Haggai 2:15-19
New Catholic Bible
15 But now, think back to recent times as you ponder the future. Before one stone was laid upon another in the temple of the Lord, how did you fare?
16 When you came to a heap
of twenty measures of grain,
you would find only ten.
When you came to a wine vat
to draw fifty measures,
you would find only twenty.
17 I struck you and all the products of your toil
with blight and mildew and hail.
Even so, you would not return to me,
says the Lord.
18 Now consider from this day forward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month. From the day on which the foundations of the temple of the Lord was laid, consider:
19 Previously the seed had not sprouted,
and the vine and the fig tree,
the pomegranate and the olive tree,
had borne no fruit.
From this day forward
I intend to bless you.
Haggai 2:15-19
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
15 Now reflect,[a] from this day forward—before you set stone to stone in the temple of the Lord, 16 what was your experience?
When one went to a heap of grain for twenty ephahs,
there were only ten;
When one went to a vat to draw fifty ephahs,[b]
there were only twenty.(A)
17 I struck you, and all the work of your hands,
with searing wind, blight, and hail,
yet you did not return to me—oracle of the Lord.(B)
18 Reflect from this day forward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month.[c] From the day on which the temple of the Lord was founded, reflect!
19 Is there still seed in the storehouse?
Have the vine, the fig, the pomegranate,
and the olive tree still not borne fruit?
From this day, I will bless you.[d]
Future Hope.[e]
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 2:15–19 This prophecy is retrospective and should be read with 1:5–11, a description of the conditions of economic deprivation before the rebuilding of the Temple.
- 2:16 Ephahs: see note on Is 5:10.
- 2:18 Twenty-fourth day of the ninth month: December 18, 520 B.C., the date of the refounding of the Temple (vv. 10, 20), the central date in Haggai.
- 2:19 I will bless you: from the day of the refounding of the Temple, agricultural plenty and fertility are assured. This link between temple and prosperity is part of the ancient Near Eastern temple ideology that underlies Haggai and Zec 1–8.
- 2:20–23 This final oracle of hope is uttered on the day of the refounding of the Temple. Unlike the other oracles it is addressed to Zerubbabel alone, who, as a Davidic descendant, will have a servant role in God’s future Israelite kingdom to be established when God intervenes to overthrow the nations.
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.