Haggai 2:10–23

The People are Defiled

¹⁰On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet, saying, ¹¹“Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Now, ^lask the priests concerning the law, saying, ¹²“If one carries holy meat in the fold of his garment, and with the edge he touches bread or stew, wine or oil, or any food, will it become holy?” ’ ”

Then the priests answered and said, “No.”

¹³And Haggai said, “If one who is ^munclean because of a dead body touches any of these, will it be unclean?”

So the priests answered and said, “It shall be unclean.”

¹⁴Then Haggai answered and said, ⁿ“ ‘So is this people, and so is this nation before Me,’ says the Lord, ‘and so is every work of their hands; and what they offer there is unclean.

Promised Blessing

¹⁵‘And now, carefully ^oconsider from this day forward: from before stone was laid upon stone in the temple of the Lord—¹⁶since those days, ^pwhen one came to a heap of twenty ephahs, there were but ten; when one came to the wine vat to draw out fifty baths from the press, there were but twenty. ^17qI struck you with blight and mildew and hail ^rin all the labors of your hands; ^syet you did not turn to Me,’ says the Lord. ¹⁸‘Consider now from this day forward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, from ^tthe day that the foundation of the Lord’s temple was laid—consider it: ^19uIs the seed still in the barn? As yet the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have not yielded fruit. But from this day I will ^vbless you.’ ”

Zerubbabel Chosen as a Signet

²⁰And again the word of the Lord came to Haggai on the twenty-fourth day of the month, saying, ²¹“Speak to Zerubbabel, ^wgovernor of Judah, saying:

^x‘I will shake heaven and earth.

^22yI will overthrow the throne of kingdoms;

I will destroy the strength of the Gentile kingdoms.

^zI will overthrow the chariots

And those who ride in them;

The horses and their riders shall come down,

Every one by the sword of his brother.

²³‘In that day,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘I will take you, Zerubbabel My servant, the son of Shealtiel,’ says the Lord, ^a‘and will make you like a signet ring; for ^bI have chosen you,’ says the Lord of hosts.