Ḥaggai 2:2–23

Say, please, to Zərubavel son of Shaltiel, pasha of Judea, and to Yəhoshuaʿ son of Yəhotsadaq the high priest, and to the remainder of the people and say: Who among you remains who had seen this House in its original glory, and what do you see of it now — isn’t it nothing like it in your eyes? And now, bolster yourself, Zərubavel — proclaims the CAUSE — and bolster yourself, Yəhoshuaʿ son of Yəhotsadaq the high priest, and bolster yourself, all the people of the land — proclaims the CAUSE — and make it, for I am with you — declares the CAUSE of Multitudes. Per the deal that I cut with you when you were leaving Egypt, my Spirit stands among you, don’t fear.

For thus says the CAUSE of Multitudes: just one little bit more and I’ll be shaking the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land. And I’ll shake all the nations, and the luxuries of the nations will come, and this House will be filled with glory — says the CAUSE of Multitudes. Mine is the silver and Mine is the gold — proclaims the CAUSE of Multitudes. Greater will be the glory of this latter House than the former — says the CAUSE of Multitudes — and in this place I will grant peace — proclaims the CAUSE of Multitudes.

On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month of the second year of Darəyawesh, the word of the CAUSE came to Ḥaggai the prophet and said: Thus says the CAUSE of Multitudes — ask, please, the priests a legal question, namely: If a man is carrying consecrated meat in a fold of his clothing, and touches with that fold any bread or lentils or wine or oil or any other food, is it consecrated? And the priests answered and said, “No.” And Ḥaggai said, If someone with corpse impurity touches any of these, is it defiled? And the priests answered and said, “It is.” And Ḥaggai answered and said: Thus is this people, and thus is this nation before Me — proclaims the CAUSE — and thus all the works of their hands, and what they offer there is defiled. And now, set your minds to this, from this day and prior: as long as none have set stone on stone in the palace of the CAUSE, one who came to a twenty-measure grain pile of would get only ten from it, and one who came to a wine-vat to press out fifty measures, the winepress would have only twenty. I had struck you with blight and mildew and hail, all the works of your hands; but none among you were with Me — proclaims the CAUSE. Please set your minds to this, from this day on, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, from the day of the refounding of the palace of the CAUSE — set your minds. Though the seed is still in the granary, and while the grapevine and fig and pomegranate and olive tree have not borne fruit; from this day I will bless.

And the word of the CAUSE came again to Ḥaggai the prophet on the twenty-fourth of the month and said: Say to Zərubavel the pasha of Judea and say: I’ll be shaking the heavens and the earth. And I’ll overturn monarchic thrones and destroy the strength of the monarchies of nations, and overturn chariot and rider, and the horses and their riders will go down, each by the sword of his fellow. On that day — proclaims the CAUSE of Multitudes — I will take Zərubavel son of Shəʾaltiel My servant — proclaims the CAUSE — and place him as a signet, for I trust in you — proclaims the CAUSE of Multitudes.