Haggai 1:2–11

2The Lord who rules over all says, “The people of Judah are saying, ‘The time hasn’t come yet for the Lord’s temple to be rebuilt.’ ”

3So the message came to me from the Lord. He said, 4“My temple is still destroyed. In spite of that, you are living in your houses that have beautiful wooden walls.”

5The Lord who rules over all says, “Think carefully about how you are living. 6You have planted many seeds. But the crops you have gathered are small. So you eat. But you never have enough. You drink. But you are never full. You put your clothes on. But you are not warm. You earn your pay. But it will not buy everything you need.”

7He continues, “Think carefully about how you are living. 8Go up into the mountains. Bring logs down. Use them to rebuild my house. Then I will enjoy it. And you will honor me,” says the Lord.

9“You expected a lot. But you can see what a small amount it turned out to be,” announces the Lord who rules over all. “I blew away what you brought home. Why? Because my temple is still destroyed. In spite of that, each one of you is busy with your own house.

10“So because of what you have done, the heavens have held back the dew. And the earth has not produced its crops. 11I ordered the rain not to fall on the fields and mountains. Then the ground did not produce any grain. There were not enough grapes to make fresh wine. The trees did not bear enough olives to make oil. People and cattle suffered. All of your hard work failed.”