Day 365 of 730

¹In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month, the Word of the Lord came by Haggai, the prophet, to Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua, the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, saying,

²"This is what the Lord of hosts says: These people say, 'The time hasn't yet come, the time for the Lord's house to be built.'"

³Then the Word of the Lord came by Haggai, the prophet, saying,

⁴"Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies waste?

⁵Now therefore this is what the Lord of hosts says: Consider your ways.

⁶You have sown much, and bring in little. You eat, but you do not have enough. You drink, but you aren't filled with drink. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm, and he who earns wages earns wages to put them into a bag with holes in it."

⁷This is what the Lord of hosts says: "Consider your ways.

⁸Go up to the mountain, bring wood, and build the house. I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified," says the Lord.

⁹"You looked for much, and, behold, it came to little; and when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why?" says the Lord of hosts, "Because of my house that lies waste, while each of you is busy with his own house.

¹⁰Therefore for your sake the heavens withhold the dew, and the earth withholds its fruit.

¹¹I called for a drought on the land, on the mountains, on the grain, on the new wine, on the oil, on that which the ground brings forth, on men, on livestock, and on all the labor of the hands."

¹²Then Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua, the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the Lord, their God, and the words of Haggai, the prophet, as the Lord, their God, had sent him; and the people feared the Lord.

¹³Then Haggai, the Lord's messenger, spoke the Lord's message to the people, saying, "I am with you," says the Lord.

¹⁴The Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua, the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and worked on the house of the Lord of hosts, their God,

¹⁵in the twenty-fourth day of the month, in the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king.

¹In the seventh month, in the twenty-first day of the month, the Word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet, saying,

²"Speak now to Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua, the son of 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 the Lord. 'Be strong, Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land,' says the Lord, 'and work, for I am with you,' says the Lord of hosts.

⁵This is the word that I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt, and my Spirit lived among you. 'Do not be afraid.'

⁶For this is what the Lord of hosts says: 'Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, the earth, the sea, and the dry land;

⁷and I will shake all nations. The precious things of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord of hosts.

⁸The silver is mine, and the gold is mine,' says the Lord of hosts.

⁹'The latter glory of this house will be greater than the former,' says the Lord of hosts; 'and in this place will I give peace,' says the Lord of hosts."

¹⁰In 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: Ask now the priests concerning the law, 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 the Lord; 'and so is every work of their hands. That which they offer there is unclean.

¹⁵Now, please consider from this day and backward, before a stone was laid on a stone in the temple of the Lord.

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 the Lord.

¹⁸'Consider, please, from this day and backward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, since the day that the foundation of the Lord'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 haven't brought forth. From this day will I bless you.'"

²⁰The Word of the Lord 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 throne 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.

²³In that day, says the Lord of hosts, will I take you, Zerubbabel, my servant, the son of Shealtiel,' says the Lord, 'and will make you as a signet, for I have chosen you,' says the Lord of hosts."

¹Praise waits for you, God, in Zion. To you shall vows be performed.

²You who hear prayer, to you all men will come.

³Sins overwhelmed me, but you atoned for our transgressions.

⁴Blessed is one whom you choose, and cause to come near, that he may live in your courts. We will be filled with the goodness of your house, your holy temple.

⁵By awesome deeds of righteousness, you answer us, God of our salvation. You who are the hope of all the ends of the earth, of those who are far away on the sea;

⁶Who by his power forms the mountains, having armed yourself with strength;

⁷who stills the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, and the turmoil of the nations.

⁸They also who dwell in faraway places are afraid at your wonders. You call the morning's dawn and the evening with songs of joy.

⁹You visit the earth, and water it. You greatly enrich it. The river of God is full of water. You provide them grain, for so you have ordained it.

¹⁰You drench its furrows. You level its ridges. You soften it with showers. You bless it with a crop.

¹¹You crown the year with your bounty. Your carts overflow with abundance.

¹²The wilderness grasslands overflow. The hills are clothed with gladness.

¹³The pastures are covered with flocks. The valleys also are clothed with grain. They shout for joy! They also sing.

¹Do not be envious of evil men; neither desire to be with them:

²for their hearts plot violence, and their lips talk about mischief.

³Through wisdom a house is built; by understanding it is established;

⁴by knowledge the rooms are filled with all rare and beautiful treasure.

⁵A wise man has great power; and a knowledgeable man increases strength;

⁶for by wise guidance you wage your war; and victory is in many advisors.

⁷Wisdom is too high for a fool: he doesn't open his mouth in the gate.

⁸One who plots to do evil will be called a schemer.

⁹The schemes of folly are sin. The mocker is detested by men.

¹⁰If you falter in the time of trouble, your strength is small.

¹¹Rescue those who are being led away to death! Indeed, hold back those who are staggering to the slaughter!

¹²If you say, "Behold, we did not know this;" doesn't he who weighs the hearts consider it? He who keeps your soul, doesn't he know it? Shall he not render to every man according to his work?

¹³My son, eat honey, for it is good; the droppings of the honeycomb, which are sweet to your taste:

¹⁴so you shall know wisdom to be to your soul; if you have found it, then there will be a reward, your hope will not be cut off.

¹⁵Do not lie in wait, wicked man, against the habitation of the righteous. Do not destroy his resting place:

¹⁶for a righteous man falls seven times, and rises up again; but the wicked are overthrown by calamity.

¹⁷Do not rejoice when your enemy falls. Do not let your heart be glad when he is overthrown;

¹⁸lest the Lord see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him.

¹⁹Do not fret yourself because of evildoers; neither be envious of the wicked:

²⁰for there will be no reward to the evil man; and the lamp of the wicked shall be snuffed out.

²¹My son, fear the Lord and the king. Do not join those who are rebellious:

²²for their calamity will rise suddenly; the destruction from them both-who knows?

²³These also are sayings of the wise. To show partiality in judgment is not good.

²⁴He who says to the wicked, "You are righteous;" peoples shall curse him, and nations shall abhor him-

²⁵but it will go well with those who convict the guilty, and a rich blessing will come on them.

²⁶An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips.

²⁷Prepare your work outside, and get your fields ready. Afterwards, build your house.

²⁸Do not be a witness against your neighbor without cause. Do not deceive with your lips.

²⁹Do not say, "I will do to him as he has done to me; I will render to the man according to his work."

³⁰I went by the field of the sluggard, by the vineyard of the man void of understanding;

³¹Behold, it was all grown over with thorns. Its surface was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down.

³²Then I saw, and considered well. I saw, and received instruction:

³³a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep;

³⁴so your poverty will come as a robber, and your want as an armed man.