The Builders Encouraged

1 On the twenty-first of the seventh month, the word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet saying,2 “Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people saying,3 `Who is left among you who saw this temple in its former glory? And how do you see it now? Does it not seem to you like nothing in comparison?4 `But now take courage, Zerubbabel,’ declares the LORD, `take courage also, Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and all you people of the land take courage,’ declares the LORD, `and work; for I am with you,’ declares the LORD of hosts.5 `As for the promise which I made you when you came out of Egypt, My Spirit is abiding in your midst; do not fear!’6 “For thus says the LORD of hosts, `Once more in a little while, I am going to shake the heavens and the earth, the sea also and the dry land.7 `I will shake all the nations; and they will come with the wealth of all nations, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the LORD of hosts.8 `The silver is Mine and the gold is Mine,’ declares the LORD of hosts.9 `The latter glory of this house will be greater than the former,’ says the LORD of hosts, `and in this place I will give peace,’ declares the LORD of hosts.

10 On the twenty-fourth of the ninth {month,} in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to Haggai the prophet, saying,11 “Thus says the LORD of hosts, `Ask now the priests {for} a ruling:12 `If a man carries holy meat in the fold of his garment, and touches bread with this fold, or cooked food, wine, oil, or any {other} food, will it become holy?’ And the priests answered, “No.13 Then Haggai said, “If one who is unclean from a corpse touches any of these, will {the latter} become unclean? And the priests answered, “It will become unclean.14 Then Haggai said, “ `So is this people. And so is this nation before Me,’ declares the LORD, `and so is every work of their hands; and what they offer there is unclean.15 `But now, do consider from this day onward: before one stone was placed on another in the temple of the LORD,16 from that time {when} one came to a {grain} heap of twenty {measures,} there would be only ten; and {when} one came to the wine vat to draw fifty measures, there would be {only} twenty.17 `I smote you {and} every work of your hands with blasting wind, mildew and hail; yet you {did} not {come back} to Me,’ declares the LORD.18 `Do consider from this day onward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth {month;} from the day when the temple of the LORD was founded, consider:19 `Is the seed still in the barn? Even including the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate and the olive tree, it has not borne {fruit.} Yet from this day on I will bless {you.}’ 20 Then the word of the LORD came a second time to Haggai on the twenty-fourth {day} of the month, saying,21 “Speak to Zerubbabel governor of Judah, saying, `I am going to shake the heavens and the earth.22 `I will overthrow the thrones of kingdoms and destroy the power of the kingdoms of the nations; and I will overthrow the chariots and their riders, and the horses and their riders will go down, everyone by the sword of another.’23 `On that day,’ declares the LORD of hosts, `I will take you, Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, My servant,’ declares the LORD, `and I will make you like a signet {ring,} for I have chosen you,’ declares the LORD of hosts.

Haggai Begins Temple Building

1 In the second year of Darius the king, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the LORD came by the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, saying,2 “Thus says the LORD of hosts, `This people says, “The time has not come, {even} the time for the house of the LORD to be rebuilt.’3 Then the word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet, saying,4 “Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses while this house {lies} desolate?5 Now therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts, “Consider your ways!6 “You have sown much, but harvest little; {you} eat, but {there is} not {enough} to be satisfied; {you} drink, but {there is} not {enough} to become drunk; {you} put on clothing, but no one is warm {enough;} and he who earns, earns wages {to put} into a purse with holes.

7 Thus says the LORD of hosts, “Consider your ways!8 “Go up to the mountains, bring wood and rebuild the temple, that I may be pleased with it and be glorified, says the LORD.9 “{You} look for much, but behold, {it comes} to little; when you bring {it} home, I blow it {away.} Why? declares the LORD of hosts, “Because of My house which {lies} desolate, while each of you runs to his own house.10 “Therefore, because of you the sky has withheld its dew and the earth has withheld its produce.11 “I called for a drought on the land, on the mountains, on the grain, on the new wine, on the oil, on what the ground produces, on men, on cattle, and on all the labor of your hands.

