A Call to Rebuild the Temple (Ezra 5:1–5)
1 UDB Haggai, who was a prophet, received a message from Yahweh. Yahweh spoke this message to him in the second year after Darius had become king of Persia. This happened on the first day of the sixth month of that year. Haggai told this message to Shealtiel's son Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, and to Jehozadak's son Joshua, the high priest. BSB BSB: In the second year of the reign of Darius, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the LORD came through Haggai the prophet to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, stating
2 UDB Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, told him that the people were saying that it was not yet time for them to rebuild Yahweh's temple. BSB BSB: that this is what the LORD of Hosts says: “These people say, ‘The time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the LORD.’”
3 UDB Then Yahweh gave him this message to tell to the people of Jerusalem: BSB BSB: Then the word of the LORD came through Haggai the prophet, saying:
4 UDB "It is not right for you to be living in luxurious houses while my temple is only ruins! BSB BSB: “Is it a time for you yourselves to live in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins?”
5 UDB I, Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, says this: 'Think about what you are doing. BSB BSB: Now this is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Consider carefully your ways.
6 UDB 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 it is spent as quickly as you make it.' BSB BSB: You have planted much but harvested little. You eat but never have enough. You drink but never have your fill. You put on clothes but never get warm. You earn wages to put into a bag pierced through.”
7 UDB So this is what Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, says: 'Think about what you are doing. BSB BSB: This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Consider carefully your ways.
8 UDB Then go up into the hills, cut down trees, bring timber down here, and rebuild my temple. When you do that, I will be pleased and I will appear there with my glory. BSB BSB: Go up into the hills, bring down lumber, and build the house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be glorified, says the LORD.
9 UDB You expected to harvest plenty of crops, but there were few crops to harvest because I removed them. I did this because my temple is a ruin, while each of you are busy building your own beautiful house. BSB BSB: You expected much, but behold, it amounted to little. And what you brought home, I blew away. Why? declares the LORD of Hosts. Because My house still lies in ruins, while each of you is busy with his own house.
10 UDB It is because of what you are doing that rain does not fall from the sky, and as a result there are no crops. BSB BSB: Therefore, on account of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth has withheld its crops.
11 UDB I have caused a drought over both fields and mountains and all your other crops—whether grain or wine or oil—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.'" BSB BSB: I have summoned a drought on the fields and on the mountains, on the grain, new wine, and oil, and on whatever the ground yields, on man and beast, and on all the labor of your hands.”
The People Obey 12 UDB Then Zerubbabel and Jeshua and all the others of God's people who were still alive obeyed the message that Yahweh their God had spoken, and they listened to the message that Haggai had given them, because they knew that Yahweh their God had sent him. Then they honored Yahweh, for he was present with them. BSB BSB: Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, as well as all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the LORD their God and the words of the prophet Haggai, because the LORD their God had sent him. So the people feared the LORD.
13 UDB Then Haggai, who was Yahweh's messenger, gave this message from Yahweh to the people: "I, Yahweh, declare that I am with you." BSB BSB: Haggai, the messenger of the LORD, delivered the message of the LORD to the people: “I am with you,” declares the LORD.
14 UDB So Yahweh motivated Zerubbabel and Joshua and the other people to want to rebuild the temple of their God, Yahweh, commander of the angel armies. So they gathered together and started to work to rebuild it. BSB BSB: So the LORD stirred the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, as well as the spirit of all the remnant of the people. And they came and began the work on the house of the LORD of Hosts, their God,
15 UDB They started that work on the twenty-fourth day of the same month in which Yahweh had spoken to Haggai. BSB BSB: on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month, in the second year of King Darius.