Study Desk

Their wealth will be stolen and their houses destroyed. They may build houses, but they will not live in them. They may plant vineyards, but they will not drink any wine from them.

I will make life hard on the people; they will walk around like the blind, because they have sinned against the Lord . Their blood will be poured out like dust, and their insides will be dumped like trash.

It will belong to the descendants of Judah who are left alive. There they will let their sheep eat grass. At night they will sleep in the houses of Ashkelon. The Lord their God will pay attention to them and will make their life good again.

"I have heard the insults of the country of Moab and the threats of the people of Ammon. They have insulted my people and have taken their land."

So the Lord All-Powerful, the God of Israel, says, "As surely as I live, Moab will be destroyed like Sodom, and Ammon will be destroyed like Gomorrah— a heap of weeds, a pit of salt, and a ruin forever. Those of my people who are left alive will take whatever they want from them; those who are left from my nation will take their land."

This is what Moab and Ammon get for being proud, because they insulted and made fun of the people of the Lord All-Powerful.

Its officers are like roaring lions. Its rulers are like hungry wolves that attack in the evening, and in the morning nothing is left of those they attacked.

But the Lord is good, and he is there in that city. He does no wrong. Every morning he governs the people fairly; every day he can be trusted. But evil people are not ashamed of what they do.

I said, ‘Surely now Jerusalem will respect me and will accept my teaching.' Then the place where they lived would not be destroyed, and I would not have to punish them. But they were still eager to do evil in everything they did.

But I will leave in the city the humble and those who are not proud, and they will trust in the Lord .

Those who are left alive in Israel won't do wrong or tell lies; they won't trick people with their words. They will eat and lie down with no one to make them afraid."

At that time I will punish all those who harmed you. I will save my people who cannot walk and gather my people who have been thrown out. I will give them praise and honor in every place where they were shamed.

The Lord stirred up Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, the governor of Judah, and Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and all the rest of the people who were left alive. So they came and worked on the Temple of their God, the Lord All-Powerful.

I will shake all the nations, and they will bring their wealth. Then I will fill this Temple with glory,' says the Lord All-Powerful.

Then Haggai answered, "The Lord says, ‘This is also true for the people of this nation. They are unclean, and everything they do with their hands is unclean to me. Whatever they offer at the altar is also unclean.

Don't be like your ancestors. In the past the prophets said to them: This is what the Lord All-Powerful says: ‘Stop your evil ways and evil actions.' But they wouldn't listen or pay attention to me, says the Lord .

I commanded my words and laws to my servants the prophets, and they preached to your ancestors, who returned to me. They said, ‘The Lord All-Powerful did as he said he would. He punished us for the way we lived and for what we did.'"

Then they spoke to the Lord 's angel, who was standing among the myrtle trees. They said, "We have gone through all the earth, and everything is calm and quiet."

And I am very angry with the nations that feel so safe. I was only a little angry at them, but they made things worse.'

I asked, "What are they coming to do?" He answered, "They have come to scare and throw down the horns. These horns scattered the people of Judah so that no one could even lift up his head. These horns stand for the nations that attacked the people of Judah and scattered them."