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.”

Read in Logos

Haggai 1:6: You have sown much, and harvested little. You eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes.