New Revised Standard NRS
The Bible in Basic English BBE
1 In the second year of King Darius, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came by the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest:
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In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet to Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, ruler of Judah, and to Joshua, the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, saying,
2 Thus says the Lord of hosts: These people say the time has not yet come to rebuild the Lord's house.
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These are the words of the Lord of armies: These people say, The time has not come for building the Lord's house.
3 Then the word of the Lord came by the prophet Haggai, saying:
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Then the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet, saying,
4 Is it a time for you yourselves to live in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins?
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Is it a time for you to be living in roofed houses while this house is a waste?
5 Now therefore thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider how you have fared.
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For this cause the Lord of armies has said, Give thought to your ways.
6 You have sown much, and harvested little; you eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill; you clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; and you that earn wages earn wages to put them into a bag with holes.
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Much has been planted, but little got in; you take food, but have not enough; you take drink, but are not full; you are clothed, but no one is warm; and he who gets payment for his work, gets it to put it into a bag full of holes.
7 Thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider how you have fared.
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This is what the Lord of armies has said: Give thought to your ways.
8 Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored, says the Lord.
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Go up to the hills and get wood and put up the house; and I will take pleasure in it and be honoured, says the Lord.
9 You have looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why? says the Lord of hosts. Because my house lies in ruins, while all of you hurry off to your own houses.
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You were looking for much, and it came to little; and when you got it into your house, I took it away with a breath. Why? says the Lord of armies. Because of my house which is a waste, while every man takes care of the house which is his.
10 Therefore the heavens above you have withheld the dew, and the earth has withheld its produce.
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For this cause the heaven over you is kept from giving dew, and the earth from giving her fruit.
11 And I have called for a drought on the land and the hills, on the grain, the new wine, the oil, on what the soil produces, on human beings and animals, and on all their labors.
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And by my order no rain came on the land or on the mountains or the grain or the wine or the oil or the produce of the earth or on men or cattle or on any work of man's hands.
12 Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the Lord their God, and the words of the prophet Haggai, as the Lord their God had sent him; and the people feared the Lord.
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Then Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua, the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and all the rest of the people, gave ear to the voice of the Lord their God and to the words of Haggai the prophet, because the Lord their God had sent him, and the people were in fear before the Lord.
13 Then Haggai, the messenger of the Lord, spoke to the people with the Lord's message, saying, I am with you, says the Lord.
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Then Haggai, whom the Lord had sent to give his words to the people, said, I am with you, says the Lord.
14 And the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and worked on the house of the Lord of hosts, their God,
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And the spirit of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, ruler of Judah, was moved by the Lord, as was the spirit of Joshua, the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the rest of the people; and they came and did work in the house of the Lord of armies, their God.
15 on the twenty-fourth day of the month, in the sixth month.
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On the twenty-fourth day of the month, in the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.