Day 330 of 365

¹Woe to her who is rebellious and polluted, the oppressing city!

²She did not obey the voice. She did not receive correction. She did not trust in the Lord. She did not draw near to her God.

³Her princes in the midst of her are roaring lions. Her judges are evening wolves. They leave nothing until the next day.

⁴Her prophets are arrogant and treacherous people. Her priests have profaned the sanctuary. They have done violence to the law.

⁵The Lord, in the midst of her, is righteous. He will do no wrong. Every morning he brings his justice to light. He doesn't fail, but the unjust know no shame.

⁶I have cut off nations. Their battlements are desolate. I have made their streets waste, so that no one passes by. Their cities are destroyed, so that there is no man, so that there is no inhabitant.

⁷I said, "Just fear me. Receive correction, so that her dwelling won't be cut off, according to all that I have appointed concerning her." But they rose early and corrupted all their doings.

⁸"Therefore wait for me," says the Lord, "until the day that I rise up to the prey, for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour on them my indignation, even all my fierce anger, for all the earth will be devoured with the fire of my jealousy.

⁹For then I will purify the lips of the peoples, that they may all call on the name of the Lord, to serve him shoulder to shoulder.

¹⁰From beyond the rivers of Cush, my worshipers, even the daughter of my dispersed people, will bring my offering.

¹¹In that day you will not be disappointed for all your doings, in which you have transgressed against me; for then I will take away out of the midst of you your proudly exulting ones, and you will no more be haughty in my holy mountain.

¹²But I will leave in the midst of you an afflicted and poor people, and they will take refuge in the name of the Lord.

¹³The remnant of Israel will not do iniquity, nor speak lies, neither will a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth, for they will feed and lie down, and no one will make them afraid."

¹⁴Sing, daughter of Zion! Shout, Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, daughter of Jerusalem.

¹⁵The Lord has taken away your judgments. He has thrown out your enemy. The King of Israel, the Lord, is in the midst of you. You will not be afraid of evil any more.

¹⁶In that day, it will be said to Jerusalem, "Do not be afraid, Zion. Do not let your hands be weak."

¹⁷The Lord, your God, is in the midst of you, a mighty one who will save. He will rejoice over you with joy. He will calm you in his love. He will rejoice over you with singing.

¹⁸I will remove those who grieve about the appointed feasts from you. They are a burden and a reproach to you.

¹⁹Behold, at that time I will deal with all those who afflict you, and I will save those who are lame, and gather those who were driven away. I will give them praise and honor, whose shame has been in all the earth.

²⁰At that time will I bring you in, and at that time will I gather you; for I will give you honor and praise among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes, says the Lord.

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."

¹I will extol you, Lord, for you have raised me up, and have not made my foes to rejoice over me.

²Lord my God, I cried to you, and you have healed me.

³Lord, you have brought up my soul from Sheol. You have kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.

⁴Sing praise to the Lord, you holy ones of his. Give thanks to his holy name.

⁵For his anger is but for a moment. His favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may stay for the night, but joy comes in the morning.

⁶As for me, I said in my prosperity, "I shall never be moved."

⁷You, Lord, when you favored me, made my mountain stand strong; but when you hid your face, I was troubled.

⁸I cried to you, Lord. To the Lord I made supplication:

⁹"What profit is there in my destruction, if I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise you? Shall it declare your truth?

¹⁰Hear, Lord, and have mercy on me. Lord, be my helper."

¹¹You have turned my mourning into dancing for me. You have removed my sackcloth, and clothed me with gladness,

¹²To the end that my heart may sing praise to you, and not be silent. Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!

¹Wine is a mocker, and beer is a brawler. Whoever is led astray by them is not wise.

²The terror of a king is like the roaring of a lion. He who provokes him to anger forfeits his own life.

³It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife; but every fool will be quarreling.

⁴The sluggard will not plow by reason of the winter; therefore he shall beg in harvest, and have nothing.

⁵Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water; but a man of understanding will draw it out.

⁶Many men claim to be men of unfailing love, but who can find a faithful man?

⁷A righteous man walks in integrity. Blessed are his children after him.

⁸A king who sits on the throne of judgment scatters away all evil with his eyes.

⁹Who can say, "I have made my heart pure. I am clean and without sin?"

¹⁰Differing weights and differing measures, both of them alike are an abomination to the Lord.

¹¹Even a child makes himself known by his doings, whether his work is pure, and whether it is right.

¹²The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, The Lord has made even both of them.

¹³Do not love sleep, lest you come to poverty. Open your eyes, and you shall be satisfied with bread.

¹⁴"It's no good, it's no good," says the buyer; but when he is gone his way, then he boasts.

¹⁵There is gold and abundance of rubies; but the lips of knowledge are a rare jewel.

¹⁶Take the garment of one who puts up collateral for a stranger; and hold him in pledge for a wayward woman.

¹⁷Fraudulent food is sweet to a man, but afterwards his mouth is filled with gravel.

¹⁸Plans are established by advice; by wise guidance you wage war!

¹⁹He who goes about as a tale-bearer reveals secrets; therefore do not keep company with him who opens wide his lips.

²⁰Whoever curses his father or his mother, his lamp shall be put out in blackness of darkness.

²¹An inheritance quickly gained at the beginning, won't be blessed in the end.

²²Do not say, "I will pay back evil." Wait for the Lord, and he will save you.

²³The Lord detests differing weights, and dishonest scales are not pleasing.

²⁴A man's steps are from the Lord; how then can man understand his way?

²⁵It is a snare to a man to make a rash dedication, then later to consider his vows.

²⁶A wise king winnows out the wicked, and drives the threshing wheel over them.

²⁷The spirit of man is the Lord's lamp, searching all his innermost parts.

²⁸Love and faithfulness keep the king safe. His throne is sustained by love.

²⁹The glory of young men is their strength. The splendor of old men is their gray hair.

³⁰Wounding blows cleanse away evil, and beatings purge the innermost parts.