God encourages the leaders
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📚✭In the seventh month, on the twenty-first day of the month, the word of the LORD came by the prophet Haggai, 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 rest of the people, saying, 3 📚who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? And how do you see it now? In comparison with that is it not in your eyes as nothing? 4 📚Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, says the LORD, and be strong, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and be strong✭, all you people of the land, says the LORD, and work✭, for I am with you✭, says the LORD of hosts, 5 📚✭in accordance with the word that I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt; for my Spirit✭ remains among you. Do not fear✭.God will shake all nations, but bring great glory to His temple
6 📚“For thus says the LORD of hosts: Once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth✭ and the sea and the dry land, 7 📚and I will shake all nations✭, and the desire of all nations✭ will come, and I will fill this house with glory✭, says the LORD of hosts. 8 📚✭The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the LORD of hosts. 9 📚✭The glory of this latter house will be greater than that of the former, says the LORD of hosts. And in this place✭ I will give peace✭, says the LORD of hosts”.
Sinful efforts produce uncleanness
10 📚✭In 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 ask the priests concerning the law, and say, 12 📚If someone carries consecrated meat✭ in the fold of his garment, and with the fold touches bread, or stew, or wine, or oil, or any meat, will it become consecrated?” And the priests answered and said, “No”.
13 📚Then Haggai said, “If someone who is unclean by touching a dead body touches any of those, will it become unclean?” And the priests answered and said, “It will become unclean”.
14 📚Then answered Haggai, and said, “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.
The produce of the people had vanished
15 📚“And now, carefully consider from this day onward. Before a stone was laid on stone in the temple of the LORD, 16 📚📚from the time of those days, when someone came to a heap of twenty bushels, there were only ten; when someone came to the wine vat to draw fifty measures out of the vat, there were only twenty. 17 📚I struck you with blight and mildew and with hail on all the labours of your hands. Yet you did not turn to me✭, says the LORD. 18 📚Consider now from this day onward. Consider things from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, from the day that the foundation of the LORD’s temple was laid. 19 📚Is the seed still in the barn? And as yet the vine, and the fig tree, and the pomegranate, and the olive tree have not yielded fruit. From this day on I will bless you✭”.
God’s judgment on the nations
20 ✭And again the word of the LORD came to Haggai on the twenty-fourth day of the month, saying, 21 📚“Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I will shake✭ the heavens and the earth. 22 📚✭And I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms, and destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the nations. And I will overthrow the chariots and those who ride in them, and the horses and their riders will come down, each one by the sword of his brother.
A blessed promise to Zerubbabel
23 📚“In that day, says the LORD of hosts, I will take you, O Zerubbabel, my servant, the son of Shealtiel, says the LORD, and will make you like my signet ring✭; for I have chosen you, says the LORD of hosts”.