Hello, this is Father Paul, and I'm glad we're
taking this journey together to read the Bible
in a year. Today's reading is from the book of
Ezra chapter 3, as well as the entire book of
Haggai chapters 1 and 2. The book of Ezra chapter
3. And when the seventh month had come, and the
children of Israel were in the cities, the people
gathered together as one man to Jerusalem. Then
Jeshua the son of Jehozadak and his brethren
the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel
and his brethren, arose and built the altar of
the God of Israel to offer burnt offerings on
it, as it is written in the law of Moses the
man of God. Though fear had come upon them because
of the people of those countries, they set the
altar on its bases, and they offered burnt offerings
on it to the Lord, both the morning and evening
burnt offerings. They also kept the Feast of
Tabernacles as it is written, and offered the
daily burnt offerings in the number required
by ordinance for each day. Afterwards, they offered
the regular burnt offering, and those for new
moons, and for all the appointed feasts of the
Lord that were consecrated, and those of everyone
who willingly offered a freewill offering to
the Lord. From the first day of the seventh month,
they began to offer burnt offerings to the Lord,
although the foundation of the temple of the
Lord had not been laid. they also gave money
to the masons and the carpenters and food drink
and oil to the people of sidon and tyre to bring
cedar logs from lebanon to the sea to joppa according
to the permission which they had from cyrus king
of persia now in the second month of the second
year of their coming to the house of god at jerusalem
zerubbabel the son of shealtiel jeshua the son
of jozadak and the rest of their brethren the
priests and the levites and all those who had
come out of the captivity to jerusalem began
work and appointed the levites from twenty years
old and above to oversee the work of the house
of the lord then jeshua with his sons and brothers
kadmiel with his sons and the sons of judah arose
as one to oversee those working on the house
of God, the sons of Hinnadad, with their sons
and their brethren, the Levites. When the builders
laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord,
the priests stood in their apparel with trumpets,
and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals,
to praise the Lord according to the ordinance
of David king of Israel. And they sang responsibly,
praising and giving thanks to the Lord, for he
is good, for his mercy endures forever toward
Israel. Then all the people shouted with a great
shout, when they praised the Lord, because the
foundation of the house of the Lord was laid.
But many of the priests and Levites and heads
of the fathers' houses, old men who had seen
the first temple, wept with a loud voice when
the foundation of this temple was laid before
their eyes. Yet many shouted aloud for joy, so
that the people could not discern the noise of
the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping
of the people. For the people shouted with a
loud shout, and the sound was heard afar off.
From the Book of Haggai, Chapter 1 In the second
year of King Darius, in the sixth month, on the
first day of the month, the word of the Lord
came to Haggai the prophet, to Zerubbabel the
son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua
the son of Jehozadak the high priest, saying,
Thus speaks the Lord of hosts, saying, This people
says the time has not come, the time that the
Lord's house should be built. Then the word of
the Lord came by Haggai the prophet, saying,
Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your
paneled houses, and this temple to lie in ruins?
Now therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts, consider
your ways. You have sown much and bring in little.
You eat, but do not have enough. You drink, but
you are not filled with drink. You clothe yourselves,
but no one is warm. And he who earns wages, earns
wages to put into a bag with holes. Thus says
the Lord of hosts, Consider your ways. Go up
to the mountains and bring wood and build a temple,
that I may take pleasure in it and be glorified,
says the Lord. You looked for much, but indeed
it came to little. And when you brought it home,
I blew it away. Why? says the Lord of hosts,
because of my house that is in ruins, while every
one of you runs to his own house. Therefore the
heavens above you withhold the dew, and the earth
withholds its fruit. For I called for a drought
on the land and the mountains, on the grain and
the new wine and the oil, on whatever the ground
brings forth, on men and livestock, and on all
the labor of your hands. 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 feared
the presence of the Lord. Then Haggai, the Lord's
messenger, spoke the Lord's message to the people,
saying, I am with you, says the Lord. 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, on the twenty
-fourth day of the sixth month, in the second
year of King Darius. Chapter 2 In the seventh
month, on the twenty -first of the month, the
word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet,
saying, 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, Who is left among you who saw this temple
in its former glory? And how do you see it now?
In comparison with it, is this not in your eyes
as nothing? Yet now be strong, Zerubbabel, says
the Lord, and be strong, Joshua son of Jehozadak,
the high priest, and be strong, all you people
of the land, says the Lord, and work, for I am
with you. says the Lord of hosts, according to
the word that I covenanted with you when you
came out of Egypt, so my spirit remains among
you, do not fear. For thus says the Lord of hosts,
once more, it is a little while, I will shake
heaven and earth, the sea and dry land, and I
will shake all nations, and they shall come to
the desire of all nations, and I will fill this
temple with glory, says the Lord of hosts, the
silver is mine and the gold is mine, says the
Lord of hosts. The glory of this latter temple
shall be greater than the former, says the Lord
of hosts. And in this place I will give peace,
says the Lord of hosts. On the twenty -fourth
day of the ninth month, in the second year of
Darius, the word of the Lord came by Haggai the
prophet, saying, Thus says the Lord of hosts,
Now ask the priests concerning the law, saying,
If one carries holy meat in the fold of his garment,
and with the edge he touches bread or stew, wine
or oil, or any food, Will it become holy? Then
the priests answered and said, No. And Haggai
said, If one who is unclean because of a dead
body touches any of these, will it be unclean?
So the priests answered and said, It shall be
unclean. Then Haggai answered and said, So is
this people, and so is this nation before me,
says the Lord, and so is every work of their
hands, and what they offer there is unclean.
And now, Carefully consider from this day forward,
from before stone was laid upon stone in the
temple of the Lord. Since those days, when one
came to a heap of twenty ephes, there were but
ten. When one came to the wine vat to draw out
fifty baths from the press, there were but twenty.
I struck you with blight and mildew, and hail
in all the labors of your hands, yet you did
not turn to me, says the Lord. Consider now from
this day forward, from the twenty -fourth day
of the ninth month, from the day that the foundation
of the Lord's temple was laid. Consider it. Is
the seed still in the barn? As yet the vine,
the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive
tree have not yet yielded fruit, but from this
day I will bless you. And again the word of the
Lord came to Haggai on the 24th day of the month,
saying, Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah,
saying, I will shake heaven and earth. I will
overthrow the throne of kingdoms. I will destroy
the strength of the Gentile kingdoms. I will
overthrow the chariots and those who ride in
them. The horses and their riders shall come
down, every one by the sword of his brother.
In that day, says the Lord of hosts, I will take
you Zerubbabel my servant, the son of Shealtiel,
says the Lord, and will make you like a signet
ring, for I have chosen you, says the Lord of
hosts. I hope you enjoyed today's reading as
much as I did, and I look forward to seeing you
again tomorrow to continue on our journey. God
bless you and have a great day.