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The Temple Lies in Ruins

In the second year of King Darius, in the sixth month, on the first day, the word of Yahweh came through[a] 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.’” [b] And the word of Yahweh came through[c] Haggai the prophet, saying, Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your houses that have been paneled while this house[d] is desolate?” And so then, thus says Yahweh of hosts: ‘Consider your ways![e] You have sown much but have harvested little. You have eaten without being satisfied; you have drunk without being satiated;[f] you have worn clothes without being warm; the one who earns wages puts it in a pouch with holes.’[g] Thus says Yahweh of hosts: ‘Consider your ways![h] Go up the mountain and bring wood and build the house[i] 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[j] Yahweh of hosts. ‘Because my house is desolate and you are running each to your own house! 10 Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld the dew and the earth has withheld its produce. 11 I have called for a drought on the land and the hills,[k] on the grain, the new wine, the olive oil, on what the soil produces, on human beings and wild animals,[l] and on all their labor.’”[m]

12 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.[n] 13 And Haggai the messenger of Yahweh spoke to the people with the message of Yahweh, saying, “‘I am with you’ declares[o] Yahweh.” 14 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, 15 on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month in the second year of King Darius.

Footnotes

  1. Haggai 1:1 Literally “through the hand of”
  2. Haggai 1:2 Literally “The time is not coming, the time for the house of Yahweh to be built”
  3. Haggai 1:3 Literally “through the hand of”
  4. Haggai 1:4 That is, the temple
  5. Haggai 1:5 Literally “Set your heart on your ways”
  6. Haggai 1:6 Literally “You have drunk, without becoming drunk”
  7. Haggai 1:6 Literally “a pierced pouch”
  8. Haggai 1:7 Literally “Set your heart on your ways”
  9. Haggai 1:8 That is, the temple
  10. Haggai 1:9 Literally “a declaration of ”
  11. Haggai 1:11 Or mountains
  12. Haggai 1:11 Hebrew “animal”
  13. Haggai 1:11 Literally “all the labor of the hands”
  14. Haggai 1:12 Literally “and the people feared from before Yahweh”
  15. Haggai 1:13 Literally “a declaration of”

Call to Rebuild the Temple

On the first day of the sixth month of the second year of the reign of[a] King Darius, this message from the Lord came by[b] Haggai[c] the prophet to Shealtiel’s son Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, and to Jehozadak’s son Joshua, the high priest:

“This is what the Lord of the Heavenly Armies says: ‘These people keep saying, “No, the right[d] time for rebuilding the Lord’s Temple has not yet come.”’”

Then this message from the Lord came by[e] Haggai the prophet: “Is it the right[f] time for all of you to live in your own paneled houses while this house remains in ruins?”

Consequences of Not Rebuilding

“Now this is what the Lord of the Heavenly Armies, says: ‘Carefully consider your ways:

You have sowed much
    but have reaped little.
You have eaten
    but don’t have enough to become satisfied.
You have drunk
    but don’t have enough to become intoxicated.
You have clothed yourself
    but don’t have enough to keep warm.
And the hired laborer deposits his salary
    in a bag full of holes!’”

Command to Rebuild the Temple

“This is what the Lord of the Heavenly Armies says: ‘Carefully consider your ways: Go up into the mountains, bring timber, and reconstruct my house. Then I will be pleased with it and I will be honored,’ says the Lord. ‘You turned away in pursuit of abundance, but look at how little you found![g] What you did manage to bring home, I blew away! And why?’ declares the Lord of the Heavenly Armies. ‘It’s because of my house! It lies in ruins while each of you runs off to his own house! 10 That is why the heavens keep withholding dew from you, and the earth withholds her fruit. 11 I sent a drought on the land, on the mountains, on your grain, on your new wines, on your oil—on everything the ground produces—on men, on livestock, and on everything you do![h]’”

The People Obey

12 Then Shealtiel’s son Zerubbabel, Jehozadak’s son Joshua the high priest, and all the rest[i] of the people obeyed the Lord their God and the words of Haggai the prophet, because the Lord their God had sent him. And the people feared the Lord. 13 Haggai, the messenger of the Lord, spoke to the people with a special commission[j] from the Lord: “‘I am with you,’ declares the Lord.”

14 Then the Lord revitalized the spirit of Shealtiel’s son Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, the spirit of Jehozadak’s son Joshua the high priest, and the spirit of all the rest[k] of the people, so they came and began to work on the house of their God, the Lord of the Heavenly Armies. 15 This took place on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month of the second year of the reign of[l] King Darius.

Footnotes

  1. Haggai 1:1 The Heb. lacks the reign of
  2. Haggai 1:1 Lit. by the hand of
  3. Haggai 1:1 The Heb. name Haggai means festive
  4. Haggai 1:2 The Heb. lacks right
  5. Haggai 1:3 Lit. by the hand of
  6. Haggai 1:4 The Heb. lacks right
  7. Haggai 1:9 The Heb. lacks you found
  8. Haggai 1:11 Lit. every product of your labor
  9. Haggai 1:12 Or the whole remnant
  10. Haggai 1:13 Or message
  11. Haggai 1:14 Or the whole remnant
  12. Haggai 1:15 The Heb. lacks the reign of