Zephaniah 3 - Haggai 2
International Standard Version
The Lord’s Rebuke to Jerusalem
3 Woe to this filthy, polluted, and oppressive city!
2 It won’t obey anyone.[a]
It won’t accept discipline.
It does not trust in the Lord.
It does not approach God.
3 Its national officials[b] are roaring lions;
its judges are like wolves of the night
that don’t leave the bones for the morning.
4 Its prophets are arrogant and treacherous.
Its priests have contaminated the sanctuary.
They give perverse interpretations of the Law.[c]
5 The righteous Lord who lives[d] within her will do no wrong;
he will bring justice to light morning by morning.
He never fails,
but the unjust are shameless.
The Integrity of God’s Justice
6 “I have destroyed[e] nations—
their fortifications are deserted.
I have turned their main thoroughfares into wastelands
where no one will travel.
Their cities are desolate;
as a result, not one man remains—
no, not even a single resident.
7 I have said, ‘If only you would fear me,
if only you would take my instructions to heart.’
Then their houses would not have been torn down.
I have chastened them,
but they were eager to corrupt everything they were doing.”
The Future Deliverance of Israel
8 “Just you wait!” declares the Lord.
“The day will come when I stand up as a prosecutor,[f]
for I am determined to assemble the nations
and to gather the kingdoms,
in order to pour out my indignation upon them—
all of my fierce anger.
All the earth will be consumed by the fire of my jealousy.
9 Indeed, then I will return my people to a pure language[g]
so that they all may call upon the name of the Lord,
serving him with a united will.[h]
10 “From beyond the rivers of Sudan[i] my worshipers[j]—
including my dispersed people—
will present offerings to me.
11 When this happens,[k] you will not be ashamed of your actions
by which you sinned against me,
because I will remove from among you those who revel in pride.
Arrogance will have no place in my holy mountain.
12 I will keep a humble and gentle people among you,
and they will trust in the name of the Lord.
13 The survivors of Israel will not practice lawlessness
nor tell lies,
nor will a deceitful message be found in their mouths,
because they will eat and rest,
with no one to cause fear.”
Israel’s Future Joys
14 “Sing aloud, daughter of Zion!
Shout out, Israel!
Rejoice with all of your heart, daughter of Jerusalem!
15 The Lord has acquitted you;[l]
turning back your adversaries.
Israel’s king, the Lord, is among you;
you will not fear disaster anymore.
16 “When all of this happens,[m] it will be told Jerusalem,
‘Don’t be afraid!”
and to Zion,
‘Don’t lose courage!”[n]
17 The Lord your God among you is powerful—
he will save
and he will take joyful delight in you.
In his love he will renew you[o] with his love;
he will celebrate with singing because of you.
18 I will gather the afflicted from the solemn assembly;
those who were with you,
who were bearing a burden of disgrace.
19 “Watch how I deal with everyone who oppresses you!
At that time I will rescue the one who is lame,
and I will draw to me[p] the one who has been driven away.
I will honor[q] them with praise
and with a good reputation in every land
where they have been put to shame.
20 At that time I will gather you;
at that time I will bring you home.[r]
Indeed, I will give you a good reputation,
making you praiseworthy among all of the people of the world,
when I restore your prosperity before your eyes,” says the Lord.
Call to Rebuild the Temple
1 On the first day of the sixth month of the second year of the reign of[s] King Darius, this message from the Lord came by[t] Haggai[u] the prophet to Shealtiel’s son Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, and to Jehozadak’s son Joshua, the high priest:
2 “This is what the Lord of the Heavenly Armies says: ‘These people keep saying, “No, the right[v] time for rebuilding the Lord’s Temple has not yet come.”’”
3 Then this message from the Lord came by[w] Haggai the prophet: 4 “Is it the right[x] time for all of you to live in your own paneled houses while this house remains in ruins?”
Consequences of Not Rebuilding
5 “Now this is what the Lord of the Heavenly Armies, says: ‘Carefully consider your ways:
6 You have sowed much
but have reaped little.
