New International Reader's Version

Haggai 2:4-17 New International Reader's Version (NIRV)

4. " 'But be strong, Zerubbabel,' announces the Lord. 'Be strong, Jeshua. Be strong, all of you people in the land,' announces the Lord. 'Start rebuilding. I am with you,' announces the Lord who rules over all.

5. 'That is what I promised you when you came out of Egypt. My Spirit continues to be with you. So do not be afraid.' "

6. The Lord says, "In a little while I will shake the heavens and the earth once more. I will also shake the ocean and the dry land.

7. I will shake all of the nations. Then what they consider to be priceless will come to my temple. And I will fill the temple with glory," says the Lord who rules over all.

8. "The silver belongs to me. So does the gold," announces the Lord.

9. "The new temple will be more beautiful than the first one was," says the Lord. "And in this place I will give peace to my people," announces the Lord who rules over all.

10. A third message came to me from the Lord. It came on the 24th day of the ninth month of the second year that Darius was king.

11. The Lord who rules over all speaks. He says, "Ask the priests what the law says.

12. Suppose someone carries holy meat in the clothes he is wearing. And the clothes touch some bread or stew. Or they touch some wine, olive oil or other food. Then do those things also become holy?" The priests answered, "No."

13. So I said, "Suppose someone is made 'unclean' by touching a dead body. And then he touches one of those things. Does it become 'unclean' too?" "Yes," the priests replied. "It does."

14. Then I said, "The Lord announces, 'That is how I look at these people and this nation. Anything they do and anything they sacrifice on the altar is "unclean."

15. " 'Now think carefully about the time before one stone was laid on top of another in my temple.

16. People went to get 20 measures of grain. But they could find only 10. They went to where the wine was stored to get 50 measures. But only 20 were there.

17. You worked very hard to produce all of those things. But I struck them with rot, mold and hail. And you still did not turn to me,' announces the Lord.