12 Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the LORD their God and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the LORD their God had sent him. And the people showed reverence for the LORD.13 Then Haggai, the messenger of the LORD, spoke by the commission of the LORD to the people saying, “ `I am with you,’ declares the LORD.14 So the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and worked on the house of the LORD of hosts, their God,15 on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month in the second year of Darius the king.

Woe to Jerusalem and the Nations

1 Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled,
The tyrannical city!2
She heeded no voice,
She accepted no instruction.
She did not trust in the LORD,
She did not draw near to her God.3
Her princes within her are roaring lions,
Her judges are wolves at evening;
They leave nothing for the morning.4
Her prophets are reckless, treacherous men;
Her priests have profaned the sanctuary.
They have done violence to the law.5
The LORD is righteous within her;
He will do no injustice.
Every morning He brings His justice to light;
He does not fail.
But the unjust knows no shame.6
“I have cut off nations;
Their corner towers are in ruins.
I have made their streets desolate,
With no one passing by;
Their cities are laid waste,
Without a man, without an inhabitant.7
“I said, `Surely you will revere Me,
Accept instruction.’
So her dwelling will not be cut off
{According to} all that I have appointed concerning her.
But they were eager to corrupt all their deeds.

8
“Therefore wait for Me, declares the LORD,
“For the day when I rise up as a witness.
Indeed, My decision is to gather nations,
To assemble kingdoms,
To pour out on them My indignation,
All My burning anger;
For all the earth will be devoured
By the fire of My zeal.9
“For then I will give to the peoples purified lips,
That all of them may call on the name of the LORD,
To serve Him shoulder to shoulder.10
“From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia
My worshipers, My dispersed ones,
Will bring My offerings.11
“In that day you will feel no shame
Because of all your deeds
By which you have rebelled against Me;
For then I will remove from your midst
Your proud, exulting ones,
And you will never again be haughty
On My holy mountain.

A Remnant of Israel12
“But I will leave among you
A humble and lowly people,
And they will take refuge in the name of the LORD.13
“The remnant of Israel will do no wrong
And tell no lies,
Nor will a deceitful tongue
Be found in their mouths;
For they will feed and lie down
With no one to make them tremble.

14
Shout for joy, O daughter of Zion!
Shout {in triumph,} O Israel!
Rejoice and exult with all {your} heart,
O daughter of Jerusalem!15
The LORD has taken away {His} judgments against you,
He has cleared away your enemies.
The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst;
You will fear disaster no more.16
In that day it will be said to Jerusalem:
“Do not be afraid, O Zion;
Do not let your hands fall limp.17
“The LORD your God is in your midst,
A victorious warrior.
He will exult over you with joy,
He will be quiet in His love,
He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.18
“I will gather those who grieve about the appointed feasts–
They came from you, {O Zion;}
{The} reproach {of exile} is a burden on them.19
“Behold, I am going to deal at that time
With all your oppressors,
I will save the lame
And gather the outcast,
And I will turn their shame into praise and renown
In all the earth.20
“At that time I will bring you in,
Even at the time when I gather you together;
Indeed, I will give you renown and praise
Among all the peoples of the earth,
When I restore your fortunes before your eyes,
Says the LORD.

Judgments on Judah’s Enemies

1 Gather yourselves together, yes, gather,
O nation without shame,2
Before the decree takes effect–
The day passes like the chaff–
Before the burning anger of the LORD comes upon you,
Before the day of the LORD’S anger comes upon you.3
Seek the LORD,
All you humble of the earth
Who have carried out His ordinances;
Seek righteousness, seek humility.
Perhaps you will be hidden
In the day of the LORD’S anger.

