Among all the peoples on earth,
When I restore your fortunes
Before theirk very eyes
— said the LORD.
a-a Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
b Heb. kemarim, a term used only of priests of heathen gods.
c Apparently identical with “Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites’’; cf. 1 Kings 11.5.
d-d I.e., a slaughter of sinners.
e Apparently brothers of King Amon, who exercised influence during the minority of King Josiah (2 Kings 22.1).
f-f Apparently references to two customs of heathen worship; cf. 2 Kings 10.22 and 1 Sam. 5.5.
g I.e., King Josiah’s.
h A quarter of Jerusalem; cf. 2 Kings 22.14.
i Another quarter of Jerusalem.
j-j Emendation yields: “The day of the LORD is faster than a runner,/Fleeter than a warrior’’; cf. Ps. 19.6.
k Or “marrow’’; meaning of Heb. uncertain.
a-a Meaning of Heb. uncertain. Emendation yields: “O straw [Aramaic gel] not gathered in,/Before you are driven like flying chaff’’; cf. Ps. 35.5.
b Or “Phoenicia,’’ of which Philistia is regarded as an extension southward.
c Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
d-d Change of vocalization yields “rest [them]’’; cf. Song of Songs 1.7.
e-e Emendation yields “shall be slain by the sword of the LORD.’’
f To ward off a like fate from himself; cf. Jer. 18.16 and note.
a Meaning of Heb. uncertain. Emendation yields “harlot’’; cf. Isa. 1.21.
b-b Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
c Heb. “you.’’
d Heb. “her.’’
e-e Lit. “cut off [from] her vision.’’
f Understanding ad as equivalent toed, with Septuagint and Syriac.
g Lit. “back,’’ i.e., like beasts of burden.
h Emendation yields “Zion.’’ For the thought, cf. Isa. 18.1, 7.
i I.e., in My holy land; cf. Isa. 11.9; 57.13; 65.25.
j-j Meaning of Heb. uncertain. Emendation yields “renew His love/As in the days of old.’’
k Heb. “your.’’
Haggai
1 In the second year of King Darius, on the first day of the sixth month, this word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, the governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak,the high priest:
2Thus said the LORD of Hosts: These people say, a-“The time has not yet come-a for rebuilding the House of the LORD.”
3And the word of the LORD through the prophet Haggai continued:
4Is it a time for you to dwell in your paneled houses, while this House is lying in ruins? 5Now thus said the LORD of Hosts: Consider how you have been faring! 6You have sowed much and brought in little; you eat without being satisfied; you drink without getting your fill; you clothe yourselves, but no one gets warm; and he who earns anything earns it for a leaky purse.
7bThus said the LORD of Hosts: Consider how you have fared: 8Go up to the hills and get timber, and rebuild the House; then I will look on it with favor and I will c-be glorified-c—said the LORD.
9You have been expecting much and getting little; and when you brought it home, I would blow on it!d Because of what?—says the LORD of Hosts. Because of My House which lies in ruins, while you all hurry to your own houses! 10That is why the skies above you have withheld [their] moisture and the earth has withheld its yield, 11and I have summoned fierce heat upon the land—upon the hills, upon the new grain and wine and oil, upon all that the ground produces, upon man and beast, and upon all the fruits of labor.
12Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak and all the rest of the people gave heed to the summons of the LORD their God and to the words of the prophet Haggai, when the LORD their God sent him; the people feared the LORD. 13And Haggai, the LORD’s messenger, fulfilling the LORD’s mission, spoke to the people, “I am with you—declares the LORD.”
14Then the LORD roused the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, the governor of Judah, and the spirit of the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak, and the spirit of all the rest of the people: They came and set to work on the House of the LORD of Hosts, their God, 15on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month. In the second year of King
2 Darius, 1on the twenty-first day of the seventh month, the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai:
2Speak to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, the governor of Judah, and to the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak, and to the rest of the people: 3Who is there left among you who saw this House in its former splendor? How does it look to you now? It must seem like nothing to you. 4But be strong, O Zerubbabel—says the LORD—be strong, O high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak; be strong, all you people of the land—says the LORD— and act! For I am with you—says the LORD of Hosts. 5So I promised you when you came out of Egypt, and My spirit is still in your midst. Fear not!
