Haggai 1:1–9

The Command to Build God’s House

1In ^athe second year of King Darius, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came by ^bHaggai the prophet to ^cZerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to ^dJoshua the son of ^eJehozadak, the high priest, saying, ²“Thus speaks the Lord of hosts, saying: ‘This people says, “The time has not come, the time that the Lord’s house should be built.” ’ ”

³Then the word of the Lord ^fcame by Haggai the prophet, saying, ⁴“Is it ^gtime for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this ¹temple to lie in ruins?” ⁵Now therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: ^h“Consider your ways!

⁶“You have ⁱsown much, and bring in little;

You eat, but do not have enough;

You drink, but you are not filled with drink;

You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm;

And ^jhe who earns wages,

Earns wages to put into a bag with holes.”

⁷Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Consider your ways! ⁸Go up to the ^kmountains and bring wood and build the ²temple, that I may take pleasure in it and be glorified,” says the Lord. ^9l“You looked for much, but indeed it came to little; and when you brought it home, ^mI blew it away. Why?” says the Lord of hosts. “Because of My house that is in ruins, while every one of you runs to his own house.