and their riders. Horses and their riders will fall, each by his brother’s sword. On that day”—this is the declaration of the Lord of Armies—“I will take you, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, my servant”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“and make you like my signet ring, for I have chosen you.” This is the declaration of the Lord of Armies.

NLTNew Living Translation

On that same day, December 18, the Lord sent this second message to Haggai: “Tell Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, that I am about to shake the heavens and the earth. I will overthrow royal thrones and destroy the power of foreign kingdoms. I will overturn their chariots and riders. The horses will fall, and their riders will kill each other.

“But when this happens, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, I will honor you, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, my servant. I will make you like a signet ring on my finger, says the Lord, for I have chosen you. I, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, have spoken!”

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

And the word of Yahweh came to Haggai a second time on the twenty-fourth day of the month saying, “Say to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah: I am going to shake the heavens and the earth, and I will overthrow the thrones of kingdoms and destroy the military strength of the kingdoms of the nations. I will overthrow chariots and their drivers; horses and their riders will fall, every one by the sword of another! ‘On that day,’ declares Yahweh of hosts, ‘I will take you, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, my servant,’ declares Yahweh, ‘and I will make you a signet ring, for I have chosen you,’ declares Yahweh of hosts.”

KJV 1900King James Version

And again the word of the Lord came unto Haggai in the four and twentieth day of the month, saying, Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying,

I will shake the heavens and the earth;

And I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms,

And I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the heathen;

And I will overthrow the chariots, and those that ride in them;

And the horses and their riders shall come down,

Every one by the sword of his brother.

In that day, saith the Lord of hosts,

Will I take thee, O Zerubbabel, my servant, the son of Shealtiel, saith the Lord,

And will make thee as a signet:

For I have chosen thee, saith the Lord of hosts.

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