Haggai 1

In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month, came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet unto Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, saying,

In the second year of King Darius's reign, on the first day of the sixth month, God's message came through the prophet Haggai. It was directed to Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah and son of Shealtiel, and to Joshua, the high priest and son of Josedech.

Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the LORD’s house should be built.

The Lord Almighty declares, "People claim it's not yet time to build my house."

Then came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet, saying,

Then, Haggai the prophet received a message from the Lord, filled with divine wisdom and guidance.

Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house lie waste?

Is this really the time for you to live in your fine paneled homes while this sacred place remains in ruins?

Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.

The LORD of all says, "Reflect on your actions."

Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.

Despite your hard work, you're left wanting; you eat and drink, yet remain unsatisfied; you dress, but still feel cold; and your earnings seem to disappear as if your pockets have holes.

Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.

The LORD Almighty urges you; reflect on your actions.

Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the LORD.

Climb the mountain, gather the wood, and construct the house. I, the Lord, will find joy in it and it will honor me.

Ye looked for much, and, lo it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith the LORD of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house.

You sought abundance, but found only scraps. Even what you gathered, I scattered. Why? Asks the Lord. Because while my house lies in ruins, you only care for your own.

Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit.

Thus, the sky above withholds its nurturing dew, and the earth beneath refuses to bear its fruitful bounty.

And I called for a drought upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon the corn, and upon the new wine, and upon the oil, and upon that which the ground bringeth forth, and upon men, and upon cattle, and upon all the labour of the hands.

With a heavy heart, I summoned a dry spell over the earth, the mountains, the crops, the fresh wine, the oil, and everything the soil births. It affected both people and animals, and all their hard work.

Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the LORD their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the LORD their God had sent him, and the people did fear before the LORD.

Zerubbabel, Shealtiel's son, and Joshua, Josedech's son and high priest, along with the remaining people, listened to God's voice. They respected the words of the prophet Haggai, sent by God. This caused a deep reverence for the Lord among the people.

Then spake Haggai the LORD’s messenger in the LORD’s message unto the people, saying, I am with you, saith the LORD.

Haggai, God's messenger, conveyed God's message to the people with conviction, "Remember, God is always with you."

And the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and did work in the house of the LORD of hosts, their God,

God inspired Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, Joshua, the high priest, and the remaining people. Filled with this divine motivation, they came together and worked passionately in the house of their God, the LORD.

In the four and twentieth day of the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king.

On the 24th day of the sixth month, during King Darius' second year of reign.