Bible Reading Plan
October 7
Haggai 1-2
Chapter 1
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.
Chapter 2
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.
"Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, © Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission." (www.Lockman.org)