1 Then on October 17 of that same year, the Lord sent another message through the prophet Haggai. 2 “Say this to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Jeshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of God’s people...

1 On August 29 of the second year of King Darius’s reign, the Lord gave a message through the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Jeshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest. 2 “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s...

1 Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you I couldn’t talk to you as I would to spiritual people. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in Christ. 2 I had to feed...

11 Don’t forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders. You were called “uncircumcised heathens” by the Jews, who were proud of their circumcision, even though it affected only their bodies and not their hearts. 12 In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded...

1 Then Eliashib the high priest and the other priests started to rebuild at the Sheep Gate. They dedicated it and set up its doors, building the wall as far as the Tower of the Hundred, which they dedicated, and the Tower of Hananel. 2...

1 I give you thanks, O Lord, with all my heart;I will sing your praises before the gods.2 I bow before your holy Temple as I worship.I praise your name for your unfailing love and faithfulness;for your promises are backedby all the honor of your...

1 Watch, for the day of the Lord is coming when your possessions will be plundered right in front of you! 2 I will gather all the nations to fight against Jerusalem. The city will be taken, the houses looted, and the women raped. Half...

1 The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.The world and all its people belong to him.2 For he laid the earth’s foundation on the seasand built it on the ocean depths. 3 Who may climb the mountain of the Lord?Who may stand in his...

1 Then another message came to me from the Lord of Heaven’s Armies: 2 “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: My love for Mount Zion is passionate and strong; I am consumed with passion for Jerusalem! 3 “And now the Lord says: I...

1 Praise the Lord!How good to sing praises to our God!    How delightful and how fitting!2 The Lord is rebuilding Jerusalem    and bringing the exiles back to Israel.3 He heals the brokenhearted    and bandages their wounds.4 He counts the stars    and calls them all by name.5 How great is our Lord! His power is absolute!    His understanding is...

11 So I arrived in Jerusalem. Three days later, 12 I slipped out during the night, taking only a few others with me. I had not told anyone about the plans God had put in my heart for Jerusalem. We took no pack animals with...

1 I was glad when they said to me,“Let us go to the house of the Lord.”2 And now here we are,standing inside your gates, O Jerusalem.3 Jerusalem is a well-built city;its seamless walls cannot be breached.4 All the tribes of Israel—the Lord’s people—make their...

4 This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says to all the captives he has exiled to Babylon from Jerusalem: 5 “Build homes, and plan to stay. Plant gardens, and eat the food they produce. 6 Marry and have children....

22 This is what the Sovereign Lord says:“See, I will give a signal to the godless nations.They will carry your little sons back to you in their arms;they will bring your daughters on their shoulders.23 Kings and queens will serve youand care for all your...

8 This is what the Lord says: “At just the right time, I will respond to you.On the day of salvation I will help you.I will protect you and give you to the peopleas my covenant with them.Through you I will reestablish the land of Israeland...

1 Listen to me, all you in distant lands!Pay attention, you who are far away!The Lord called me before my birth;from within the womb he called me by name.2 He made my words of judgment as sharp as a sword.He has hidden me in the...

1 Early the following spring, in the month of Nisan, during the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes’ reign, I was serving the king his wine. I had never before appeared sad in his presence. 2 So the king asked me, “Why are you looking so...

1 Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth!2 Worship the Lord with gladness.Come before him, singing with joy.3 Acknowledge that the Lord is God!He made us, and we are his.We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving;go...

1 In early autumn, when the Israelites had settled in their towns, all the people assembled in Jerusalem with a unified purpose. 2 Then Jeshua son of Jehozadak joined his fellow priests and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel with his family in rebuilding the altar of...

1 Have mercy on me, O God,because of your unfailing love.Because of your great compassion,blot out the stain of my sins.2 Wash me clean from my guilt.Purify me from my sin.3 For I recognize my rebellion;it haunts me day and night.4 Against you, and you...

1 Here is the list of the Jewish exiles of the provinces who returned from their captivity. King Nebuchadnezzar had deported them to Babylon, but now they returned to Jerusalem and the other towns in Judah where they originally lived. 2 Their leaders were Zerubbabel,...

1 Then Solomon prayed, “O Lord, you have said that you would live in a thick cloud of darkness. 2 Now I have built a glorious Temple for you, a place where you can live forever!”3 Then the king turned around to the entire community of Israel standing before him...

1 These are the memoirs of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah. In late autumn, in the month of Kislev, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes’ reign, I was at the fortress of Susa. 2 Hanani, one of my brothers, came to visit me with some other...

1 In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, the Lord fulfilled the prophecy he had given through Jeremiah. He stirred the heart of Cyrus to put this proclamation in writing and to send it throughout his kingdom: 2 “This is what King Cyrus of...

1 So on January 15, during the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon led his entire army against Jerusalem. They surrounded the city and built siege ramps against its walls. 2 Jerusalem was kept under siege until the eleventh year of King...