In the second year of King Darius, in the sixth month, on the first day, the word of Yahweh came through Haggai the prophet to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, saying, "Thus says Yahweh of hosts: ‘This people says, "The time has not come to rebuild the temple of Yahweh.’" And the word of Yahweh came through Haggai the prophet, saying, "Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your houses that have been paneled while this house is desolate?" And so then, thus says Yahweh of hosts: ‘Consider your ways! You have sown much but have harvested little. You have eaten without being satisfied; you have drunk without being satiated; you have worn clothes without being warm; the one who earns wages puts it in a pouch with holes.’ Thus says Yahweh of hosts: ‘Consider your ways! Go up the mountain and bring wood and build the house so that I may be pleased with it and honored,’ says Yahweh. ‘You have looked for much, and look! It came to little; and when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why?’ declares Yahweh of hosts. ‘Because my house is desolate and you are running each to your own house! Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld the dew and the earth has withheld its produce. I have called for a drought on the land and the hills, on the grain, the new wine, the olive oil, on what the soil produces, on human beings and wild animals, and on all their labor.’"

Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and all the remnant of the people gave heed to the voice of Yahweh their God and to the words of Haggai the prophet, as Yahweh their God had sent him, and the people feared Yahweh. And Haggai the messenger of Yahweh spoke to the people with the message of Yahweh, saying, "‘I am with you’ declares Yahweh." And Yahweh stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people. And they came and did the work on the house of Yahweh of hosts, their God, on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month in the second year of King Darius.

In the seventh month on the twenty-first day, the word of Yahweh came through Haggai the prophet, saying, "Speak now to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people, saying, ‘Who among you is left that saw this house in its former glory? And how do you see it now? Does it seem like nothing to you? ‘But now take courage, Zerubbabel,’ declares Yahweh. ‘Take courage, Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and take courage, all the people of the land,’ declares Yahweh. ‘Do the work, because I am with you,’ declares Yahweh of hosts, ‘according to the promise that I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. My spirit is with you; do not be afraid.’ For thus says Yahweh of hosts: ‘Once again, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and dry land. I will shake all the nations so that the treasure of all the nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says Yahweh of hosts. ‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares Yahweh of hosts. ‘The latter glory of this house will be greater than the former,’ says Yahweh of hosts, ‘and in this place I will give peace’ declares Yahweh of hosts.’"

On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of Yahweh came to the prophet Haggai, saying, "Thus says Yahweh of hosts: ‘Ask now the priests for a ruling: If a man carries consecrated meat in the hem of his garment, and his hem touches bread, or stew, or wine, or olive oil, or any kind of food, will it become holy?’" The priests answered, "No." Then Haggai said, "If one who is unclean from contact with a corpse touches any of these, will it become unclean?" The priests answered, "Yes, it will be become unclean." And Haggai answered and said, "‘So it is with this people, and with this nation before me,’ declares Yahweh, ‘and so it is with every kind of work of their hands; and what they offer there is unclean. But now, please consider from this day forward, before one stone was placed on another in the temple of Yahweh, from that time when one came to a heap of twenty measures, there were only ten, and when one came to the wine vat to draw out fifty measures, there were only twenty. I struck you with blight, and with plant mildew, and hail, all the work of your hands. But you did not come back to me,’ declares Yahweh. ‘Please consider from this day forward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, from the day that the foundation of Yahweh’s temple was laid, consider: Is there still seed in the store chamber? Do the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree still produce nothing? From this day forward I will bless you.’"

And the word of Yahweh came to Haggai a second time on the twenty-fourth day of the month saying, "Say to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah: I am going to shake the heavens and the earth, and I will overthrow the thrones of kingdoms and destroy the military strength of the kingdoms of the nations. I will overthrow chariots and their drivers; horses and their riders will fall, every one by the sword of another! ‘On that day,’ declares Yahweh of hosts, ‘I will take you, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, my servant,’ declares Yahweh, ‘and I will make you a signet ring, for I have chosen you,’ declares Yahweh of hosts."

