This morning's text is found in the second chapter of Hagai versus 1 through 9.

In the second year of Darius, the king, in the seventh month on the 21st day of the month, the word of the Lord

came by Hagai the Prophet. Speak now to Zerubibald, the son of Chialel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozedak, the high

priest and to all the remnant of the people and say, who is left among you that saw this house in its former glory? How do you see it now? Is it not

in your sight as nothing? Yet now take courage, O'eruba Bell, says the Lord.

Take courage, O Joshua, son of Jehozidak, the High Priest,

Take courage all you people of the land, says the Lord. Work, for I am with you land says the Lord work for I am with you says the Lord of

hosts according to the promise that I made you when you came out of Egypt.

My spirit abides among you, fear not.

For thus says the Lord of Holsts, once again in a little while I will shake the heavens

in the earth and the sea and the dry land, and I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land and I will shake all nations

so that the treasures of all nations shall come in and I will fill this house with splendor, says the Lord of hosts.

The silver is mine and the gold is mine, says the Lord of hosts.

The latter splendor of this house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts.

And in this place I will give prosperity, says the Lord of hosts.

In 586 BC, the Babylonians sacked Jerusalem. They destroyed the temple entirely and they took almost all the Jews out of the land of Judah into captivity in Babylon.

Then about 50 years later, Cyrus the Persian took over Babylon, brought that Babylonian kingdom

to an end, and in the very next year he pronounced a decree that allowed the Jews to return

to their homeland in Israel and build the temple.

And among those returning Israelites probably were Hagai and Zakarai.

And the account of what happened in those early days after the return is found in the book of Ezra.

And Ezra sums up for us in chapter 5 what these two prophets working side by side

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