Study Desk

The people of Judah who survive will occupy your land. They will pasture their flocks there and sleep in the houses of Ashkelon. The Lord their God will be with them and make them prosper again.

As surely as I am the living Lord , the God of Israel, I swear that Moab and Ammon are going to be destroyed like Sodom and Gomorrah. They will become a place of salt pits and everlasting ruin, overgrown with weeds. Those of my people who survive will plunder them and take their land."

The prophets are irresponsible and treacherous; the priests defile what is sacred, and twist the law of God to their own advantage.

The Lord your God is with you; his power gives you victory. The Lord will take delight in you, and in his love he will give you new life. He will sing and be joyful over you,

Then Zerubbabel and Joshua and all the people who had returned from the exile in Babylonia, did what the Lord their God told them to do. They were afraid and obeyed the prophet Haggai, the Lord 's messenger.

The Lord inspired everyone to work on the Temple: Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah; Joshua, the High Priest, and all the people who had returned from the exile. They began working on the Temple of the Lord Almighty, their God,

"Don't you know?" he asked me. "No, I don't, sir," I replied. The angel said to me, "The seven lamps are the seven eyes of the Lord , which see all over the earth." Then I asked him, "What do the two olive trees on either side of the lampstand mean? And what is the meaning of the two olive branches beside the two gold pipes from which the olive oil pours?" He asked me, "Don't you know?" "No, I don't, sir," I answered. Then he said, "These are the two men whom God has chosen and anointed to serve him, the Lord of the whole earth."

Then he said, "These are the two men whom God has chosen and anointed to serve him, the Lord of the whole earth." The angel told me to give Zerubbabel this message from the Lord : "You will succeed, not by military might or by your own strength, but by my spirit. Obstacles as great as mountains will disappear before you. You will rebuild the Temple, and as you put the last stone in place, the people will shout, ‘Beautiful, beautiful!'" Another message came to me from the Lord . He said, "Zerubbabel has laid the foundation of the Temple, and he will finish the building. When this happens, my people will know that it is I who sent you to them. They are disappointed because so little progress is being made. But they will see Zerubbabel continuing to build the Temple, and they will be glad."

Men who live far away will come and help to rebuild the Temple of the Lord . And when it is rebuilt, you will know that the Lord Almighty sent me to you. This will all happen if you fully obey the commands of the Lord your God.

and will bring them back from east and west to live in Jerusalem. They will be my people, and I will be their God, ruling over them faithfully and justly.

In those days ten foreigners will come to one Jew and say, ‘We want to share in your destiny, because we have heard that God is with you.'"

"I will make the people of Judah strong; I will rescue the people of Israel. I will have compassion on them and bring them all back home. They will be as though I had never rejected them. I am the Lord their God; I will answer their prayers.

The Lord my God said to me, "Act the part of the shepherd of a flock of sheep that are going to be butchered.

Then the clans of Judah will say to themselves, ‘The Lord God Almighty gives strength to his people who live in Jerusalem.'

At that time the Lord will protect those who live in Jerusalem, and even the weakest among them will become as strong as David was. The descendants of David will lead them like the angel of the Lord , like God himself.

And I will test the third that survives and will purify them as silver is purified by fire. I will test them as gold is tested. Then they will pray to me, and I will answer them. I will tell them that they are my people, and they will confess that I am their God."

You will escape through this valley that divides the mountain in two. You will flee as your ancestors did when the earthquake struck in the time of King Uzziah of Judah. The Lord my God will come, bringing all the angels with him.

Then the Lord will be king over all the earth; everyone will worship him as God and know him by the same name.

Now, you priests, try asking God to be good to us. He will not answer your prayer, and it will be your fault.

It is the duty of priests to teach the true knowledge of God. People should go to them to learn my will, because they are the messengers of the Lord Almighty.