Haggai 1:1-8

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] 2-5} that 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. ⁶ You harvest less than you plant, you never have enough to eat or drink, your clothes don't keep you warm, and your wages are stored in bags full of holes.

⁷ Think about what I have said! ⁸ But first, go to the hills and get wood for my temple, so I can take pride in it and be worshiped there.