¹² Zerubbabel and Joshua, together with the others who had returned from exile in Babylonia, obeyed the Lord's message spoken by his prophet Haggai, and they started showing proper respect for the Lord.

^6 (A) So the angel explained that it was the following message of the Lord to Zerubbabel:^[a]

I am the Lord All-Powerful. So don't depend on your own power or strength, but on my Spirit. ⁷ Zerubbabel, that mountain in front of you will be leveled to the ground. Then you will bring out the temple's most important stone and shout, “God has been very kind.”^[b]

⁸ The Lord spoke to me again and said:

⁹ Zerubbabel laid the foundation for the temple, and he will complete it. Then everyone will know that you were sent by me, the Lord All-Powerful.