1 In the second yeere of King Darius, in the sixt moneth, the first day of the moneth, came ye worde of the Lord (by the ministery of the Prophet Haggai) vnto Zerubbabel the sonne of Shealtiel, a prince of Iudah, and to Iehoshua the sonne of Iehozadak the hie Priest, saying, 2 Thus speaketh the Lord of hostes, saying, This people say, The time is not yet come, that the Lords House should be builded. 3 Then came the worde of the Lord by the ministerie of the Prophet Haggai, saying, 4 Is it time for your selues to dwell in your sieled houses, and this House lie waste? 5 Now therefore thus saith ye Lord of hostes, Consider your owne wayes in your hearts. 6 Ye haue sowen much, and bring in litle: ye eate, but ye haue not ynough: ye drinke, but ye are not filled: ye clothe you, but ye be not warme: and he that earneth wages, putteth the wages into a broken bagge. 7 Thus sayth the Lord of hostes, Consider your owne wayes in your hearts. 8 Goe vp to the mountaine, and bring wood, and build this House, and I wil be fauourable in it, and I will be glorified, sayth the Lord. 9 Ye looked for much, and lo, it came to litle: and when ye brought it home, I did blowe vpon it. And why, sayth the Lord of hostes? Because of mine House that is waste, and ye runne euery man vnto his owne house. 10 Therefore the heauen ouer you stayed it selfe from dewe, and the earth stayed her fruite. 11 And I called for a drought vpon the land, and vpon the mountaines, and vpon the corne, and vpon the wine, and vpon the oyle, vpon all that the ground bringeth foorth: both vpon men and vpon cattell, and vpon all the labour of the hands. 12 When Zerubbabel the sonne of Shealtiel, and Iehoshua the sonne of Iehozadak the hie Priest with all the remnant of the people, heard the voyce of the Lord their God, and the wordes of the Prophet Haggai (as the Lord their God had sent him) then the people did feare before the Lord. 13 Then spake Haggai the Lords messenger in the Lords message vnto the people, saying, I am with you, sayth the Lord. 14 And the Lord stirred vp the spirite of Zerubbabel, the sonne of Shealtiel a prince of Iudah, and the spirit of Iehoshua the sonne of Iehozadak the hie Priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people, and they came, and did the worke in the House of the Lord of hostes their God.
The Lord's Command to Rebuild the Temple
1 During the second year that Darius was emperor of Persia, on the first day of the sixth month, the Lord spoke through the prophet Haggai. The message was for the governor of Judah, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and for the High Priest, Joshua son of Jehozadak.
2 The Lord Almighty said to Haggai, “These people say that this is not the right time to rebuild the Temple.” 3 The Lord then gave this message to the people through the prophet Haggai: 4 “My people, why should you be living in well-built houses while my Temple lies in ruins? 5 Don't you see what is happening to you? 6 You have planted much grain, but have harvested very little. You have food to eat, but not enough to make you full. You have wine to drink, but not enough to get drunk on! You have clothing, but not enough to keep you warm. And workers cannot earn enough to live on. 7 Can't you see why this has happened? 8 Now go up into the hills, get lumber, and rebuild the Temple; then I will be pleased and will be worshiped as I should be.
9 “You hoped for large harvests, but they turned out to be small. And when you brought the harvest home, I blew it away. Why did I do that? Because my Temple lies in ruins while every one of you is busy working on your own house. 10 That is why there is no rain and nothing can grow. 11 I have brought drought on the land—on its hills, grainfields, vineyards, and olive orchards—on every crop the ground produces, on people and animals, on everything you try to grow.”
The People Obey the Lord's Command
12 Then Zerubbabel and Joshua and all the people who had returned from the exile in Babylonia, did what the Lord their God told them to do. They were afraid and obeyed the prophet Haggai, the Lord's messenger. 13 Then Haggai gave the Lord's message to the people: “I will be with you—that is my promise.” 14 The Lord inspired everyone to work on the Temple: Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah; Joshua, the High Priest, and all the people who had returned from the exile. They began working on the Temple of the Lord Almighty, their God, 15 on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month of the second year that Darius was emperor.