You have eaten
but don’t have enough to become satisfied.
You have drunk
but don’t have enough to become intoxicated.
You have clothed yourself
but don’t have enough to keep warm.
And the hired laborer deposits his salary
in a bag full of holes!’”
Command to Rebuild the Temple
7 “This is what the Lord of the Heavenly Armies says: ‘Carefully consider your ways: 8 Go up into the mountains, bring timber, and reconstruct my house. Then I will be pleased with it and I will be honored,’ says the Lord. 9 ‘You turned away in pursuit of abundance, but look at how little you found![y] What you did manage to bring home, I blew away! And why?’ declares the Lord of the Heavenly Armies. ‘It’s because of my house! It lies in ruins while each of you runs off to his own house! 10 That is why the heavens keep withholding dew from you, and the earth withholds her fruit. 11 I sent a drought on the land, on the mountains, on your grain, on your new wines, on your oil—on everything the ground produces—on men, on livestock, and on everything you do![z]’”
The People Obey
12 Then Shealtiel’s son Zerubbabel, Jehozadak’s son Joshua the high priest, and all the rest[aa] of the people obeyed the Lord their God and the words of Haggai the prophet, because the Lord their God had sent him. And the people feared the Lord. 13 Haggai, the messenger of the Lord, spoke to the people with a special commission[ab] from the Lord: “‘I am with you,’ declares the Lord.”
14 Then the Lord revitalized the spirit of Shealtiel’s son Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, the spirit of Jehozadak’s son Joshua the high priest, and the spirit of all the rest[ac] of the people, so they came and began to work on the house of their God, the Lord of the Heavenly Armies. 15 This took place on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month of the second year of the reign of[ad] King Darius.
The Future Glory of the Lord’s House
2 On the twenty-first day of the seventh month, this message from the Lord came by[ae] Haggai the prophet: 2 “Speak to Shealtiel’s son Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, to Jehozadak’s son Joshua, the high priest, and to the rest[af] of the people, asking, 3 ‘Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? And what does it look like now? From what you can see, it seems like nothing, doesn’t it? 4 Now be strong, Zerubbabel,’ declares the Lord, ‘and be strong, Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and be strong, all you people of the land,’ declares the Lord. ‘Go to work, because I am with you,’ declares the Lord of the Heavenly Armies. 5 ‘My Spirit continues to dwell among you, according to[ag] the covenant I established when you came out from Egypt. Don’t be afraid!’
6 “For this is what the Lord of the Heavenly Armies says: ‘Once more, in a little while, I will make the heavens, the earth, the sea, and the dry land to shake. 7 I will shake all nations, and the One desired by all nations will come. Then I will fill this house with glory,’ says the Lord of the Heavenly Armies.
8 “The silver belongs to me, as does the gold,”[ah] declares the Lord of the Heavenly Armies. 9 “The glory of this present house will be greater than was the former,” declares the Lord of the Heavenly Armies. “And in this place I will grant peace,” declares the Lord of the Heavenly Armies.”
God’s Promise to His Sinful People
10 On the twenty-fourth day[ai] of the ninth month[aj] of the second year of the reign of[ak] King Darius, this message from the Lord came to Haggai the prophet: 11 “This is what the Lord of the Heavenly Armies says: ‘Ask the priests about what the Law says: 12 “If a man carries consecrated meat in the folds of his garment, and if his garment touches bread, stew, wine, oil, or any other edible thing,[al] will these things become consecrated?”’”[am]
The priests answered, “No.”
