Haggai 1
1 In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, a word of YHWH has been by the hand of Haggai the prophet, to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Josedech, the high priest, saying,
In the second year of the reign of king Darius, on the first day of the sixth month, the Lord sent a message through the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest.
2 “Thus spoke YHWH of Hosts, saying, This people—they have said, The time has not come, The time the house of YHWH [is] to be built.”
The Lord Almighty says this: the people say, “This isn't the proper time to rebuild the Lord's house.”
3 And there is a word of YHWH by the hand of Haggai the prophet, saying,
Then the Lord sent a message through the prophet Haggai, saying,
4 “Is it time for you to dwell in your covered houses, And this house to lie waste?”
Is it the proper time for you to live in your paneled houses while this house remains a ruin?
5 And now, thus said YHWH of Hosts: “Set your heart to your ways.
So the Lord Almighty says this: Think about what you're doing!
6 You have sown much, and brought in little, To eat, and not to satiety, To drink, and not to drunkenness, To clothe, and none has heat, And he who is hiring himself out, Is hiring himself for a bag pierced through.”
You have sown much but harvested little. You eat but you're still hungry. You drink but you're still thirsty. You put on clothes but you're still cold. You work hard to earn money but put it in a bag full of holes.
7 Thus said YHWH of Hosts: “Set your heart to your ways.
The Lord Almighty says this: Think about what you're doing!
8 Go up the mountain, and you have brought in wood, And build the house, and I am pleased with it. And I am honored,” said YHWH.
Go into the hills and bring wood to build the house. This will please me and honor me, says the Lord.
9 “Looking for much, and behold, little, And you brought [it] home, and I blew on it—why?” A declaration of YHWH of Hosts, “Because of My house that is desolate, And you are running—each to his house,
You were hoping for so much, but look, it turned out to be so little. Everything you brought home I blew away. And why was that? Because my house remains a ruin while you are preoccupied with building your own houses, declares the Lord Almighty.
10 Therefore, over you the heavens have refrained from dew, And the land has refrained its increase.
That's why the clouds of heaven refused to send rain, and the earth refused to produce crops.
11 And I proclaim drought on the land, And on the mountains, and on the grain, And on the new wine, and on the oil, And on what the ground brings forth, And on man, and on beast, And on all labor of the hands.”
I called for a drought on the land, on the hills, on the grain fields, on the vineyards, and on the olive groves—on whatever the earth produces—and on people and livestock, on everything you do!
12 And Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and Joshua son of Josedech, the high priest, and all the remnant of the people, listen to the voice of their God YHWH, and to the words of Haggai the prophet, as their God YHWH had sent him, and the people are afraid of the face of YHWH.
Then Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest, together with all the remaining people, paid attention to what the Lord said, and to the words of Haggai the prophet that the Lord their God had sent. The people showed reverence before the Lord.
13 And Haggai, messenger of YHWH, in messages of YHWH, speaks to the people, saying, “I [am] with you, a declaration of YHWH.”
Then Haggai, the Lord's messenger, delivered this message from the Lord telling the people, I am with you! says the Lord.
14 And YHWH stirs up the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Josedech, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people, and they come in, and work in the house of YHWH of Hosts their God,
The Lord inspired Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and all the remaining people. They came and began work on the house of the Lord Almighty.
15 in the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king.
This happened on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month in the second year of the reign of king Darius.
