In the seventh month, on the twenty first day of the month, the Lord spoke by the ministry of Haggai the prophet, saying, Speak now to Zorobabel the son of Salathiel of the tribe of Juda, and to Jesus the son of Josedek the high priest, and to all the remnant of the people, saying, Is there any of you who hath seen this house in its former glory? How then must you look upon this now as a mere nothing before you! But be strong now Zorobabel, saith the Lord; and be strong, Jesus son of Josedek the high priest; and be strong all ye people of the land, saith the Lord, and work: for I am with you saith the Lord Almighty, and my spirit is in the midst of you. Be of good courage; for thus saith the Lord Almighty, Yet once more, I will shake the heaven and the earth including the sea and dry land, and I will convulse all the nations; and the choice things of all the nations will come, and I will fill this very house with glory, saith the Lord Almighty. The silver is mine and the gold is mine, saith the Lord Almighty. Because the glory of this house shall be great, the latter greater than the first, saith the Lord Almighty; therefore in this very place I will give peace, saith the Lord Almighty—even peace of mind for a possession to every one active in again raising up this temple.

On the twenty fourth of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, a word of the Lord came to Haggai the prophet, saying, Thus saith the Lord Almighty, Ask the priests the law, saying, If a man take holy flesh in the skirt of his mantle; and the skirt of his mantle touch bread, or pottage, or wine, or oil, or any kind of food, will they be hallowed? And the priest in reply, said, No. Then Haggai said, If a polluted person—one who is unclean by a dead body touch any of these things will they be polluted? And the priests answered and said, They will be polluted. Thereupon Haggai said in reply, So is this people and so is this nation before me, saith the Lord: and so are all the works of their hands. And whoever shall come near there shall be polluted because of their morning burdens. Are they to be afflicted with grief on account of their toils? And have you hated a reprover in the gates? Recollect now, I beseech you, from that day back, before there was a stone laid upon a stone in the temple of the Lord, What were ye? When you came to measure twenty measures of barley, it was become ten. And when you went to the wine lake to draw off fifty measures, there were only twenty. I smote you with blasting and mildew and hail in all the works of your hands when you turned not to me, saith the Lord. Turn now your thoughts from this day forward, from this twenty fourth of the ninth month: and from the day on which the foundation of the house of the Lord is laid, lay up in your minds whether that will be the case in the threshing floor? whether the vine or the fig tree or the pomegranate or the olive tree will any more be unproductive? From this very day I will bless.

Moreover a word of the Lord came a second time to Haggai the prophet on the twenty fourth day of the month, saying, Say to Zorobabel the son of Salathiel of the tribe of Juda—Say, "I will shake the heaven and the earth including the sea and the dry laud, and I will overthrow the thrones of kings and destroy the power of the kings of the nations: and I will overthrow the chariots and the charioteers; and horses and their riders shall come down every one with a sword against his brother. On that day, saith the Lord Almighty, I will take thee Zorobabel the son of Salathiel my servant, saith the Lord, and make thee a signet, because I have chosen thee, saith the Lord Almighty.