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The Work on the Temple Stopped

24 So the work stopped[a] on God’s Temple in Jerusalem. The work did not continue until the second year[b] that Darius was king of Persia.

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Footnotes

  1. Ezra 4:24 the work stopped Here, this refers to the time of Xerxes, when work on the Temple was stopped, not to the time of Artaxerxes, when work on the walls around Jerusalem was stopped.
  2. Ezra 4:24 second year That is, 520 B.C.

This is what the Lord All-Powerful said, “The people say it is not yet the right time to build the Lord’s Temple.”

Again Haggai received a message from the Lord. Haggai spoke this message: “You people think the right time has come for you to live in nice houses. You live in houses with beautiful wooden paneling on the walls, but the Lord’s house is still in ruins. Now the Lord All-Powerful says, ‘Think about what is happening. You have planted many seeds, but you have gathered only a few crops. You have food to eat, but not enough to get full. You have something to drink, but not enough to get drunk. You have some clothes to wear, but not enough to keep warm. You earn a little money, but you don’t know where it all goes. It’s as though there is a hole in your pocket!’[a]

The Lord All-Powerful said, “Think about what you are doing. Go up to the mountains, get the wood, and build the Temple. Then I will be pleased with the Temple, and I will be honored.” This is what the Lord said.

The Lord All-Powerful said, “You people look for a big harvest, but when you go to gather the crop, there is only a little grain. So you bring that grain home, and then I send a wind that blows it all away. Why is this happening? Because my house is still in ruins while each of you runs home to take care of your own house.

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Footnotes

  1. Haggai 1:6 You … pocket Or “The one who saves money is putting it into a purse full of holes.”

15 “‘Think about what has happened to you. Think about how things were before you began working on the Lord’s Temple.

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The Lord All-Powerful says, “Be strong! You people are hearing the same message today that the prophets gave when the Lord All-Powerful first laid the foundations to rebuild his Temple.

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