6For thus said the LORD of Hosts: In just a little while longer I will shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land; 7I will shake all the nations. And the precious things of all the nations shall come [here], and I will fill this House with glory, said the LORD of Hosts. 8Silver is Mine and gold is Mine—says the LORD of Hosts. 9The glory of this latter House shall be greater than that of the former one, said the LORD of Hosts; and in this place I will grant prosperity—declares the LORD of Hosts.
10On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth [month], in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Haggai:
11Thus said the LORD of Hosts: Seek a ruling from the priests, as follows: 12If a man is carrying sacrificial flesh in a fold of his garment, and with that fold touches bread, stew, wine, oil, or any other food, will the latter become holy? In reply, the priests said, “No.” 13Haggai went on, “If someone defiled by a corpse touches any of these, will it be defiled?” And the priests responded, “Yes.”
14Thereupon Haggai said: That is how this people and that is how this nation looks to Me—declares the LORD—and so, too, the work of their hands: Whatever they offer there is defiled. 15And now take thought, from this day backward:a As long as no stone had been laid on another in the House of the LORD, 16if one came to a heap of twenty measures,b it would yield only ten; and if one came to a wine vat to skim off fifty measures, the press would yield only twenty. 17I struck you—all the works of your hands—with blight and mildew and hail, but c-you did not return-c to Me—declares the LORD. 18Take note, from this day forward— from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, from the day when the foundation was laid for the LORD’s Temple—take note 19while the seed is still in the granary, and the vine, fig tree, pomegranate, and olive tree have not yet borne fruit. For from this day on I will send blessings.
20And the word of the LORD came to Haggai a second time on the twenty-fourth day of the month: 21Speak to Zerubbabel the governor of Judah: I am going to shake the heavens and the earth. 22And I will overturn the thrones of kingdoms and destroy the might of the kingdoms of the nations. I will overturn chariots and their drivers. Horses and their riders shall fall, each by the sword of his fellow. 23On that day—declares the LORD of Hosts—I will take you, O My servant Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel—declares the LORD—and make you as a signet;d for I have chosen you—declares the LORD of Hosts.
a-a Lit. “It is not time for the coming of the time.”
b Vv. 7–8 would read well after v. 11.
c-c Emendation yields “glorify it”; see 2.7–9.
d Meaning, perhaps, cast a curse on.
a Or “forward.”
b I.e., of grain.
c-c Lit. “there was not with you to Me”; cf. Amos 4.9.
d I.e., bring you close to Me; contrast Jer. 22.24–30.
Zechariah
1 In the eighth month of the second year of Darius, this word of the LORD came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berechiah son of Iddo:a 2The LORD was very angry with your fathers. 3Say to them further:
Thus said the LORD of Hosts: Turn back to me—says the LORD of Hosts—and I will turn back to you—said the LORD of Hosts. 4Do not be like your fathers! For when the earlier prophets called to them, “Thus said the LORD of Hosts: Come, turn back from your evil ways and your evil deeds, they did not obey or give heed to Me—declares the LORD. 5Where are your fathers now? And did the prophets live forever? 6But the warnings and the decrees with which I charged My servants the prophets overtook your fathers—did they not?— and in the end they had to admit, ‘The LORD has dealt with us according to our ways and our deeds, just as He purposed.’ ”
7On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month of the second year of Darius—the month of Shebat—this word of the LORD came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berechiah son of Iddo:
8In the night, I had a vision. I saw a man, mounted on a bay horse, standing b-among the myrtles-b in the Deep, and behind him were bay,c sorrel,d and white horses. 9I asked, “What are those, my lord?” And the angel who talked with me answered, “I will let you know what they are.” 10Then the man who was standing b-among the myrtles-b spoke up and said, “These were sent out by the LORD to roam the earth.”
11And in fact, they reported to
