Haggai 1

1In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month, came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet unto Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, saying,footnote afootnote b

2Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the LORD’s house should be built.

3Then came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet, saying,

4Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house lie waste?

5Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.footnote c

6Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.footnote d

7Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.footnote e

8Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the LORD.

9Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith the LORD of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house.footnote f

10Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit.

11And I called for a drought upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon the corn, and upon the new wine, and upon the oil, and upon that which the ground bringeth forth, and upon men, and upon cattle, and upon all the labour of the hands.

12Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the LORD their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the LORD their God had sent him, and the people did fear before the LORD.

13Then spake Haggai the LORD’s messenger in the LORD’s message unto the people, saying, I am with you, saith the LORD.

14And the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and did work in the house of the LORD of hosts, their God,

15In the four and twentieth day of the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king.

A Call to Rebuild the Temple

1In the second year of the reign of Darius, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the LORD came through Haggai the prophet to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak,footnote a the high priest, stating 2that this is what the LORD of Hosts says:“These people say, ‘The time has not yet cometo rebuild the house of the LORD.’”

3Then the word of the LORD came through Haggai the prophet, saying:

4“Is it a time for you yourselvesto live in your paneled houses,while this house lies in ruins?”

5Now this is what the LORD of Hosts says:“Consider carefully your ways.

6You have planted muchbut harvested little.You eat but never have enough.You drink but never have your fill.You put on clothes but never get warm.You earn wages to put into a bag pierced through.”

7This is what the LORD of Hosts says:“Consider carefully your ways.

8Go up into the hills,bring down lumber, and build the house,so that I may take pleasure in it and be glorified,says the LORD. 9You expected much,but behold, it amounted to little.And what you brought home, I blew away.Why? declares the LORD of Hosts.Because My house still lies in ruins,while each of you is busywith his own house.

10Therefore, on account of youthe heavens have withheld their dewand the earth has withheld its crops. 11I have summoned a droughton the fields and on the mountains,on the grain, new wine, and oil,and on whatever the ground yields,on man and beast,and on all the labor of your hands.”

The People Obey

12Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, as well as all the remnant of the people, 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.

13Haggai, the messenger of the LORD, delivered the message of the LORD to the people:“I am with you,”declares the LORD.

14So the LORD stirred the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, as well as the spirit of all the remnant of the people. And they came and began the work on the house of the LORD of Hosts, their God, 15on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month, in the second year of King Darius.