13 So Haggai responded, “If someone who is unclean[an] because of contact with a dead body were to touch any of these things, would they become unclean?”[ao]
The priests responded, “They would be unclean.”[ap]
14 Then Haggai answered, “‘That’s how I look at this people and this nation,’ declares the Lord. ‘And that’s how it is with everything they undertake[aq] and with what they offer there—it is unclean.[ar] 15 Pay attention[as] from now on to how things used to be before one stone had been laid upon another in the Temple of the Lord. 16 When someone came to a pile of grain to get 20 measures,[at] there were only ten. Or when someone approached the wine press to siphon out 50 measures, there were only 20. 17 I punished you and everything that you undertook[au]—with scorching wind, with mildew, and with hail, and you still did not return[av] to me,’ declares the Lord. 18 ‘Pay attention from now on, from this twenty-fourth day of the ninth month,[aw] when the foundation of the Lord’s Temple was laid. Pay attention! 19 Is there seed left in the granary? Up until now, neither the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, nor the olive tree has borne fruit, but from this very day I will bless you.’”[ax]
God’s Promise to Zerubbabel
20 This message from the Lord came a second time to Haggai on the twenty-fourth day of the month: 21 “Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah. Tell him, ‘I’m going to shake the heavens and the earth. 22 I will overthrow royal thrones. I will annihilate the strength of national governments. I will overthrow chariots along with those who drive them. Both[ay] horses and their riders will fall, each one by means of his comrade’s weapon.[az] 23 On that day,’ declares the Lord of the Heavenly Armies, ‘I will take you, my servant Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will set you in place like a signet ring. For I have chosen you,’ declares the Lord of the Heavenly Armies.”
Footnotes
- Zephaniah 3:2 Lit. obey the voice
- Zephaniah 3:3 Lit. Her princes
- Zephaniah 3:4 Lit. They do violence to the Law
- Zephaniah 3:5 The Heb. lacks within her
- Zephaniah 3:6 Lit. have cut off
- Zephaniah 3:8 Or witness
- Zephaniah 3:9 Or to pure lips
- Zephaniah 3:9 Lit. shoulder
- Zephaniah 3:10 Or Ethiopia; Lit. Cush
- Zephaniah 3:10 Lit. incense burners
- Zephaniah 3:11 Lit. On that day
- Zephaniah 3:15 Lit. has withdrawn your judgments
- Zephaniah 3:16 Lit. In that day
- Zephaniah 3:16 Lit. Don’t let your hands drop
- Zephaniah 3:17 The Heb. lacks you
- Zephaniah 3:19 The Heb. lacks to me
- Zephaniah 3:19 Lit. give
- Zephaniah 3:20 The Heb. lacks home
- Haggai 1:1 The Heb. lacks the reign of
- Haggai 1:1 Lit. by the hand of
- Haggai 1:1 The Heb. name Haggai means festive
- Haggai 1:2 The Heb. lacks right
- Haggai 1:3 Lit. by the hand of
- Haggai 1:4 The Heb. lacks right
- Haggai 1:9 The Heb. lacks you found
- Haggai 1:11 Lit. every product of your labor
- Haggai 1:12 Or the whole remnant
- Haggai 1:13 Or message
- Haggai 1:14 Or the whole remnant
- Haggai 1:15 The Heb. lacks the reign of
- Haggai 2:1 Lit. by the hand of
- Haggai 2:2 Or the whole remnant
- Haggai 2:5 The Heb. lacks according to
- Haggai 2:8 Lit. me and the gold belongs to me
- Haggai 2:10 The Heb. lacks day
- Haggai 2:10 The Heb. lacks month
- Haggai 2:10 The Heb. lacks the reign of
- Haggai 2:12 Lit. or all food
- Haggai 2:12 Or holy
- Haggai 2:13 I.e. ritually defiled
- Haggai 2:13 I.e. ritually defiled
- Haggai 2:13 I.e. ritually defiled
- Haggai 2:14 Lit. with every work of their hands
- Haggai 2:14 I.e. ritually defiled
- Haggai 2:15 The Heb. lacks Pay attention
- Haggai 2:16 Lit. a pile of 20
- Haggai 2:17 Lit. with every work of your hand
- Haggai 2:17 The Heb. lacks return
- Haggai 2:18 The Heb. lacks month
- Haggai 2:19 The Heb. lacks you
- Haggai 2:22 The Heb. lacks Both
- Haggai 2:22 Lit. sword
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