Command to Rebuild the Temple

⁷ “This is what the Lord of the Heavenly Armies says: ‘Carefully consider your ways: ⁸ 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. ⁹ ‘You turned away in pursuit of abundance, but look at how little you found!^[a] 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!^[b]’”