Haggai 1
1 In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month, hath a word of Jehovah been by the hand of Haggai the prophet, unto Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and unto 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 spake Jehovah of Hosts, saying: This people! — they have said, 'The time hath not come, The time the house of Jehovah [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 Jehovah 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 — 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 Jehovah of Hosts, Set your heart to your ways.
So the Lord Almighty says this: Think about what you're doing!
6 Ye have sown much, and brought in little, To eat, and not to satiety, To drink, and not to drunkenness, To clothe, and none hath 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 Jehovah 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 ye have brought in wood, And build the house, and I am pleased with it. And I am honoured, said Jehovah.
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 lo, little, And ye brought [it] home, and I blew on it, Wherefore? — an affirmation of Jehovah of Hosts, Because of My house that is waste, And ye 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 refrained have the heavens from dew, And the land hath 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 draught on the land, And on the mountains, and on the corn, And on the new wine, and on the oil, And on what the ground doth bring forth, And on man, and on beast, And on all labour 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, do hearken to the voice of Jehovah their God, and unto the words of Haggai the prophet, as Jehovah their God had sent him, and the people are afraid of the face of Jehovah.
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 Jehovah, in messages of Jehovah, speaketh to the people, saying: 'I [am] with you, an affirmation of Jehovah.'
Then Haggai, the Lord's messenger, delivered this message from the Lord telling the people, I am with you! says the Lord.
14 And Jehovah doth stir 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 do work in the house of Jehovah 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 and 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.