In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of Yahweh came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berekiah, son of Iddo, saying, "Yahweh was very angry with your ancestors. You must say to them: ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts: "Return to me," declares Yahweh of hosts, "and I will return to you," says Yahweh of hosts. "Do not be like your ancestors, to whom the former prophets proclaimed, saying, ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts: "Return from your evil ways and your evil deeds!"’ But they did not hear and they did not pay attention to me," declares Yahweh. "Your ancestors, where are they? And the prophets, do they live forever? However, did not my words and my regulations which I commanded my servants the prophets overtake your ancestors? And they repented and said, ‘Yahweh of hosts planned to do with us according to our ways, and according to our deeds so he has dealt with us.’"’"

On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, the month of Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of Yahweh came to Zechariah the prophet, son of Berekiah, son of Iddo, saying, I had a vision in the night, and look, a man riding on a red horse. And he was standing between the myrtle shrubs that were in the ravine, and behind him were red, reddish-brown, and white horses. And I asked, "What are these, my lord?" And the angel who was talking with me said, "I will show you what these are." And the man standing between the myrtle shrubs answered and said, "These are those whom Yahweh has sent to patrol the earth." And they answered the angel of Yahweh who was standing between the myrtle shrubs, and they said, "We have patrolled the earth, and look, all the earth is dwelling in peace." The angel of Yahweh answered and said, "O Yahweh of hosts, how long will you have no compassion on Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, with which you showed fury these seventy years?" With gracious and comforting words Yahweh answered the angel who was talking with me. And the angel who was talking with me said to me, "Proclaim, saying, ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts: "I am very jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion! And I am extremely angry with the nations that are at ease, for while I was a little angry, they furthered disaster." Therefore, thus says Yahweh: "I have returned to Jerusalem with compassion. My temple will be built in it," declares Yahweh of hosts, "and a measuring line will be stretched out over Jerusalem."’ Proclaim again, saying, ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts: "My cities shall again overflow from prosperity, and Yahweh will comfort Zion again, and he will choose Jerusalem again."’"

And I looked up and I saw, and look, there were four horns! And I said to the angel who was talking with me, "What are these?" And he said to me, "These are the horns that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem." Then Yahweh showed me four skilled craftsmen, and I asked, "What are these coming to do?" And he answered, saying, "These are the horns that scattered Judah, so that no man lifted up his head; but these have come to frighten them, to strike down the horns of the nations that lifted a horn against the land of Judah to scatter it."

Of David.

My little children, I am writing these things to you in order that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous one, and he is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. The one who says "I have come to know him," and does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in this person. But whoever keeps his word, truly in this person the love of God has been perfected. By this we know that we are in him. The one who says that he resides in him ought also to walk just as that one walked.

Dear friends, I am not writing a new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the message which you have heard. Again, I am writing a new commandment to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light already is shining. The one who says he is in the light and hates his brother is in the darkness until now. The one who loves his brother resides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness, and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

I am writing to you, little children, because your sins have been forgiven you on account of his name. I am writing to you, fathers, because you have known the One who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have conquered the evil one. I have written to you, children, because you have known the Father. I have written to you, fathers, because you have known the One who is from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God resides in you, and you have conquered the evil one.

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him, because everything that is in the world—the desire of the flesh and the desire of the eyes and the arrogance of material possessions—is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world is passing away, and its desire, but the one who does the will of God remains forever.

Children, it is the last hour, and just as you have heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have arisen, by which we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us. But they went out, in order that it might be shown that all of them are not of us.

And you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know. I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it, and because every lie is not of the truth. Who is the liar except the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This person is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. Everyone who denies the Son does not have the Father either; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also.

As for you, what you have heard from the beginning must remain in you. If what you have heard from the beginning remains in you, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise which he himself promised us: eternal life. These things I have written to you concerning the ones who are trying to deceive you.

And as for you, the anointing which you received from him remains in you, and you do not have need that anyone teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you reside in him.

And now, little children, remain in him, so that whenever he is revealed we may have confidence and not be put to shame before him at his coming. If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness has been fathered by him.