Haggai 1
1 [I am], Haggai, a prophet. I received a message from Yahweh on August 29th, during the second year that Darius was the king [of Persia]. I told this message to Shealtiel’s son Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, and to Jehozadak’s son Jeshua, the Supreme Priest.
In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, on the first [day] of the month, the word of the Lord came by the hand of the prophet Aggaeus, saying, Speak to Zorobabel the son of Salathiel, of the tribe of Juda, and to Jesus the son of Josedec, the high priest, saying,
2 Yahweh, the Commander of the armies of heaven, told [me] that the people were saying that it was not yet time for them to rebuild Yahweh’s temple.
Thus says the Lord Almighty, saying, This people say, The time is not come to build the house of the Lord.
3 Then Yahweh gave me this message [to tell to the people of Jerusalem]:
And the word of the Lord came by the hand of the prophet Aggaeus, saying,
4 “It is not right [RHQ] for you to be living in luxurious houses while my temple is only ruins!
Is it time for you to dwell in your ceiled houses, whereas our house is desolate?
5 [I, ] Yahweh, the Commander of the armies of heaven, say this: Think about what is happening to you.
And now thus says the Lord Almighty; Consider your ways, I pray you.
6 You have planted a lot [of seeds], but you are not getting many [crops] to harvest. You eat [food], but you never get enough. You drink [wine], but you are still thirsty. You wear clothes, but you do not stay warm. You earn money, [but things are very expensive], with the result that [it is as though] [MET] [your money disappears because] you are putting it in purses/pockets that have [big] holes in them.”
You have sown much, but brought in little; you have eaten, and are not satisfied; you have drunk, and are not satisfied with drink, you have clothed yourselves, and have not become warm thereby: and he that earns wages has gathered [them] into a bag full of holes.
7 [So] this is what Yahweh, the Commander of the armies of heaven, says: “Think about what is happening to you.
Thus says the Lord Almighty; Consider your ways.
8 [Then] go up into the hills, [cut down trees, ] and bring timber [down here], and rebuild my temple. When you do that, I will be pleased, and I will be honored.
Go up to the mountain, and cut timber; build the house, and I will take pleasure in it, and be glorified, says the Lord.
9 You expected [to harvest] plenty [of crops], but there were few [crops to harvest]. And when you brought the crops home, I caused them to spoil [IDM] quickly. The reason [that happened is that] my temple is a ruins, while each of you are busy building your own [beautiful] houses.
You looked for much, and there came little; and it was brought into the house, and I blew it away. Therefore thus says the Lord Almighty, Because my house is desolate, and you run everyone into his own house;
10 It is because of what you [are doing] that rain does not fall from the sky, and [as a result] there are no crops.
therefore shall the sky withhold dew, and the earth shall keep back her produce.
11 I have caused a (drought/severe lack of rain) on the hills and on your fields. The result has been that your grain [has withered], and your grapevines [MTY] and olive trees [MTY] and all your [other] crops have dried up. [Because of that, ] you and your cattle [do not have enough food], and the hard work that you have done will be for nothing.”
And I will bring a sword upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon the corn, and upon the wine, and upon the oil, and all that the earth produces, and upon the men, and upon the cattle, and upon all the labors of their hands.
12 Then Zerubbabel and Jeshua and all the others of God’s people who were still alive obeyed the message that Yahweh our God had said, and they heeded the message that I had given them, because [they knew that] Yahweh our God had sent/appointed me. And the people revered Yahweh.
And Zorobabel the son of Salathiel, of the tribe of Juda, and Jesus the son of Josedec, the high priest, and all the remnant of the people, listened to the voice of the Lord their God, and the words of the prophet Aggaeus, according as the Lord their God had sent him to them, and the people feared before the Lord.
13 Then [I], Haggai, who was Yahweh’s messenger, gave this message from Yahweh to the people: “I, Yahweh, declare that I am with you.”
And Aggaeus the Lord's messenger spoke among the messengers of the Lord to the people, [saying], I am with you, says the Lord.
14 [So] Yahweh motivated Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the other people to want to rebuild the temple of our God, the Commander of the armies of angels. They gathered together and started to work to rebuild it.
And the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zorobabel the son of Salathiel, of the tribe of Juda, and the spirit of Jesus the son of Josedec, the high priest, and the spirit of the remnant of all the people; and they went in, and wrought in the house of the Lord Almighty their God,
15 [They started work] on September 21st, during the second year that Darius was the king.
on the four and twentieth [day] of the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king.
