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Consider Your Situation[a]

Chapter 1

In the second year of King Darius, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the Lord was communicated by the prophet Haggai to the governor of Judah, Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, and to the high priest Joshua, the son of Jehozadak: “Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘This people says that the time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the Lord.’ ” Then the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai: “Is this a time for you to live in your paneled houses while this house lies in ruins?”

Now the Lord of hosts has this to say:
    Reflect on your way of life.
You have sown much but harvested little;
    you have eaten, but never enough to satisfy you.
You drink, but never enough to cheer you;
    you are clothed, but never experience warmth.
And the one who earns wages
    puts them into a bag with a hole in it.

Therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts:

    Consider carefully how you have fared.
Go up into the hill country,
    collect timber, and build the house
so that I may take pleasure in it
    and manifest my glory,
    says the Lord.
You expected much,
    but it proved to be little.
When you brought in the harvest,
    I blew it away.
And why did I do this?
    asks the Lord of hosts.
Because my house lies in ruins,
    while each of you is concerned
    only about your own house.
10 Therefore, the heavens have withheld their rain
    and the earth has withheld its crops.
11 And I have called for a drought
    to afflict the land and the mountains,
the grain, the new wine, and the oil,
    and everything that the soil produces,
and to afflict, as well, men and animals,
    and all the products of their labor.

12 Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, and the high priest Joshua, the son of Jehozadak, and the entire remnant of the people listened to the voice of the Lord, their God, and to the words of the prophet Haggai that the Lord, their God, had sent him to deliver. As a result, the people were filled with fear because of the Lord.

13 Thereupon Haggai, the messenger of the Lord, proclaimed to the people the Lord’s message: “I am with you,” declares the Lord. 14 Then the Lord stirred up the spirit of the governor of Judah, Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, and the spirit of the high priest Joshua, the son of Jehozadak, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people. They came and began to work on the house of the Lord of hosts, their God, 15 on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month.

Courage, I Am with You[b]

Chapter 2

In the second year of King Darius,

Footnotes

  1. Haggai 1:1 The oracle dates from August of 520 B.C., and should logically end with a passage to be found further on in Hag 2:15-19.
  2. Haggai 1:15 The second, and rather modest temple, finished in 515 B.C., will later be replaced by a much more grandiose structure, due to the initiative of King Herod. Christ himself will admire its magnificence (Mk 13:1), but he will also proclaim that he himself is the true temple in which all human beings will be brought together in unity (Jn 4:20-21). Haggai foretells the new order which Jesus will then bring to pass.

Command to Rebuild the Temple

In the second year of King Darius,[a](A) on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the Lord came through Haggai(B) the prophet to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel,(C) the governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest:(D)

“The Lord of Hosts says this: These people say: The time has not come for the house of the Lord to be rebuilt.”(E)

The word of the Lord came through Haggai the prophet: “Is it a time for you yourselves to live in your paneled houses,(F) while this house[b] lies in ruins?” Now, the Lord of Hosts says this: “Think carefully(G) about[c] your ways:

You have planted much
but harvested little.
You eat
but never have enough to be satisfied.
You drink
but never have enough to become drunk.
You put on clothes
but never have enough to get warm.
The wage earner puts his wages
into a bag with a hole in it.”(H)

The Lord of Hosts says this: “Think carefully about[d] your ways. Go up into the hills, bring down lumber, and build the house. Then I will be pleased with it and be glorified,” says the Lord. “You expected much, but then it amounted to little. When you brought the harvest to your house, I ruined[e] it. Why?” This is the declaration of the Lord of Hosts. “Because My house still lies in ruins, while each of you is busy with his own house.

10 So on your account,[f]
the skies have withheld the dew
and the land its crops.(I)
11 I have summoned a drought
on the fields and the hills,
on the grain, new wine, olive oil,
and whatever the ground yields,
on man and beast,
and on all that your hands produce.”

The People’s Response

12 Then Zerubbabel(J) son of Shealtiel, the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak, and the entire remnant of the people(K) obeyed the voice of the Lord their God and the words of the prophet Haggai, because the Lord their God had sent him. So the people feared the Lord.(L)

13 Haggai, the Lord’s messenger, delivered the Lord’s message to the people, “I am with you”(M)—this is the Lord’s declaration.

14 The Lord stirred up the spirit(N) of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, the spirit of the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people. They began 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 King of Persia reigned 522–486 b.c.
  2. Haggai 1:4 = the temple
  3. Haggai 1:5 Lit Place your heart on
  4. Haggai 1:7 Lit Place your heart on
  5. Haggai 1:9 Lit blew on
  6. Haggai 1:10 Or So above you