Haggai 1:1-5

Contemporary English Version

Rebuild the Temple

1 ^(A) On the first day of the sixth month of the second year that Darius was king of Persia,^[a] the Lord told Haggai the prophet to speak his message to the governor of Judah and to the high priest.

So Haggai told Governor Zerubbabel and High Priest Joshua^[b] ^2-5that the Lord All-Powerful had said to them and to the people:

You say this isn't the right time to build a temple for me. But is it right for you to live in expensive houses,^[c] while my temple is a pile of ruins? Just look at what's happening.

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Footnotes

1.1 sixth month … king of Persia: Elul, the sixth month of the Hebrew calendar, from about mid-August to mid-September; the second year of the rule of Darius was 520 b.c.
1.1 Governor … Joshua: Hebrew “Governor Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and High Priest Joshua son of Jehozadak.”
1.2-5 expensive houses: Either houses with paneled interiors or with roofs; the temple was not yet completely rebuilt at this time.