4
For Gaza will be abandoned
And Ashkelon a desolation;
Ashdod will be driven out at noon
And Ekron will be uprooted.5
Woe to the inhabitants of the seacoast,
The nation of the Cherethites!
The word of the LORD is against you,
O Canaan, land of the Philistines;
And I will destroy you
So that there will be no inhabitant.6
So the seacoast will be pastures,
{With} caves for shepherds and folds for flocks.7
And the coast will be
For the remnant of the house of Judah,
They will pasture on it.
In the houses of Ashkelon they will lie down at evening;
For the LORD their God will care for them
And restore their fortune.

8
“I have heard the taunting of Moab
And the revilings of the sons of Ammon,
With which they have taunted My people
And become arrogant against their territory.9
“Therefore, as I live, declares the LORD of hosts,
The God of Israel,
“Surely Moab will be like Sodom
And the sons of Ammon like Gomorrah–
A place possessed by nettles and salt pits,
And a perpetual desolation.
The remnant of My people will plunder them
And the remainder of My nation will inherit them.

10 This they will have in return for their pride, because they have taunted and become arrogant against the people of the LORD of hosts.11 The LORD will be terrifying to them, for He will starve all the gods of the earth; and all the coastlands of the nations will bow down to Him, everyone from his {own} place.

12
“You also, O Ethiopians, will be slain by My sword.13
And He will stretch out His hand against the north
And destroy Assyria,
And He will make Nineveh a desolation,
Parched like the wilderness.14
Flocks will lie down in her midst,
All beasts which range in herds;
Both the pelican and the hedgehog
Will lodge in the tops of her pillars;
Birds will sing in the window,
Desolation {will be} on the threshold;
For He has laid bare the cedar work.15
This is the exultant city
Which dwells securely,
Who says in her heart,
“I am, and there is no one besides me.
How she has become a desolation,
A resting place for beasts!
Everyone who passes by her will hiss
{And} wave his hand {in contempt.}

Day of Judgment on Judah

1 The word of the LORD which came to Zephaniah son of Cushi, son of Gedaliah, son of Amariah, son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah:

2
“I will completely remove all {things}
From the face of the earth, declares the LORD.3
“I will remove man and beast;
I will remove the birds of the sky
And the fish of the sea,
And the ruins along with the wicked;
And I will cut off man from the face of the earth, declares the LORD.4
“So I will stretch out My hand against Judah
And against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
And I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place,
{And} the names of the idolatrous priests along with the priests.5
“And those who bow down on the housetops to the host of heaven,
And those who bow down {and} swear to the LORD and {yet} swear by Milcom,6
And those who have turned back from following the LORD,
And those who have not sought the LORD or inquired of Him.

7
Be silent before the Lord GOD!
For the day of the LORD is near,
For the LORD has prepared a sacrifice,
He has consecrated His guests.8
“Then it will come about on the day of the LORD’S sacrifice
That I will punish the princes, the king’s sons
And all who clothe themselves with foreign garments.9
“And I will punish on that day all who leap on the {temple} threshold,
Who fill the house of their lord with violence and deceit.10
“On that day, declares the LORD,
“There will be the sound of a cry from the Fish Gate,
A wail from the Second Quarter,
And a loud crash from the hills.11
“Wail, O inhabitants of the Mortar,
For all the people of Canaan will be silenced;
All who weigh out silver will be cut off.12
“It will come about at that time
That I will search Jerusalem with lamps,
And I will punish the men
Who are stagnant in spirit,
Who say in their hearts,
`The LORD will not do good or evil!’13
“Moreover, their wealth will become plunder
And their houses desolate;
Yes, they will build houses but not inhabit {them,}
And plant vineyards but not drink their wine.

14
Near is the great day of the LORD,
Near and coming very quickly;
Listen, the day of the LORD!
In it the warrior cries out bitterly.15
A day of wrath is that day,
A day of trouble and distress,
A day of destruction and desolation,
A day of darkness and gloom,
A day of clouds and thick darkness,16
A day of trumpet and battle cry
Against the fortified cities
And the high corner towers.17
I will bring distress on men
So that they will walk like the blind,
Because they have sinned against the LORD;
And their blood will be poured out like dust
And their flesh like dung.18
Neither their silver nor their gold
Will be able to deliver them
On the day of the LORD’S wrath;
And all the earth will be devoured
In the fire of His jealousy,
For He will make a complete end,
Indeed a terrifying one,
Of all the inhabitants of the earth.

