A Call to Build the House of the Lord

1 In the second year of King Darius,a on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggaib to Zerubbabelc son of Shealtiel, governord of Judah, and to Joshuaa e son of Jozadak,b f the high priest:g

2 This is what the Lord Almightyh says: “These peoplei say, ‘The time has not yet come to rebuild the Lord’s house.j’ ”

3 Then the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai:k 4 “Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses,l while this house remains a ruin?m”

5 Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thoughtn to your ways. 6 You have planted much, but harvested little.o You eat, but never have enough.p You drink, but never have your fill.q You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages,r only to put them in a purse with holes in it.”

7 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thoughts to your ways. 8 Go up into the mountains and bring down timbert and build my house, so that I may take pleasureu in it and be honored,v” says the Lord. 9 “You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little.w What you brought home, I blewx away. Why?” declares the Lord Almighty. “Because of my house, which remains a ruin,y while each of you is busy with your own house. 10 Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheldz their dewa and the earth its crops.b 11 I called for a droughtc on the fields and the mountains,d on the grain, the new wine,e the olive oilf and everything else the ground produces, on people and livestock, and on all the labor of your hands.g”

12 Then Zerubbabelh son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and the whole remnanti of the people obeyedj the voice of the Lord their God and the message of the prophet Haggai, because the Lord their God had sent him. And the people fearedk the Lord.

13 Then Haggai,l the Lord’s messenger,m gave this message of the Lord to the people: “I am withn you,” declares the Lord.