God’s Deliverance of His People

1 A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, according to Shigionoth

2
LORD, I have heard the report about You {and} I fear.
O LORD, revive Your work in the midst of the years,
In the midst of the years make it known;
In wrath remember mercy.

3
God comes from Teman,
And the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah.
His splendor covers the heavens,
And the earth is full of His praise.4
{His} radiance is like the sunlight;
He has rays {flashing} from His hand,
And there is the hiding of His power.5
Before Him goes pestilence,
And plague comes after Him.6
He stood and surveyed the earth;
He looked and startled the nations.
Yes, the perpetual mountains were shattered,
The ancient hills collapsed.
His ways are everlasting.7
I saw the tents of Cushan under distress,
The tent curtains of the land of Midian were trembling.

8
Did the LORD rage against the rivers,
Or {was} Your anger against the rivers,
Or {was} Your wrath against the sea,
That You rode on Your horses,
On Your chariots of salvation?9
Your bow was made bare,
The rods of chastisement were sworn. Selah.
You cleaved the earth with rivers.10
The mountains saw You {and} quaked;
The downpour of waters swept by.
The deep uttered forth its voice,
It lifted high its hands.11
Sun {and} moon stood in their places;
They went away at the light of Your arrows,
At the radiance of Your gleaming spear.12
In indignation You marched through the earth;
In anger You trampled the nations.13
You went forth for the salvation of Your people,
For the salvation of Your anointed.
You struck the head of the house of the evil
To lay him open from thigh to neck. Selah.14
You pierced with his own spears
The head of his throngs.
They stormed in to scatter us;
Their exultation {was} like those
Who devour the oppressed in secret.15
You trampled on the sea with Your horses,
On the surge of many waters. 16
I heard and my inward parts trembled,
At the sound my lips quivered.
Decay enters my bones,
And in my place I tremble.
Because I must wait quietly for the day of distress,
For the people to arise {who} will invade us.17
Though the fig tree should not blossom
And there be no fruit on the vines,
{Though} the yield of the olive should fail
And the fields produce no food,
Though the flock should be cut off from the fold
And there be no cattle in the stalls,18
Yet I will exult in the LORD,
I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.19
The Lord GOD is my strength,
And He has made my feet like hinds’ {feet,}
And makes me walk on my high places.
For the choir director, on my stringed instruments.

God Answers the Prophet

1
I will stand on my guard post
And station myself on the rampart;
And I will keep watch to see what He will speak to me,
And how I may reply when I am reproved.2
Then the LORD answered me and said,
“Record the vision
And inscribe {it} on tablets,
That the one who reads it may run.3
“For the vision is yet for the appointed time;
It hastens toward the goal and it will not fail.
Though it tarries, wait for it;
For it will certainly come, it will not delay.

4
“Behold, as for the proud one,
His soul is not right within him;
But the righteous will live by his faith.5
“Furthermore, wine betrays the haughty man,
So that he does not stay at home.
He enlarges his appetite like Sheol,
And he is like death, never satisfied.
He also gathers to himself all nations
And collects to himself all peoples.

6
“Will not all of these take up a taunt-song against him,
Even mockery {and} insinuations against him
And say, `Woe to him who increases what is not his–
For how long–
And makes himself rich with loans?’7
“Will not your creditors rise up suddenly,
And those who collect from you awaken?
Indeed, you will become plunder for them.8
“Because you have looted many nations,
All the remainder of the peoples will loot you–
Because of human bloodshed and violence done to the land,
To the town and all its inhabitants.

9
“Woe to him who gets evil gain for his house
To put his nest on high,
To be delivered from the hand of calamity!10
“You have devised a shameful thing for your house
By cutting off many peoples;
So you are sinning against yourself.11
“Surely the stone will cry out from the wall,
And the rafter will answer it from the framework.

12
“Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed
And founds a town with violence!13
“Is it not indeed from the LORD of hosts
That peoples toil for fire,
And nations grow weary for nothing?14
“For the earth will be filled
With the knowledge of the glory of the LORD,
As the waters cover the sea.

15
“Woe to you who make your neighbors drink,
Who mix in your venom even to make {them} drunk
So as to look on their nakedness!16
“You will be filled with disgrace rather than honor.
Now you yourself drink and expose your {own} nakedness.
The cup in the LORD’S right hand will come around to you,
And utter disgrace {will come} upon your glory.17
“For the violence done to Lebanon will overwhelm you,
And the devastation of {its} beasts by which you terrified them,
Because of human bloodshed and violence done to the land,
To the town and all its inhabitants.

18
“What profit is the idol when its maker has carved it,
{Or} an image, a teacher of falsehood?
For {its} maker trusts in his {own} handiwork
When he fashions speechless idols.19
“Woe to him who says to a {piece of} wood, `Awake!’
To a mute stone, `Arise!’
{And} that is {your} teacher?
Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver,
And there is no breath at all inside it.20
“But the LORD is in His holy temple.
Let all the earth be silent before Him.

Chaldeans Used to Punish Judah

1 The oracle which Habakkuk the prophet saw.

2
How long, O LORD, will I call for help,
And You will not hear?
I cry out to You, “Violence!
Yet You do not save.3
Why do You make me see iniquity,
And cause {me} to look on wickedness?
Yes, destruction and violence are before me;
Strife exists and contention arises.4
Therefore the law is ignored
And justice is never upheld.
For the wicked surround the righteous;
Therefore justice comes out perverted.

5
“Look among the nations! Observe!
Be astonished! Wonder!
Because {I am} doing something in your days–
You would not believe if you were told.6
“For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans,
That fierce and impetuous people
Who march throughout the earth
To seize dwelling places which are not theirs.7
“They are dreaded and feared;
Their justice and authority originate with themselves.8
“Their horses are swifter than leopards
And keener than wolves in the evening.
Their horsemen come galloping,
Their horsemen come from afar;
They fly like an eagle swooping {down} to devour.9
“All of them come for violence.
Their horde of faces {moves} forward.
They collect captives like sand.10
“They mock at kings
And rulers are a laughing matter to them.
They laugh at every fortress
And heap up rubble to capture it.11
“Then they will sweep through {like} the wind and pass on.
But they will be held guilty,
They whose strength is their god.

12
Are You not from everlasting,
O LORD, my God, my Holy One?
We will not die.
You, O LORD, have appointed them to judge;
And You, O Rock, have established them to correct.13
{Your} eyes are too pure to approve evil,
And You can not look on wickedness {with favor.}
Why do You look with favor
On those who deal treacherously?
Why are You silent when the wicked swallow up
Those more righteous than they?14
{Why} have You made men like the fish of the sea,
Like creeping things without a ruler over them?15
{The Chaldeans} bring all of them up with a hook,
Drag them away with their net,
And gather them together in their fishing net.
Therefore they rejoice and are glad.16
Therefore they offer a sacrifice to their net
And burn incense to their fishing net;
Because through these things their catch is large,
And their food is plentiful.17
Will they therefore empty their net
And continually slay nations without sparing?

Nineveh’s Complete Ruin

1
Woe to the bloody city, completely full of lies {and} pillage;
{Her} prey never departs.2
The noise of the whip,
The noise of the rattling of the wheel,
Galloping horses
And bounding chariots!3
Horsemen charging,
Swords flashing, spears gleaming,
Many slain, a mass of corpses,
And countless dead bodies–
They stumble over the dead bodies!4
{All} because of the many harlotries of the harlot,
The charming one, the mistress of sorceries,
Who sells nations by her harlotries
And families by her sorceries.5
“Behold, I am against you, declares the LORD of hosts;
“And I will lift up your skirts over your face,
And show to the nations your nakedness
And to the kingdoms your disgrace.6
“I will throw filth on you
And make you vile,
And set you up as a spectacle.7
“And it will come about that all who see you
Will shrink from you and say,
`Nineveh is devastated!
Who will grieve for her?’
Where will I seek comforters for you?

8
Are you better than No-amon,
Which was situated by the waters of the Nile,
With water surrounding her,
Whose rampart {was} the sea,
Whose wall {consisted} of the sea?9
Ethiopia was {her} might,
And Egypt too, without limits.
Put and Lubim were among her helpers.10
Yet she became an exile,
She went into captivity;
Also her small children were dashed to pieces
At the head of every street;
They cast lots for her honorable men,
And all her great men were bound with fetters.11
You too will become drunk,
You will be hidden.
You too will search for a refuge from the enemy.12
All your fortifications are fig trees with ripe fruit–
When shaken, they fall into the eater’s mouth.13
Behold, your people are women in your midst!
The gates of your land are opened wide to your enemies;
Fire consumes your gate bars.14
Draw for yourself water for the siege!
Strengthen your fortifications!
Go into the clay and tread the mortar!
Take hold of the brick mold!15
There fire will consume you,
The sword will cut you down;
It will consume you as the locust {does.}
Multiply yourself like the creeping locust,
Multiply yourself like the swarming locust.16
You have increased your traders more than the stars of heaven–
The creeping locust strips and flies away.17
Your guardsmen are like the swarming locust.
Your marshals are like hordes of grasshoppers
Settling in the stone walls on a cold day.
The sun rises and they flee,
And the place where they are is not known.18
Your shepherds are sleeping, O king of Assyria;
Your nobles are lying down.
Your people are scattered on the mountains
And there is no one to regather {them.}19
There is no relief for your breakdown,
Your wound is incurable.
All who hear about you
Will clap {their} hands over you,
For on whom has not your evil passed continually?

The Overthrow of Nineveh

1
The one who scatters has come up against you.
Man the fortress, watch the road;
Strengthen your back, summon all {your} strength.2
For the LORD will restore the splendor of Jacob
Like the splendor of Israel,
Even though devastators have devastated them
And destroyed their vine branches.

3
The shields of his mighty men are {colored} red,
The warriors are dressed in scarlet,
The chariots are {enveloped} in flashing steel
When he is prepared {to march,}
And the cypress {spears} are brandished.4
The chariots race madly in the streets,
They rush wildly in the squares,
Their appearance is like torches,
They dash to and fro like lightning flashes.5
He remembers his nobles;
They stumble in their march,
They hurry to her wall,
And the mantelet is set up.6
The gates of the rivers are opened
And the palace is dissolved.7
It is fixed:
She is stripped, she is carried away,
And her handmaids are moaning like the sound of doves,
Beating on their breasts.

8
Though Nineveh {was} like a pool of water throughout her days,
Now they are fleeing;
“Stop, stop,
But no one turns back.9
Plunder the silver!
Plunder the gold!
For there is no limit to the treasure–
Wealth from every kind of desirable object.10
She is emptied! Yes, she is desolate and waste!
Hearts are melting and knees knocking!
Also anguish is in the whole body
And all their faces are grown pale!11
Where is the den of the lions
And the feeding place of the young lions,
Where the lion, lioness and lion’s cub prowled,
With nothing to disturb {them?}12
The lion tore enough for his cubs,
Killed {enough} for his lionesses,
And filled his lairs with prey
And his dens with torn flesh.

13 “Behold, I am against you, declares the LORD of hosts. “I will burn up her chariots in smoke, a sword will devour your young lions; I will cut off your prey from the land, and no longer will the voice of your messengers be heard.